Lecture on preserving urban tree canopy Jan 10th - Manchester, NH

January home and garden events - Courant.com:
Ron Pitz, director of the Knox Parks Foundation, will discuss preserving the urban tree canopy Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the meeting of the Manchester Garden Club.

The meeting, at Center Congregational Church at the corner of Main and Center streets in Manchester, is free and open. For details, call Peg Newton at 860-649-4420.

Stimulus funds available to get you a free planted tree only until December 31, 2010 - Philadelphia, PA

Calling garden loving city dwellers - HURRY UP and apply for a free tree - Philadelphia Gardening and Health | Examiner.com:
Until December 31, 2010 there's an opportunity to have a tree planted outside your city home, using money from a grant that was awarded to the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Department. The U.S. Forest Service, through enactment of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, has approved a grant of nearly $1.8 million to be used toward the restoration of Fairmount Park's ecosystems and a detailed study of the city's tree canopy.

Urban tree canopy grant given to county as part of water quality strategy - Jefferson County, WV

Tree planting grant given to county - journal-news.net | News, sports, jobs, community information for Martinsburg - The Journal:
The Jefferson County Commission, in partnership with the cities of Ranson and Charles Town, has been awarded a $22,600 Chesapeake Bay Enhancement Grant by the West Virginia Division of Forestry.

This grant will build on an effort initiated in 2009 in which Jefferson County, with the assistance of the West Virginia Potomac Tributary Strategy Implementation Team, began an Urban Tree Canopy assessment project. The county, in its effort to foster wider acceptance of voluntary best management practices (BMPs) for urban tree conservation and plantings, first developed an UTC assessment to determine the extent and location of tree canopy throughout the county.

Damascus approves tree ordinance at last meeting of the year - Damascus, OR

Damascus approves tree ordinance at last meeting of the year | OregonLive.com:
After more than three years of discussion, Damascus residents will soon have more restrictions relating to the cutting of trees than ever before.

The city passed an urban forestry ordinance on Tuesday that outlines a set of requirements for removal of trees and limits how many and what kind of cutting can be done.

A 4-2 vote at the last city council meeting of the year came after much heated debate about individual property rights versus the importance of establishing and protecting a tree canopy.

'It's not going to ensure we have a good canopy forever but it will help us with our ecosystems services and water retention,' said outgoing Mayor Jim Wright.

Proposed changes to tree ordinance intended to support 28% urban tree canopy goal - Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver Voice - Common canopy:
The pending changes would provide a definition of the word “destroy.”

“For the purposes of this Chapter, ‘destroy any tree’ shall mean: to damage, disfigure or cause injury or death which may include, but not be limited to topping, excessive pruning not consistent with nationally-accepted standards, poisoning, and trenching or excavating in such a manner as to make the tree root system not viable,” the proposed text states.

David Robertson, a Vancouver Heights resident, believes the added definition is needed,

“You have people that get told they can’t cut a tree down, so they cut off all the branches and claim they just pruned it down to being a stump or they will water the tree with anti-freeze until it dies,” Robertson said.

Mansfield receives trees for Christmas from Tree Board and Georgia Forestry Commission - Mansfield, GA

Mansfield receives trees for Christmas:
The city of Mansfield got a Christmas gift Monday that should last long into the future.

Members of the Mansfield Tree Board and the Georgia Forestry Commission planted 16 trees at three locations in the city. The trees were funded through a $1,000 Keep Covington-Newton Beautiful GREATways Grant, which encourages beautification of gateways and entrances throughout the county. In addition, in-kind contributions totaled about $2,060, and the city of Mansfield is funding a $450 cash match, putting the total project cost at $3,510.

The grant was awarded to help the Mansfield Tree Board continue its mission to protect, manage and improve the urban tree canopy in the city and surrounding community. The tree board was formed in 2008 and since that time has planted more than 50 trees.

Builder, spare that tree, says council - Frankston, Victoria, Australia

Builder, spare that tree, says council - Local News - News - General - Frankston Weekly:
FRANKSTON Council has reintroduced a law designed to protect the city's trees from building work that is performed too close to a tree.
Mayor Kris Bolam said there had been a 'very noticeable reduction of the city's tree canopy' since there had been no local law protecting trees from buildings constructed too close to a tree.

The resurrected local law applies to trees - including those on private property - with a circumference at the base of the trunk of 110centimetres or more.

The tree-protection zone is a circular area that extends from the centre of the trunk and which is equal to 12 times the diameter of the trunk.

In most cases, buildings and other constructions that encroach on more than 10per cent of this zone require a council permit. The law is similar to a tree-protection local law the state government revoked in October 2009 because it contravened part of the state's planning scheme.

'Garden state' at risk as population flourishes - Melbourne, Australia

'Garden state' at risk as population flourishes:
VICTORIA'S reputation as the garden state is under threat due to its increasing population, the first ever inventory of public land and open space for metropolitan Melbourne has found.

The state government commissioned audit by the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council found an increasing population and limited opportunities for the creation of new parks and gardens would mean further declines in public open space per capita for all municipalities bar one - the south-eastern City of Knox.

It forecast that open space per capita would halve by 2026 for growth municipalities with rapid housing development, such as Cardinia in the east, Hume in the north-west and Whittlesea in the north-east.

Clackamas County to establish countywide tree planting program - Clackamas County, OR

Clackamas County to establish countywide tree planting program | OregonLive.com:
Clackamas County is looking to establish a countywide tree planting program in an effort to increase tree canopy and coverage in urban unincorporated areas of the county.

The new program will incorporate current tree-planting programs that three departments -- water environment services, the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District and the Clackamas County forestry program -- already use to improve riparian zones, increase tree canopy on park lands and improve watershed health. Those three programs planted roughly 9,515 trees in fiscal year 2009-10.

Tree Work Draws Park Twp. Neighborhood's Ire - Park township, MI

Tree Work Draws Park Twp. Neighborhood's Ire - 1450 WHTC Holland's Hometown Station:
Crews doing work for the Ottawa County Road Commission may be heading into a hostile environment today. That panel has ordered a number of maple trees along Lakeshore Drive in Park Township moved back or removed in order to improve drivers’ vision and road safety in that area. Some residents have been vigorously protesting such a move, saying that it would destroy the scenic tree canopy of that roadway.

City Councilmember Mello counts 33% Urban Tree Canopy goal among 2010's exciting initiatives - Takoma, WA

2010 in Ryan Mello’s words - Features - Weekly Volcano - The alternative newsweekly for Tacoma and Olympia:
"...the Urban Forestry Project has been really significant. We have a goal in our Comprehensive Plan that we adopted this year that says we are going to have thirty-percent tree canopy cover by the year 2030. So if you look at a satellite map of Tacoma you should see thirty-percent of the city covered by tree canopy (by 2030). That's basically the goal - right now we have about eleven percent, so we have a ways to go."

Southie Trees Tour: Reforesting South Boston with the Emerald Necklace Conservancy Green Team - Boston, MA

Southie Trees Tour: Reforesting South Boston | The Emerald Necklace Conservancy Green Team:
On Friday, Mike Kissinger of Southie Trees (South Boston Tree Action Team), led the the Youth Leadership Team on a tour of the trees of South Boston. According to the Urban Ecology Institute’s “State Of The Urban Forest” inventory of Boston street trees, South Boston’s ranks 14 out of 16 Boston neighborhoods when it comes to existing tree canopy relative to potential tree canopy (existing urban tree canopy (UTC) in South Boston: 9%. Possible additional UTC: 57%).

LETTER — Lakeshore Drive tree canopy is an asset, not a liability - Holland, MI

LETTER — Lakeshore Drive tree canopy is an asset, not a liability - Holland, MI - The Holland Sentinel:
Please reconsider your decision to force an expensive relocation of trees [on Lakeshore Drive] at Maple Beach and Edgewood Beach. The property owners planted these new maple trees where the old trees had been growing. These young trees do not impede the sight lines of drivers coming out of the respective association entrances.

Commission urges passage of ordinance to preserve tree canopy; would regulate removal of public and private trees - Montclair, NJ

Commission urges passage of ordinance to preserve tree canopy - NorthJersey.com:
Members of the Montclair Environmental Commission urged the Township Council to consider a tree-preservation ordinance that would regulate when citizens may cut down trees, even those dead or diseased, on private property.

The ordinance has been in the works for four years, though the discussion during the council's Dec. 14 meeting was the council's first prolonged debate on the proposal. Imke Oster, a commission member, said Montclair is known for its tree canopy, and it needs to be protected.

'People move here for the fresh air, for the livability of this town,' Oster said. 'There's a big difference when you drive down a tree-lined street. The temperature is much cooler.'

The proposed tree-preservation ordinance would require residents to obtain permits before removing trees greater than 6 inches in diameter on private property. It would also require homeowners to cover the cost to pay for inspection by the township's arborist, and participate in a tree replacement program.

City to consider tree canopy project; put February 2, 2011 hearing on your calendars - Portland, OR

City to consider tree canopy project | Portland Business Journal:
The Portland City Council is taking on a project to consolidate the rules for city trees and boost the city’s tree canopy by 100 acres or more every year.

The council will hold a hearing on its tree project at 6 p.m. Feb. 2 at City Hall, 1221 S.W. Fourth Ave.

The project aims to create a cohesive strategy to promote a healthy urban forest, achieved in part by consolidating regulations under a single new tree code, standardizing the city’s tree permit system and promoting preservation.

Virginia Beach urban tree canopy needs help and PHP has 10 acres to offer; contact VB Arborist Salzman to see how you can help - Virginia Beach, VA

Virginia Beach urban tree canopy needs help and PHP has 10 acres to offer. « SavePHP.org Pleasure House Point is 122 acres and can be preserved forever with your help.:

How can you help?

We need interested people to help us! If you are a homeowner, resident, student, or business owner who would like to be involved in the next steps, we welcome your help.

Great way to help is to contact Kristina Salzman at the VBGov.com page to ask for more help in preserving 100% of PHP which would also help VB’s Urban Forest.

Tree Stewards Prune Scottsville Park - Charlottesville, VA

Tree Stewards Prune Scottsville Park - NBC29

Some volunteers braved the chilly winds Tuesday to help clean up a Scottsville park.

Albemarle County employees and the Charlottesville/Albemarle Tree Stewards spent the morning in Dorrier Park trying to educate people about proper pruning and mulching techniques.

This is part of an effort to preserve the health of trees and the tree canopy.

Town amends tree-protection regulations; canopy requirements go into effect March 2011 - Chapel Hill, NC

chapelhillnews.com | Town amends tree-protection regulations:
Many Chapel Hill trees will have new protection come spring.

The Town Council voted 6-1 Monday night to require 'tree canopy' standards for certain properties within town limits. The new rules will take effect March 1, 2011.

The new ordinance will measure trees by their canopy, rather than by the diameter of their trunks.

Canopy standards will be enforced according to their land use.

Single-family lots, two family properties, and smaller, non-residential projects are exempt.

A tree's canopy would be measured in square feet by its 'drip zones,' or area under the tree's outermost branches.

Institutional and mixed-use developments will require a 40 percent tree canopy.

Commercial and multi-family residential properties will require a 30 percent canopy.

A Tree Grows in Brookland: Casey Trees DC

Neighbors plant trees, good feelings in East Baltimore - Baltimore, MD

Neighbors plant trees, good feelings in East Baltimore - baltimoresun.com:
The association hired Parks & People Foundation, another nonprofit that works to improve the city's green spaces, to break holes in the sidewalk and help plant the trees. Aiding the effort were members of the foundation's Green Up Clean Up work force, underwritten with federal stimulus funds. Guy Hager, a foundation official, said the plantings consisted of Armstrong maples, which grow relatively straight up -- an asset on narrow urban streets -- and serviceberries, which produce fruit that should attract birds to the neighborhood.

UGA Natural Resources Spatial Analysis Lab releases urban canopy maps for southeastern US

Urban Canopy | Natural Resources Spatial Analysis Lab:
From 1991 Landsat data, we developed a second set of canopy information for the southeastern United States. This includes tree canopy coverage for Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Northern Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and most of Virginia. These data allow communities across the southeastern United States to begin to evaluate the trends in community tree canopy cover. The information can be used to determine the success of a number of urban forest programs from the success of tree ordinances to planting programs. For the first time, these trends data are consistent across a region; therefore, communities can compare their results and benchmark their programs. These data can be used in a number of modeling applications providing information on ecosystem services (storm water management, air quality, carbon sequestration and energy efficiency) to assess the value of tree canopy in providing these services and how they change over time.

2010 Tree Steward Award winners announced by the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program

UVM Extension : University of Vermont:
The 2010 Tree Steward Award winners recently were recognized by the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program (VT UCF) at a special recognition ceremony in Montpelier.

Gov. Jim Douglas presented the awards Dec. 8 at the ceremony in the Cedar Creek Room of the Vermont Statehouse. Recipients were selected through a nomination process by VT UCF's Advisory Council, a 20-member advisory group for the program, which is a partnership between University of Vermont (UVM) Extension and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation.

The program promotes good stewardship of forests and helps individuals, organizations, and communities develop plans for planting and caring for community trees. These annual awards honor people, communities, and volunteer groups that demonstrate a strong commitment to planting, caring for, and protecting Vermont's trees, whether community plantings or established forests.

Fight for trees hits deadline - Holland, MI

Fight for trees hits deadline - Holland, MI - The Holland Sentinel:
Park Township residents are worried trees they planted along Lakeshore Drive won’t make it through the winter.

The Road Commission gave Maple Beach residents until Friday to remove nine trees planted early this year. The residents are attempting to restore the street’s tree canopy.

Resident Jim Nelson said he has become increasingly critical of the Road Commissioners in recent months.

“The insistence of the current three road commissioners to defy and thwart the goals and overall best interest of our county is incredible and defies reasonable understanding,” Nelson wrote to the commissioners.

Pepco peddles myths about trees, customers' expectations in failing effort to explain its problems - Washington, DC

Robert McCartney - Pepco peddles myths about trees, customers' expectations in failing effort to explain its problems:
For years, Pepco's favorite myth was that customers lost power so frequently because the Washington area had so many trees, whose falling branches kept knocking down the lines. It's America's fourth-densest tree canopy, Pepco said. The trade-off for customers was clear: Unless you'd rather give up your trees, we at Pepco can't guarantee you'll have juice.

That myth is now deceased. My Washington Post colleagues Joe Stephens and Mary Pat Flaherty revealed in a major investigative story Sunday on Pepco's outages that the tree canopy in the Washington area is actually average. Moreover, Pepco suffers more outages from its own equipment failures than from tree damage.

Town Council passes tree canopy rules 5-1 - Chapel Hill, NC

OrangeChat - Town Council passes tree canopy rules 5-1; Czajkowski dissents | newsobserver.com blogs: Many Chapel Hill trees will have new protection come spring.

The Town Council voted 5-1 Monday night to require “tree canopy” standards for certain properties within town limits. The new rules will take effect March 1, 2011.

The new ordinance will measure trees by their canopy, rather than by the diameter of their trunks. Canopy standards will be enforced according to their land use.

Single-family lots, two family properties, and smaller, non-residential projects are exempt.

Parkway to be trimmed of fire hazards - Sacramento, CA

Parkway trimmed of fire hazards - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee:
Work has begun to trim trees near homes in areas along the American River Parkway in order to prevent dangerous fires next summer.

Steve Flannery, chief ranger for Sacramento County parks, said the main objective is to reduce the risk of fire getting into tree tops. Tree canopy fires are especially destructive, fast-moving and difficult to control.

'Lower tree branches will be limbed up to eight feet, ladder fuels, such as vines, will be cut and dead wood will be removed,' he said.

Parade may be bad for trees due to pruning for balloons; changes coming - Seattle, WA

Seafair: Bad for Seattle's trees?:
Seattle's Seafair Torchlight Parade may have to do a better job of accommodating trees.

How isn't clear, but city managers are worried about the summer parade's effect on trees that line the Fourth Avenue parade route downtown.
During past parades city crews have pruned branches of the trees so they'll clear the balloons that float along the route as the parade progresses.

But Roy Francis, urban forestry manager for the Seattle Department of Transportation, told an advisory city forestry commission Wednesday that starting next year the city will no longer prune the trees for the parade and that Seafair will have to reconsider how to move through the streets.

Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission ruling: Homeowners win on no more tree topping - IN

Just One Minute | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star:
Indiana homeowners angry about utility crews hacking off the tops of trees without their permission, leaving ugly gaps, won a victory Tuesday.

The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission ruled that utilities can't top trees or remove more than 25 percent of a tree's canopy without the homeowner's permission.

'If the property owner does not consent, the utility must offer alternatives,' a news release about the ruling said.

Utilities also must contact homeowners personally and notify them in writing at least two weeks before trimming. They must use public rights of way or easements, or get permission from property owners to enter private property.

The decision follows months of input from residents at six public meetings across the state.

Morton Arboretum teams up to with Chicago-area Mayors, USDA to provide ash borer mitigation funding - Chicago, IL

Arboretum teams up to provide ash borer funding - Naperville Sun:
The Morton Arboretum and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus on Wednesday made $1 million in federal grant money available to municipalities to fight the effects of emerald ash borer.

The invasive pest has already killed tens of millions of ash trees in North America and threatens the estimated 130 million ash in Illinois.

The Arboretum and MMC, which represents 272 Chicago-area mayors, today posted a Request for Proposal on their websites for municipalities to apply for the grant money.

Tree 'butchering' order issued by Indiana utility regulatory commission

Tree 'butchering' order issued | thestarpress.com | The Star Press:
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission on Tuesday issued an order that it says strikes a balance between utility companies and angry customers who accuse them of 'butchering' trees.

The order states that the utilities are required to adhere to nationally recognized best practices, as outlined by the American National Standards Institute's standards for tree care, as well as other requirements.

Island tree canopy near national standard - Manatee County, FL

Island tree canopy near national standard » Archive » Anna Maria Island News - The Anna Maria Islander "The Award Winning & Best News on Anna Maria Island, FL Since 1992":
Manatee County is just percentage points from meeting a national standard for forest coverage, according to a study released by the county.

The county worked with Keep Manatee Beautiful, ESciences and several other government agencies on its first study of its urban tree canopy.

The five-year analysis, funded with a $10,000 grant from the Florida Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program and another $10,000 grant from KMB, used software modeling and aerial photographs to evaluate the tree canopy in unincorporated Manatee and the six municipalities in the county.

Friends of the Urban Forest: The Green Christmas tree alternative that keeps on giving - Los Angeles, CA

Friends of the Urban Forest: The Green Christmas tree alternative - Los Angeles green building | Examiner.com: You can pick up a tree that will have a life in the “Urban Forest” after the holiday season. Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF), a non-profit out of the bay area, has a “Green Christmas” program in which they offer living, potted trees for the year-end holidays. For just $80, SF participants get beautiful, six-to-eight-foot-tall potted trees that may be picked up, brought home for decoration and enjoyment for up to six weeks, and returned to FUF who then grows the tree larger and uses it in an urban tree planting program!

Elmhurst takes pre-emptive strike against Emerald Ash Borer with proactive remove & replace effort - Elmhurst, IL

Elmhurst takes pre-emptive strike against Emerald Ash Borer — Elmhurst news, photos and events — TribLocal.com:
Elmhurst has not yet had an infestation of the Emerald Ash Borer, but it doesn’t want to take any chances on attracting the insect that could result in the loss of a significant portion of its tree canopy.

The city has developed a plan to deal with the threat of the small green beetle that lays its eggs in the bark of Ash trees, and deprives the trees of nurtrients, which causes the death of the trees.

Elmhurst will pre-emptively remove and replace Ash trees that grown on public property. Ash trees make up about 10 percent of the city’s 22,000 trees. The city will remove and replace about 115 Ash trees a year with non-Ash trees over a period of about 20 years.

Olmsted Park Converted to Energy-Efficient Winter Wonderland for the Holidays - Buffalo, NY

Olmsted Nights Winter Lights - Buffalo Rising:
Imagine a beautiful snow laced tree lined canopy in Delaware Park. Now imagine that same tree lined canopy in Frederick Law Olmsted's urban forest adorned with more than 50,000 energy-efficient holiday lights on a crisp winter evening. Over the next few weeks, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy will be converting the jewel of the park system into a veritable winter wonderland.

State Senator halts utility pruning following public outrage - Dallas, TX

Meeting With State Senator John Carona | Save Dallas Trees:
On Wednesday, November 17th, several of our supporters met with Senator John Carona to discuss what can be done regarding Oncor’s 10 foot 4 inch pruning minimum.

As people who attended our November 3rd meeting with Oncor will recall, Oncor’s representative stated through a video presentation that Oncor’s 10’ 4” requirement was based on an average of growth rates for trees, which was derived from Michael A. Dirr’s book, “Manual of Woody Landscape Plants”. Fortunately, we were able to contact Mr. Dirr for comment. In response to Oncor’s methodology, Mr. Dirr stated, “this is just fallacy”.

Senator Carona has stopped Oncor’s tree trimming until better alternatives are presented by Oncor. Thank goodness we have finally found an elected official who is concerned about the rights of his constituents.

Blogger bemoans tree removal for construction project - Guelph, Ontario, Canada

tree destruction on Carden St | Ward 2 Guelph:
Today I witnessed the removal of all the trees lining Carden St from Woolwich to McDonnell. In the last two days all of these trees have been removed by a sub contractor in order to facilitate the construction of our transit hub. The saddest part was watching the last oak tree that we attempted to protect by chaining bicycles to it, be systematically trimmed and then chainsawed into foot long lengths. Sawdust, acorns and fallen leaves are all that remain.

Bristol takes strategic approach to urban tree management - Bristol, UK

Bristol takes strategic approach to urban tree management | Horticulture Week:
Trees are unlikely to be high on many local authority agendas in the age of austerity. But Bristol has actively sought to improve the number and status of its trees.

The council has achieved this by establishing a single body, TreeBristol, to oversee the city's trees, whether they are in parks, at the roadside, or, as far as possible, on private land. While it has ambitious targets for tree planting, including plans to extend the city's tree canopy to 30 per cent, the body's trees are not being planted willy-nilly, but rather where they can do the most good for the lowest cost.

From 2010 GreenBuild:: "Million Tree" campaigns will fail if the trees don't live

A New Way to Plant Urban Trees | Sustainable Cities Collective:
At the 2010 GreenBuild, Peter MacDonagh, the Kestler Design Group, James Urban, FASLA, Urban Trees + Soils, and Peter Schaudt, FASLA, Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects, argued that without new tree planting techniques that use healthy loam soils, major “one million” urban tree planting campaigns will fail, wasting lots of money in the process. MacDonagh said “urban forestry is broken. We need to remake with a different approach.”

ReLeafing Day plantings aid Bellevue - come out and plant! - Nashville, TN

Press Release: ReLeafing Day plantings aid Bellevue - Impact Nashville:
Hundreds of volunteers will again be in Bellevue Saturday November 20, this time to plant trees on ReLeafing Day.

“Nashville Tree Foundation is partnering with Cumberland River Compact, Nashville Electric Service and Impact Nashville to plant about 250 trees in Bellevue neighborhoods affected by the historic May flood on the ninth annual ReLeafing Day,” said Foundation president Pat Wallace.


“This year we’ll be planting powerline-approved trees with NES and a shade tree project in collaboration with CRC Project Blue Streams and the Mayor’s Office Impact Nashville initiative,” Wallace said.

Urban forestry contest: The race is on! Get your free trees! - FL

Urban forestry contest: The race is on! Get your free trees! » TCPalm.com (User story from Richie Bamlet): Florida is part of The Grove, a new Web site and online community created to engage and encourage people to plant trees and protect the urban tree canopy. The Florida Grove is sponsored by the Florida Urban Forestry Council and the Florida Division of Forestry.

Becoming a member of The Grove enables you to upload photos of trees you have planted with family members and friends in “grove” photo albums, as well as interact with other people who share your interest in trees and the environment.

Ozark Greenways To Spruce Up Decades-Old Project - Springfield, MO

Ozark Greenways To Spruce Up Decades-Old Project - OzarksFirst.com:
In 2011, Ozark Greenways will turn 20 years old.

But the initiative goes back to 1988, when 'Project Parkway' planted a tree along Chestnut Expressway. That inspired Ozark Greenways to be developed in 1991.

To celebrate, Ozark Greenways is planning to add several new trees to the project, and replace ones that have been lost over the last few years.

Executive Director Terry Whaley says the goal is to have a staggered tree canopy to ensure there will always be trees along this section of road.

Surgeon fights to save one U-District tree - Seattle, WA

Surgeon fights to save one U-District tree:
A Seattle tree surgeon is trying to make sure one tree lives, and make a point about what he considers the city's flawed system when it comes to preserving urban canopy.

Michael Oxman has appealed the issuance of a master-use permit for a new University of Washington dormitory complex that would be located on the block bounded by 12th and Brooklyn Avenues Northeast, Northeast Campus Parkway and Northeast 41st Street. The project requires removal of the Brooklyn Building and several houses and has already resulted in the removal of eight trees considered 'exceptional' under a city tree-preservation ordinance.

Shade Tree Commission completes tree-planting - Pittston, PA

Shade Tree Commission completes tree-planting | The Pittston Dispatch, Pittston, PA:
The West Wyoming Shade Tree Commission completed another successful tree-planting project. The borough was awarded a grant from the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority (LHVA) for $2000 to make this project possible. West Wyoming Borough’s TreeVitalize Project was part of an overall effort to increase the tree canopy cover in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Metropolitan Region. The Shade Tree Commission, with help from students from the Wyoming Area Secondary Center Ecology Class, their instructor Mrs. Molly Kearns, Certified Municipal Arborist Mary Pat Appel, Council members Eileen Cipriani, Gil Atherholt, Dan Gadomski, the borough DPW workers, and resident volunteers planted 36 trees. Since the inception of the West Wyoming Shade Tree Commission 176 trees have been planted in the borough.

The Use of Trees to Modify Urban Micro-Climate in West Africa

The Use of Trees to Modify Urban Micro-Climate in West Africa | Feature Article 2010-11-09:
Article extracted from “The Use of Tress to Modify Microclimate in Hot-Humid Tropical West African Urban Centers”, 1985
After so many years of wanton and haphazard urbanization and urban development, man has finally realized the need to design with nature for harmony and ecological balance (McHarg, 1969). However, it is not until recently that research and political attention was drawn in the direction of climatic consequence of urbanization, global warming, climate change and green house gases.

Amid the Urban Jungle, a Real Jungle - Miami, FL

Amid the Urban Jungle, a Real Jungle:
Miami, I thought I knew you. I went from place to place and thought, “This is the real Miami, given to us by nature.” I went to the beaches and thought I had arrived at a natural wonder, but then I learned that the sand on those beaches had been coughed up by machines, and I learned that most of Miami Beach, before its development, had been a fertile mangrove swamp.
I left the beach and saw Star Island, Palm Island, Hibiscus Island, and the many smaller and undeveloped islands scattered throughout northern Biscayne Bay, and then I learned that these were not natural either, because they were created by the deposits of dredging projects. The same goes for the shoreline of Bayfront Park -- this land used to be underwater.
I looked to the Miami River, surely a natural waterway, and then I learned that this river once had rapids. There was a waterfall in Miami, and it was dynamited for the sake of development. Everywhere I looked, Miami’s natural beauty had been exploited and altered to allow us, its modern inhabitants, to live here.

More than 200 trees planted to combat ash borer - Fort Wayne, IN

200 trees planted to combat ash borer:
Community volunteers joined Friends of the Parks, Parks and Recreation staff from Fort Wayne, New Haven and Allen County Parks for the 9th Annual Great Tree Canopy Comeback Saturday, a grassroots movement to combat the critical loss of trees in Allen County.

According to Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation, about one in four of city street trees are ash and due to the devastation of the emerald ash borer, they will soon be gone.

Created in 2002, the Great Tree Canopy Comeback is a community tree planting day organized by volunteers with Friends of the Parks and area parks departments to combat this critical loss of trees. Over the past eight years, more than 2,000 trees have been planted in Fort Wayne area parks.

Ash borer in OH, northern KY

Ash borer just napping between meals | cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com:
As emerald ash borer larvae spend the winter tucked inside the bark of ash trees, arborists are reminding residents in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky how to combat the little beetles that continue to destroy the region's ash population.

In September, a quarantine was extended to include all 88 counties in Ohio, prohibiting the movement of any sort of hard wood out of the state for fear of quickening the spread of the metallic green insects.

Dec. 14 7th Potomac Watershed Partnership Information Exchange - Front Royal, VA

Dec. 14 7th Potomac Watershed Partnership Information Exchange - Virginia Conservation Network:
When: Tuesday, December 14, 2010, 10:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.

Where: Front Royal, Virginia, Samuels Public Library, 330 E. Criser Rd

Opportunity to tour the Front Royal/Warren County Tree Stewards’ Arboretum at 9:00 A.M.

The Potomac Watershed Partnership (PWP) is a collaborative effort among federal, state, and local partners to restore the health of the land and waters of the Potomac River Basin, thereby enhancing the quality of life and overall health of the Chesapeake Bay.

Please share this announcement. PWP Information Exchanges are free and open to the public. To register, download a flier, or learn more about the PWP, visit: www.potomacpartnership.org

This December we’ll be discussing “urban forestry”, not forestry in the city, but suburban forestry effort and small town tree maintenance, planting, and protection."

Tall trees help protect houses from crime? Researchers say yes, commenters express doubt - Portland, OR

Tall trees help protect houses from crime, says study conducted in Southeast Portland | OregonLive.com:
Tend a tree, prevent a crime?

That's the upshot of a new study by U.S. Forest Service researchers who looked at the effect of trees on Portland crime statistics.

Among conclusions:

-- Houses with tall trees had less crime because trees made the area look more desirable. 'Trees may indicate that a neighborhood is more cared for' and under watch by authorities, the study says.

-- Street trees, a bigger tree canopy and more trees were all associated with less crime.

-- But not all trees are crime-fighters. Shrubs and short trees that block first-floor windows or are next to a house can create hide-outs for criminals.

Growing Home Campaign expands to include Baltimore City - Baltimore County, MD

Campaign educates about trees:

Baltimore County’s Growing Home Campaign, coordinated by the county’s Department of Environmental Protection and Resource Management, has expanded to include a partnership with Baltimore City.

The Growing Home program, a winner of the National Association of Counties 2008 Achievement Award, is a public-private partnership that attempts to increase the tree canopy in the region by offering homeowners comprehensive education about planting trees and a cash incentive, the $10 Growing Home Tree coupon, to encourage tree planting on private residential land.

$3.4M awarded for Bay projects includes urban tree canopy funds for Baltimore County - Chesapeake Bay

Post Now - $3.4M awarded for Bay projects:

Thirty-four projects across the Chesapeake Bay watershed will be receiving $3.4 million in grants.

Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin plans to join officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation on Thursday to announce the grants in Dundalk.

Chesapeake Bay Program officials say the grants will be used on initiatives in the District and the six watershed states of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York.

The initiatives include an urban tree canopy program in Baltimore County, efforts to improve wildlife habitat and programs to reduce runoff of pollution into streams, creeks and rivers that drain into the Chesapeake.

Expansion of urban tree canopy seen as one of tools to address increased precipitation associated with climate change - WI

Local consequences of global warming predicted by Wisconsin scientists : The Bay View Compass:
When heavy rains and flooding collapsed an East Side manhole, turning an urban intersection into a sinkhole that swallowed a Cadillac Escalade, some people were probably wondering if Milwaukee’s July 22 storm was a freak event or a sign of things to come.
Scientists agree that no one can predict future weather with total confidence. But recently, Wisconsin scientists have “downscaled” global models of climate change onto the Badger State to prepare for the likely local impacts of predicted and observed trends—a gradual average annual temperature increase, warmer and rainier winters, and more intense storms.

Extension Service and Master Gardeners conduct "what tree should I plant?" workshop this weekend - Medford, OR

Tribute to Trees | MailTribune.com:
If you're wondering what to plant in your yard to reduce water use, cut runoff, rein in the need for air conditioning in summer and heating in winter, plus provide a home for urban wildlife, 'trees are the answer.'

That's the name of a class being taught by Medford city arborist Bill Harrington at the popular, annual 'Winter Dreams, Summer Gardens' symposium on Saturday, Nov. 6. It is organized by the Oregon State University Extension Service and the Jackson County Master Gardener Association.

Levee project threatens landmark giant Valley oak near airport - Sacramento, CA

Levee project threatens landmark giant Valley oak near airport - Home and Garden - sacbee.com:
For centuries, this majestic Valley oak has stood guard near the banks of the Sacramento River. But its days appear numbered.

Maidu Indians gathered its acorns and camped within steps of its trunk. Settlers in the 1800s built a house and water tower in its shadow. In recent years, farmworkers rested in its abundant shade.

Among thousands of great trees along Garden Highway, this particular specimen stands out. At 102 feet tall with a canopy to match, it's much taller, wider and older than its neighbors. Its trunk measures more than 7 1/2 feet across – perhaps making it a record breaker.

Its survival is threatened, though, by a levee improvement project along the Sacramento River.

Our Fragile Urban Canopy: A Plea from Casey Trees to Presumptive Mayor Gray - Washington, DC

Our Fragile Urban Canopy: A Plea from Casey Trees to Presumptive Mayor Gray

Tree Fund
The 2011 budget took $530,000 from the Tree Fund and diverted it to the General Fund for non-tree planting purposes effectively reducing the amount of trees planted in the District. The Urban Forest Preservation Act, which created the Tree Fund, forbids diverting Tree Fund moneys to the General Fund.

Will your administration commit to restoring these funds in the current FY budget?

What safeguards will you place on future Tree Fund balances to ensure this no longer occurs?

Fig tree to be removed for alleged numerous instances of public infrastructure disruption - Enmore, New South Wales, Australia

Enmore Fig tree to be removed « SAVING OUR TREES-Dulwich Hill-Camperdown-Enmore-Lewisham-Marrickville-Newtown-Petersham-St Peters-Stanmore-Sydenham-Tempe

here is a new street tree up for removal. It is another Hills Fig (Ficus microcarpa var. hillii), this time at 10 Cambridge Street Enmore, but on the Cavendish Street frontage.

Marrickville Council gives the following as reasons for removal:

• Repeated regular root interference with drainage lines of private residence that cannot be rectified without significant structural demolition. The installation of root barrier at the property boundary is not a viable management option due to the proximity to the critical root zone of the tree. Pruning of roots this close to the tree would almost certainly compromise its structural integrity & present an unacceptable risk of tree failure.

American Forests, Boy Scouts, and Scotties Tissues team up on Asian longhorned beetle recovery planting - Worcester, MA

Kids Care Too: Tree Planting In Worcester, MA | Care2 Share:
Kids care about the environment too! That was the message of this latest tree planting in Worcester, MA, where American Forests teamed up with Scotties Facial Tissues' Trees Rock campaign and the Worcester Tree Initiative. The planting brought together youth groups from across the community, including local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops.

The kids planted 65 trees at a local community college campus, and learned about the importance of trees to an urban community. The city of Worcester has learned firsthand how vital trees can be, as the Asian longhorned beetle recently decimated their own urban forest cover. This planting is part of an overall effort to re-tree the city and restore their urban tree canopy.

City tree canopy to spread - Hagerstown, MD

Maryland: Hagerstown City Council briefs

The City of Hagerstown will continue increasing its tree canopy in 2011 thanks to a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

Hagerstown was awarded a second $35,000 Urban Greening Grant from the trust to plant trees in the city. It received $35,000 from the trust in 2009, which by the end of the year will have allowed the city to plant 250 new trees this year.

City to enlist aid of 'tree advocates' - Charlottesville, VA

City to enlist aid of 'tree advocates' | Daily Progress:
Charlottesville could soon organize a group of “tree advocates” tasked with keeping a watchful eye on the city’s foliage, officials say.


“That’s really what they do in other communities,” Jim Tolbert, Charlottesville’s director of Neighborhood Development Services, said of having a tree commission in Charlottesville.


City councilors have shown support for establishing such a group, with Mayor Dave Norris saying to city staff last week that the council was giving a “big thumbs up” to the idea. Tasks for the potential commission could include serving in an advisory capacity to the Planning Commission, the City Council and city departments, recommending ordinances related to tree care and establishing guidelines for tree preservation in the city.

Seattle's proposed tree rules prompt opposition - Seattle, WA

Seattle's proposed tree rules prompt opposition:
Towering Douglas Firs and lush urban parks helped earned Seattle the nickname Emerald City, so it's not surprising that felling a tree can prompt heated responses.

A judge was fined $500,000 for cutting down more than 120 cherry and maple trees in a city park for better views, and residents fought for years to save a mature grove of 100 Douglas firs from being cleared for development.

Tree lovers are now fighting proposed city rules that would remove current protections for large, exceptional trees, and do not include a requirement that property owners get a permit to remove a tree.

Safeway Apologizes for Gingko Massacre

Courtesy of WashingtonCityPaper.com

Safeway Apologizes for Gingko Massacre

A couple of days ago, someone tweeted a picture of a denuded ginkgo tree in front of the Corcoran Street Safeway. Local ANC Commissioner Bob Meehanquickly sounded the alarm on local listserves, accusing Safeway of hacking the tree’s limbs in order to allow passersby to better see Safeway’s sign. “This tree anchors this block’s ginko canopy on the North side that is about to turn a gorgeous yellow, for which this block is famous and beloved,” Meehan huffed. “We on the 1700 block of Corcoran are outraged by this callous destruction of the street’s beauty and the city’s tree canopy.

Gaps and All, One Maple Makes It Autumn - Dannebrog, NE

Gaps and All, One Maple Makes It Autumn | Daily Yonder | Keep It Rural:
In Dannebrog, Nebraska, a town close to my farm, there is a maple tree just down the street east of the bank and the hardware store. Each fall that tree explodes into the most exquisitely formed, flamboyantly iridescent blast of color that has ever been seen around Nebraska. Admittedly, there may be ten thousand trees on Lake Otsego or in Brown County, Indiana, each of which is more beautiful than the Dannebrog tree, but in Nebraska where there are so few trees and where there are so few varieties of trees, this tree is awesome in its splendor. I cannot adequately describe the beauty of that tree…

You can Grow Home again - Baltimore, MD

Garden Variety: You can Grow Home again - Mid-Atlantic gardening: Tips and pictures on flowers, vegetables, public gardens, composting and farmers’ markets - baltimoresun.com:
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith teamed up to plant trees along Chesley Avenue in Overlea Thursday as part of the Growing Home Campaign to plant more trees.

The city and the county, as well as watershed and community organizations, are cooperating in an effort to expand the region's tree canopy and, therefore, improve water quality in urban areas.

Since Growing Home began in 2006 more than 7,000 grees have been planted. And there are $10 money-off coupons available to homeowners who purchased trees worth $25 or more at particpating retailers.

Who says it's not easy being green - Pasadena, CA

Pasadena gets statewide "green" recognition - Pasadena Star-News:
For the first time, the city has received statewide recognition by the California Chapter of the American Planning Association for its Green City Indicators Report.
The report tracks how Pasadena is achieving its 21 environmental stewardship goals across seven urban themes: energy, waste reduction, urban design, urban nature, transportation, environmental health and water.

Meet the (Ips) beetles - Carrboro, NC

What’s killing our pines? � The Carrboro Citizen:
Dead pines throughout our community are easy to spot. Isolated single specimens or groups of two or three pines lend a copper-brown color to the green tree canopy.
The deaths of isolated small groups of trees are most likely the result of Ips engraver beetles. There are three species, the small Ips, the medium Ips and the one we most likely have, the large Ips.

Swords into Plowshares, or Carpet Bombing into Tree Planting

Old Military Planes Could Drop 900,000 Tree-Bombs a Day : TreeHugger:
Planes once used to drop landmines retrofitted to drop tree-mines
See, it turns out that there are all these military planes just idling in hangars across the world -- they were designed to drop landmines en masse in enemy territory, but now they're just collecting rust. There are some 2,500 of these planes in 70 different countries, and it turns out they make for ideal tree-bombers.

Free trees for residents seen as key in 30% tree canopy strategy - Seattle, WA

Free trees for Ballard residents � My Ballard:
Ballard residents can get free trees through the city’s Trees for Neighborhoods program to help the city expand its tree canopy.

The city wants to expand the tree cover in Seattle from 23 percent to 30 percent. Because more than 85 percent of the land is privately owned, they’re asking residents to help reach their goal by planting trees in their yard.

For tree lovers, the last few weeks have been painful as mounds of sawdust have piled up - Lancaster, PA

Lancaster city forced to cut trees - LancasterOnline.com News:
Lancaster, perennially named a Tree City USA, has looked more like stump city in recent weeks.
The city has cut down 26 mature trees in high-profile downtown locations.
More old trees along streets have been toppled by chain saws over the past year after a tree-by-tree inspection to find dying or diseased trees.
The trees most recently taken down were damaged by a mixture of street paving and sidewalk improvements, along with disease, drought and storms.
All the trees, however, will be replaced with a variety of new trees, city officials say.

To-do list: Plant a tree - Fort Wayne, IN

To-do list: Plant a tree | The Journal Gazette | Fort Wayne, IN:
Organizers of the Great Tree Canopy Comeback are looking for volunteers to plant trees Nov. 6.

More than 200 trees will be planted in about an hour by community volunteers in Fort Wayne, New Haven and Allen County.

The planting begins at 10 a.m., regardless of the weather.

Holes will already be dug, but volunteers should bring their own shovels for planting. Oh, and don’t forget gloves.

Volunteers are also encouraged to bring a bag lunch and hang out after the planting is done.

AZ State Forester announces 16 Community Challenge grant awards

Acting Arizona State Forester, Scott Hunt is pleased to announce the award
of 16 federally funded grants. These grants are funded through the U.S.
Forest Service and will benefit the community forestry program
in Arizona. Organizations and city governments in 10 Arizona communities
will match the funds for tree planting, care and maintenance, and educational
projects.
All projects selected to receive grants are to help people understand the value
of urban and community forests and help build cooperation in the care of
Arizona’s urban natural resources.
Recipients of the 2010 grants were selected from applications received from
communities and organizations in a competitive process based on standards
developed by the Arizona State Forestry Division - Urban & Community
Forestry .

Tree canopy effort gets EPA environmental justice grant - Lawrence, MA

10/18/2010: Ten New England Community-Based Nonprofits Receive EPA Grants to Help Reduce Environmental Risks:
The GreenStreets tree planting program works to increase vital tree cover in a sustainable manner in low-income urban environments. The program is designed to increase Lawrence’s urban tree canopy by placing a particular emphasis on institutionalizing setback tree planting efforts in affordable housing and first-time homebuyer programs and developing urban tree stewards to ensure proper maintenance and care.

Canopy clearing deemed a threat to spotted owls - Eugene, OR

Courthouse News Service:
A federal plan to clear 85 percent of the canopy from 149 acres of old-growth forest would hurt northern spotted owls and the red tree voles they eat, environmentalists claim in Federal Court. Cascadia Wildlands and Oregon Wild say the U.S. Forest Service needs to do a new environmental assessment for the Trapper Timber Sale in Willamette National Forest.

The Park People's Mile High Tree Champions debuts - Denver, CO

The Park People's Mile High Tree Champions debuts > Nonprofit > Stories > Denver > YourHub.com:
Seven Denver-based companies are the first to support The Park People's new Mile High Tree Champions Program, an innovative project that encourages companies to help increase Denver's green canopy through one or more customized employee tree planting days.

Mile High Tree Champions is a turn-key volunteer program for businesses looking for an environmentally focused event. Companies can schedule a customized half-day event for smaller groups up to 25 and larger groups up to 50.

Trees under threat - deer, voles and bugs - oh my! - Frederick, MD

Trees face threats from above, below - The Frederick News-Post Online

It's not easy to be a tree these days.
Deer, voles, mice and now Asian pests threaten the tree canopies we've been trying so hard to replenish in the past 20 years.
A group of foresters meeting Thursday at the Bishop Claggett Center in Buckeystown discussed the problem, which is expected to get worse. The Maryland-Delaware chapter of the Society of American Foresters had its fall meeting at the center to discuss the latest challenges facing forestry.

Live music, chili cook-off, and Arbor Day celebration sounds like a winner - Austin, TX

City of Austin, Texas will be celebrating Arbor Day on October 23rd:
The Parks and Recreation Department will be celebrating Arbor Day on October 23rd, at Longhorn Shores across from Krieg Fields Softball Complex on Pleasant Valley Road.

The Parks and Recreation Urban Forestry Program, The Town Lake Trail Foundation, Austin Energy and 100 volunteers will be planting 180 trees. This Arbor Day tree planting will enhance Austin’s urban tree canopy and will enhance the quality of life for future generations. The celebration will include a “best of chili” competition and live music. The program is scheduled to start at 9:00 a.m. and festivities will run through 1:30 p.m.

Vote for me and I'll get you a tree? Part 2 - Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Guelph Urban Forest Friends — Questions for Candidates � Ward 2 Guelph:
Guelph Urban Forest Friends is a local group that advocates for better protection of urban trees and canopy. We make delegations to City Council, hold events to raise awareness about the importance of urban trees, and distribute information about the many benefits of trees, and the threats to trees, through our web site.

We have serious concerns about the continued loss of mature trees in our City and hear frequently from upset residents about tree removals. We are submitting these questions to candidates for City Council and respectfully request your response by October 18th. The responses we receive will be posted on our web site and e-mailed to our list of 500 supporters.

Vote for me and I'll get you a tree? Toronto, Canada

Cullen: Mayoral candidates speak out on green issues - thestar.com:
Whether we like it or not, the truth is that we elected a “green” mayor in David Miller and we gave him a mandate to move the City of Toronto in the direction of a more environmentally responsible model. The results included a new green roof bylaw, a beefed up tree planting and maintenance budget and a growing number of community gardens and allotment gardens among other things of a green nature.

I solicited the top four candidates for mayor and received three responses. Rob Ford did not reply. Here is a summary of the results.

Growing tree canopy cover in Southie - Boston, MA

How We Are Going To Reforest South Boston | The Hutan Project:
UTC stands for Urban Tree Canopy. As you can see, relative to other neighborhoods, Southie’s tree cover is pretty small. The silver lining here is that South Boston also has the highest potential for increasing its canopy of any neighborhood. Before we get too excited, let’s check what UEI says about the possible additional tree cover:

Historic Commission upset at utility "hack" job in historic district - New Braunfels, TX

share New Braunfels Historic Landmark Commission members showed their displeasure with tree trimmers during their monthly meeting Tuesday and called for a formal protest against New Braunfels Utilities.

Meeting at the Municipal Building on Castell Avenue, the members were upset with NBU for allowing a crew of tree trimmers to hack away at the tree canopy along Academy Avenue in the city’s historic district.

Polar Bears International commits $30,000 to urban tree canopy efforts - Sparta, WI

Polar Bears International commits $30,000 to efforts in Wis. - WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports:
Polar Bears International, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving arctic sea ice, has announced $30,000 in donations to support tree planting in the city of Sparta and the Juneau county forest.

These two projects come as part of a 2008 pact between Polar Bears International and the state Department of Natural Resources that launched a 10-year effort to encourage Wisconsin residents to plant and care for trees on their land and in their communities.

Mapping project aims to increase Virginia’s urban tree canopy

Mapping project aims to increase Virginia’s urban tree canopy | Virginia Tech Home | Virginia Tech:
The term “urban forest” may sound like an oxymoron to some, but to Virginia Tech Forestry Professor Randolph Wynne and Associate Professor John McGee it represents an indispensable community resource. Wynne and McGee are leading an urban tree canopy mapping project for the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, a part of the College of Natural Resources and Environment.

WBJ: Report says undergrounding lines may not be worth it - but is that really what it said? - Washington, DC

Report: Undergrounding lines may not be worth it - Washington Business Journal:
Burying every overhead utility line in the District would cost almost as much as building rail to Dulles, but the work itself would disrupt commerce and the benefits — mostly aesthetic — are not worth the hassle, a recent study found.

Power outages in Pepco’s D.C. and Maryland service areas were big news over the summer, as many businesses went days without electricity after big storms blew through. The call for “undergrounding” has grown, but a report from Baton Rouge, La.-based Shaw Consultants International Inc., the subject of a Sept. 30 public hearing before a D.C. Council committee, found that burying power lines is a complicated, expensive proposition, and a jurisdiction’s strategy must depend heavily on its priority: reliability or aesthetics.

Grants fund a study of county tree canopy - Manatee County, FL

Grants fund a study of county tree canopy | HeraldTribune.com:
With money from the Florida Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program and Keep Manatee Beautiful, a tree canopy study of Manatee County was conducted over the summer.

These funds were made available to organizations and municipalities to develop or enhance their urban and community forestry programs. With the $10,000 forestry grant and $10,000 from Keep Manatee Beautiful, Manatee County and local municipalities were able to get a precise percentage of and benefits provided by trees in the county.

Clare Rennie receives 2010 Watershed Award from GRCA - Guelph, Canada

Daily Exchange:
Clare Rennie, the quiet leader behind the Guelph Rotary Forest, grew up on a farm with lots of bush where his appreciation of trees began.

“I’ve had an interest in the environment all my life,” Rennie says.

The Guelph Rotary Forest will see 60,000 trees planted by thousands of community volunteers by 2020, creating a 40-hectare forest on the outskirts of the city. The Rotary Club of Guelph is also committed to help bring the urban tree canopy up to 40 per cent from the current 27.5 per cent by 2020, which is also the 100th anniversary of its founding. For his work on this project, Rennie has received a 2010 Grand River Watershed Award given to organizations and individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to conservation.

City crews to plant trees in 2 locations - Watertown, NY

Watertown Daily Times | City crews to plant trees in 2 locations:
As Watertown's tree canopy starts showing its fall colors, city planner Michael A. Lumbis is looking to keep the tree-planting program this year, even with a smaller budget.


Tree Watertown, the city's tree-advisory board, sought grants this summer and will continue working with the Noon Rotary Club to keep up plantings during the fall and spring.


'We're going to take a two-prong approach at it this year,' Mr. Lumbis said.


On Nov. 6, the group will plant 10 trees around the Lucy A. Colello Playground at Sherman Elementary School, with help from members of Noon Rotary Club.

Real Estate Firm Gives Take on New Portland Area Tree Rules - Clackamas County, OR.

Clackamas Real Estate Insider: Clackamas County Limits Clear-Cutting of Urban Forests | Everything. Portland. Real Estate. Blog.
New construction is great – of course we think so, we’re in the real estate business – but it’s not great when development goes forward at the expense of natural wildlife and Oregon’s unique environmental character. We live here because we love the land, the beauty of the trees and mountains, and we want the Oregonians of the future to be able to enjoy our natural world as much as we are able to. We’ve got the insider scoop on new construction and Clackamas County homes that value the nature around them – contact us at the McDonald Group Realtors for more information about eco-friendly constructions, green homes for sale in Portland, and sustainable new development throughout the Portland metro area.

Forest Releaf of Missouri celebrates donation of 100,000th tree since 1993

Forest Releaf celebrates donation of 100,000th tree | St. Louis Globe-Democrat:
Forest ReLeaf of Missouri was joined by hundreds of friends and supporters at a ceremony awarding its 100,000th tree to the Grace Hill Settlement House. Since 1993, the St. Louis-based Forest ReLeaf has worked with corporations, businesses, nonprofit organizations, government partners and thousands of volunteers to promote the planting and caring for our state’s trees and forests, particularly those in urban areas.

Casey Trees Provides Planting Plan and Trees for D.C.’s First Affordable Housing Community with Geothermal Energy - Washington, DC

D.C.’s First Affordable Housing Community with Geothermal Energy:
Green Apartments and Green Opportunities Center in Washington Highlands Neighborhood Serve as National Model for Sustainable Development

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Assistant Secretary for Multi-Family Housing, Carol Galante, joined local residents, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. (Enterprise) and Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CPDC) to celebrate the green rehabilitation and grand opening of Wheeler Terrace Apartments in Southeast Washington, D.C.

Casey Trees created a landscaping plan and planted trees with local residents.

Utility clear cut leaves even conservatives fuming - Roanoke, VA

Trees coming down for power upgrade - Roanoke.com

Paul Giordano was incensed.

The Raleigh Court resident had just visited a rental home he owns in the Grandin Court neighborhood, in which he and his wife had lived for many years.

He couldn't believe his eyes. Spring Road had changed dramatically in less than a week.

Gone were bunches of big trees and the shade they provided. Some were 60- to 100-foot-tall spruces or pines within pebble-tossing distance of Giordano's property.

Those trees gave an extra measure of green to streets where the houses are close together.

In their wake lay 15- and 20-foot sections of 2-foot-wide tree trunks, shorn of limbs, in his neighbors' yards.

Book says exotic invasives not the bad guys they are made out to be

books, etc.: Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast: A Field Guide / Peter Del Tredici -- Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2010

For at least a century, American botanists have raised the alarm over the invasion of non-native plant species. The immigration to North America of people from all over the world has brought with it food crops, ornamental plants, and stow-away seeds that have found a congenial new habitat in the Americas. The primary concern is that these non-native species are sometimes "invasive," meaning they exist without natural predators and therefore spread out of control. Their success crowds out many native species, thus reducing the diversity of the native ecosystem and damaging the health of the environment.

Despite the apparent threats, Peter Del Tredici, Senior Research Scientist at the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University, is not so alarmed about non-native invasives. Starting from the premise that our native ecosystem has been irreparably transformed by urban development, native species are now as alien to the new urban ecosystem as non-natives. For Del Tredici, the important question in the urban setting is not whether the plant thrived in a by-gone local ecosystem, but whether the plant provides "ecosystem services" that would not otherwise be provided to the city.

local ecologist: Curating the Urban Cemetery as Bird Habitat

local ecologist: Curating the Urban Cemetery as Bird Habitat:
When we think about the urban forest, its street trees and parks that often first pop into mind as prime constituents. But there are other institutional land uses that contribute a great deal of square footage to the urban tree canopy. According to the 1994 study 'Chicago's Urban Forest Ecosystem: Results of the Chicago Urban Forest Climate Project', 49% of Chicago's 4.1 million trees at the time were on institutional land dominated by vegetation. This category includes parks, forest preserves, golf courses, and cemeteries. This study also found that the tree composition throughout Chicago was dominated by the pioneer species green ash (12.9%) and cottonwood (15.8%). While any type of tree canopy might contribute to the infrastructure tree benefits of stormwater retention, air pollution removal, energy reduction, etc. it's habitat value that really suffers from a as a lack of diversity of tree types and sizes. So, if one is going to improve urban forest structural composition, what better place to start than these institutional lands dominated by vegetation? And cemeteries, I think, are one of the most overlooked sources of potential urban habitat.

RITree Kicks-off Pilot Tree-Planting Program Funded by Stimulus - Warren, RI

RITree Kicks-off Pilot Tree-Planting Program In Warren - PBN.com - Providence Business News: Organization to use $20,000 from ARRA grant to plant 100 trees

The Rhode Island Tree Council (RITree) recently announced that it is embarking on a pilot program in Warren that will not only greatly increase the town’s tree canopy, but also reduce its maintenance and energy costs. Using $20,000 from its Forestry Sustainability Project (FSP) grant, RITree will plant up to 100 trees on private land in Warren free of charge to property owners.

Op-ed writer lauds council for getting it right on protecting city trees - Charlotte, NC

The sensible choice: Protecting city trees - CharlotteObserver.com:
Since 1985 Charlotte has lost half its tree canopy. That stark fact got short shrift Monday as the Charlotte City Council debated whether to adopt a revised, stronger tree ordinance. In the end, after more than an hour's discussion, the council did the sensible thing, adopting the ordinance 8-3. But that stunning tree loss was the underlying reason the city needed to tighten its tree protections.

The measure makes many welcome changes. Whether it goes far enough to prevent continuing canopy loss will be a question for the future. For instance, it applies only to commercial and multifamily development, amending an ordinance first adopted in 1978. Residential subdivisions didn't come under tree ordinance protections until 2002. Monday's changes generally don't apply to them.

New rule: Builders must save more trees - Charlotte, NC

New rule: Builders must save more trees - CharlotteObserver.com:
In an effort to save Charlotte's tree canopy, the City Council approved changes to its tree ordinance Monday night that will increase the number of trees that must be saved in commercial development and apartment complexes.

The tree ordinance had been debated for five years, as developers and environmentalists engaged in a tug-of-war over the issue. The council approved the changes by an 8-3 vote, but only after another debate over how the requirements would impact affordable housing.

Council members Warren Turner, a Democrat, voted against the tree ordinance changes, as did Republicans Andy Dulin and Warren Cooskey.

All shade tree ordinances to be strictly enforced - Pittston, PA

All shade tree ordinances to be strictly enforced | The Pittston Dispatch, Pittston, PA:
The pruning of all shade trees within the Borough of West Pittston must conform to ANSI A300-1995 pruning standards and ANSI Z133-1 safety requirements. A copy of both is on file in the borough office. All contractors need to comply with the proper West Pittston borough license requirements and follow proper trimming requirements.

Residents should be aware topping is unlawful. “Topping” is defined as the severe cutting back of limbs within the tree’s crown (top) to such a degree so as to remove the normal canopy and disfigure the tree. Residents who participate in the topping of trees on the tree lawn will face a substantial fine for violating the Borough Code. Trees severely damaged by storms or other such causes or certain trees under utility wires may be exempt, but only at the determination of the Shade Tree Commission.

Boy Scouts complete tree care project - Quincy, MA

Quincy Herald Whig:
A Quincy Boy Scout troop gave its support to efforts restoring the thick canopy of towering shade trees along Maine Street.
Twelve scouts and five adult leaders from Troop 22 of St. Francis School placed mulched 95 trees between 12th and 30th streets Saturday morning as a service project.

Lasers May Help In Researching Oregon Forest Canopy - Blue River, OR

Lasers May Help In Researching Ore. Forest Canopy | Oregon Blue River:
Using a growing technology that involves shooting lasers from airplanes to accurately and quickly create three-dimensional maps of the ground and vegetation below, Betts and other researchers are discovering more about the forest ecosystems in Oregon.
'It allows us to see the forest in new ways,' said Thomas Spies, a research forest ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station.

City needs volunteer tree liaisons - Norwalk, CT

Norwalk Tree Alliance: Norwalk needs tree liaisons:
Norwalk is looking for volunteers to become neighborhood tree liaisons.

The city’s Tree Advisory Committee regards the liaisons as essential to the vitality and growth of the community’s urban forest.

But only seven of Norwalk’s 21 neighborhood associations count tree liaisons among their active members today. And the neighborhood associations represent only half of the city’s 36.3 square miles of territory.

Guest columnist: Town doesn't need tree canopy rules - Chapel Hill, NC

chapelhillnews.com | Town doesn't need tree canopy rules:
Even though the council heard stern criticism of 'canopy' rules in February 2010, the Planning Board has recommended an ordinance that still has minimum tree 'canopy' as its base concept. There is a long and legitimate list of questions that must be answered:

Does Chapel Hill really need new, more onerous, more complicated tree 'canopy' standards?

Is there really a tree 'problem' in Chapel Hill that needs to be solved?

Emerald ash borer found in Champaign and Grundy counties - Canton, IL

Emerald ash borer found in Champaign and Grundy counties - Canton, IL - Canton Daily Ledger
A destructive pest that feasts on ash trees has been confirmed in Champaign and Grundy counties. The emerald ash borer (EAB) was discovered in Champaign County at Prairie Pine Campgrounds in Rantoul and in Grundy County at the Three Rivers Rest Area on I-80 in Morris, the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) announced Friday.
USDA staff discovered the Rantoul infestation on a purple sticky trap used to locate the presence of adult EAB, while IDOA staff collected a specimen from a trap placed in the Grundy County rest area. Both specimens were submitted to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which confirmed them as EAB.
“Grundy County is already under our EAB quarantine, which includes all or parts of 23 counties in the northern and central parts of Illinois,” Warren Goetsch, IDOA bureau chief of Environmental Programs, said. “However, Champaign County is not. Therefore, the quarantine boundaries will need to be adjusted.

Remote sensing and crane rides give scientists a picture of carbon stocks in trees

BBC News - Crane ride high above the forest canopy:
How do you accurately measure the heights of some of the world's tallest trees?

Scientists from Colorado State University and Nasa are compiling a unique satellite map that details the heights of the forests - which they say will help them build an inventory of how much carbon they store, and how much is recycled back into the atmosphere.

At the same time, botanists on the ground are tagging and measuring trees to establish an inventory of woodland areas in specific locations. One of these is the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in south west Washington.

At the Wind River Canopy Crane Research Facility scientists from the University of Washington are following the life cycles of trees such as the Douglas Fir, many of which are over 500 years old. They are using an industrial crane that lifts researchers over 60 metres in a gondola, to above the tree canopy.

Trees pay us back - Largo, FL edition

Largo's growing tree canopy has benefits - St. Petersburg Times:
By last count in 2005, there were 17,411 trees on city property, with a value of $15 million.

And, according to city parks superintendent Greg Brown, there could be many more that have yet to be counted.

The current number of trees in the city, which range from thousands of queen palms and oak trees to single examples of exotic evergreens like the monkey puzzle tree, has been boosted in recent years by city efforts — the Mayor's Street Tree Planting Program and Communitrees.

Rainforest Canopy Cover & Precipitation Interception Affecting Climate Change & Global Warming

Rainforest Canopy Cover & Precipitation Interception Affecting Climate Change & Global Warming | Our Amazing Planet:
With billions of overlapping leaves, stretching sometimes for hundreds of feet above the ground, the canopies of the world's rainforests act like giant umbrellas – catching rain before it has a chance to reach the forest floor. It turns out that these arboreal umbrellas intercept almost 2 trillion gallons of rain each year, a new study that could improve our understanding of the impacts of climate change finds.

That's about 20 percent of the rain that falls from the sky over the world's forests. The massive amounts of rain essentially puddle up on the leaves before evaporating back into the atmosphere. While scientists have estimated rain interception for specific forests before, Diego Miralles, a researcher at VU University in Amsterdam and lead author of the new study, says this is the first global estimate.

Knoxville Utilities Board tree trim panel makes final recommendations including lateral pruning and undergrounding - Knoxville, TN

KUB tree trim panel makes final recommendations � Knoxville News Sentinel:
A panel KUB formed earlier this year to review the utility’s tree trim policy issued its final report today, recommending ways to protect powerlines, the trees growing near them and develop a policy for public education and dispute resolution.

The 27-page study that took some seven months to complete urges KUB to continue pruning trees using lateral cutting techniques, while trying to keep cutting to no more than 25 percent of the tree’s canopy.

The study also recommends using tree growth regulators, the existing tree replacement program, and qualifications for special status trees to preserve valuable urban vegetation. KUB also is advised to encouage new developments to install underground utility lines.