Heron's seen as proxy for battle to save tree canopy; Seattle, WA

Saving Seattle's trees - one bird at a time?:
For years, neighbors near Magnolia's Kiwanis Ravine worked to preserve the places where great blue herons nest and breed.
When a developer bought a larger tract of land and proposed to put in a small subdivision of large houses and cut down the trees where the birds build their nests, neighbors fought the proposal hard enough to get it scaled back.
'The herons have been nesting in that location for decades,' said Pam Cahn, a neighbor who keeps regular tabs on the herons. 'It's a treasure we were trying to protect as much as possible.'
Now the city is grappling with the broader question of whether it can preserve its tree canopy and the birds have become players in the drama.
The city's advisory Urban Forestry Commission, charged with recommending ways to preserve the city's trees, made preserving trees near heron rookeries one of its first proposals.

Town has 75% tree canopy, needs to better manage and cull derelict trees; Eureka Springs, AR

Lovely County Citizen: Local News: Culling the canopy (07/28/10):
Certified arborist and Tree City USA member Chris Fischer told Planning commissioners last week that 75 percent of Eureka Springs is covered by tree canopy, the average American city has about 45 percent canopy coverage, and while more shade may sound better on a hot summer day, the fact is we need to do better forest management in town.
The Eureka Springs tree ordinance is 'so toothy and complicated in its regulation of removal of trees on both private and public property that it needs some revisions,' Fischer said. 'It's a very unusual ordinance, and I believe it was created in the nineteen-nineties as a reaction to the massive building going on.'
He suggested the city take a new approach. 'Dangerous trees still need to come down before next winter's ice storms. There are also numerous trees growing on public lands and along rights-of-way that are in need of ongoing attention and care. At the same time, there need to be enough trees to help hold water in the soil and prevent massive runoff, a common problem in places with steep slopes and a lot of impervious materials, such as paved streets.'

Pepco blames extended outages on tree canopy (shocker); Washington, DC

Post Now - Pepco acknowledges response problems:
Pepco region president Thomas H. Graham said Wednesday morning that the number of customers without power had dipped below 31,000 and damaged substations were operating again.
During a news briefing, Graham acknowledged that the utility’s caller response technology performed poorly during and after the storm. He encouraged customers to continue reporting outages, and said Pepco will strive to trim more trees on private property as part of regular maintenance, even in green-minded Montgomery County.

Loss of Trees on Bethany Boulevard due to improvements a concern; Washington County, OR

Loss of Trees Bethany Boulevard 3 not 5:
Countless mature trees face destruction with the proposed expansion of Bethany Boulevard to five lanes. What will be the impact of this destruction? An examination of the benefits of trees reveals a loss more significant than just aesthetics.
The Joint CPO Tree Code Group of Washington County (JTCG) has reviewed the research on urban trees and found that “the loss of trees has an impact far beyond simply landscaping”. (http://washcotreegroup.org) The following list of impacts and quotations have been abstracted from this website.

Stricter rules will protect native so-called heritage trees, native species; Gainesville, FL

Stricter rules will protect native so-called heritage trees, native species Gainesville.com:
Amid budget clear-cutting, the city of Gainesville is hoping to see the forest for the trees with changes looming in its relatively complex arbor policies.

In May, the City Commission gave preliminary approval to changes in the tree code that would put in place, among other things, fines for violators who chop down so-called heritage trees, defined as native species with trunks that have reached 20 inches in diameter, and the proceeds would go toward a conservation fund.

2010 COLLEGE TREE CANOPY CONFERENCE; Macon, GA

2010 COLLEGE TREE CANOPY CONFERENCE - American Grove:
Presented by the Georgia Urban Forest Council

This unique conference is for college and university physical plant managers, landscape directors, staff, and administrators who know the value of maintaining healthy trees on their campuses. Learn more about tree inventory assessments, maintenance, trees and security, and the Tree Campus USA Program. Register at www.gufc.org.
Special guest speaker: Dan Lambe, The National Arbor Day Foundation

City receives grant to study tree canopy; Bonney Lake, WA

City receives grant to study tree canopy - Bonney Lake-Sumner Courier-Herald:
The city of Bonney Lake recently received a $10,000 grant from the state Department of Natural Resources to study the city’s tree canopy.
According to city officials, the study will give the city a better indication of how many trees are in the city and an idea as to where they are located.
“It uses aerial photos and (geographic information systems) information to map what the current canopy is throughout the whole city,” said Community Services Director Gary Leaf.

Blogger: Seattle neighborhoods brace for tree removal to make room for 75 foot tall towers; Seattle, WA

Seattle neighborhoods brace for tree removal to make room for 75 foot tall towers:
Towers that could be full of toxic waste and covered in pornography. That's the logical extension of the reasoning behind the Department of Planning and Development's proposed update of private property tree regulations in Seattle. Why the 'We couldn't possibly tell property owners what they can and cannot do' and prioritizing 'anything that is built over anything that grows' attitude is so ridiculous from City officials who *love* to tell people what to do in this allegedly Emerald City.

Rehoboth kick-starts tree inventory: Rehobeth, DE

Rehoboth kick-starts tree inventory delmarvanow.com The Daily Times:
REHOBOTH BEACH -- The city's landscape could start looking a little greener as officials move forward with plans to enhance the tree canopy.

At its regular meeting Friday, the Board of Commissioners approved a contract with the Ohio-based Davey Resource Group, a company that specializes in urban forestry services.

Analysis puts city's Urban Tree Canopy cover at 33%; Ann Arbor, MI

In 2010, the City of Ann Arbor in partnership with AMEC and with financial assistance from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment and USDA Forest Service, State and Private Forestry, Urban & Community Forestry programs conducted an urban tree canopy analysis.
What Is An Urban Tree Canopy Analysis (UTC)?
Urban tree canopy is the layer of leaves, branches, and stems of trees that cover the ground when viewed from above. AMEC conducted the City's UTC analysis by measuring this layer using leaf-on multi-spectral aerial imagery from the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP).

Become a steward of our urban forests with Trees Atlanta’s TreeKeepers’ Certification Program; Atlanta, GA

education : Become a steward of our urban forests with Trees Atlanta’s TreeKeepers’ Certification Program: The Trees Atlanta TreeKeepers Certification Program is Trees Atlanta’s volunteer training and certification program that applies skill, appreciation, and pride to the stewardship of our urban forest. TreeKeepers consists of seven workshops, including indoor & outdoor activities, presentations, and engaging hands-on demonstrations. Each three-hour session takes place at the Trees Atlanta Kendeda Center, and is taught by Trees Atlanta staff or community tree professionals. Upon completion of the program, which includes volunteering 24 hours to tree projects, graduates will receive an official TreeKeepers hat, a native tree, a training manual, and a signed TreeKeepers certificate, as well as opportunities to put their new knowledge into action. Register now!

Longview City Council rejects grant to map tree canopy; Longview, WA

Longview City Council rejects grant to map trees:
The Longview City Council decided Thursday to reject a $10,000 state grant for mapping Longview's urban forest with satellite imagery, saying the city's grant matching funds would be better spent battling the aphid problem.
The council voted 5-2 against accepting the Department of Natural Resources Urban and Community Forestry Program's grant. Mayor Kurt Anagnostou and Councilwoman Mary Jane Melink were in the minority. Councilman Dennis Weber was absent.
'To me, this has nothing to do with the tree issue at all. It's a financial issue,' Councilman Chet Makinster argued before voting no. 'This city better be watching how we spend money because this is gonna be a tough year.'
Councilman Wallace agreed, saying, 'I just have a problem with mapping trees when ... I just question the priority and necessity of this expenditure right now.'

Longview developing comprehensive map of city's trees; Longview, WA

Longview developing comprehensive map of city's trees:
In many parts of town, it's fairly obvious why Longview has been named a Tree City USA. Trees arch over roadways, shade the sidewalks and make it tough to find a good spot to watch fireworks.
But how much of the city does the tree canopy really cover?
The city of Longview plans to find out using high-resolution satellite imagery. By creating an aerial map of Longview's urban forest, which includes trees on private property, the city can evaluate where it needs to plant more trees to achieve or maintain a goal of a 30 percent canopy. In future years, the map can be used as a baseline for comparison.
'The larger goal is to continue our efforts to develop and preserve the urban forest,' Longview Parks and Recreation Director Rich Bemm said Tuesday.

NASA - First-of-its-Kind Map Depicts Global Forest Heights

NASA - First-of-its-Kind Map Depicts Global Forest Heights:
Using NASA satellite data, scientists have produced a first-of-its kind map that details the height of the world’s forests. Although there are other local- and regional-scale forest canopy maps, the new map is the first that spans the entire globe based on one uniform method.

The work -- based on data collected by NASA's ICESat, Terra, and Aqua satellites -- should help scientists build an inventory of how much carbon the world’s forests store and how fast that carbon cycles through ecosystems and back into the atmosphere. Michael Lefsky of the Colorado State University described his results in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

District Rain Deficit: How You Can Help; Washington, DC

District Rain Deficit: How You Can Help:
To keep you in the know on when to water your trees, Casey Trees, the penultimate local foundation that educates, fosters and cultivates the District urban canopy, has created a Tree Watering Guide. Every Monday, they issue a watering recommendation. [Dry, Normal or Wet - and the associated watering recommendation - Time to Water, Additional Watering Optional or No Additional Watering Needed respectively.] It is posted on their website, www.caseytrees.org You can also friend them on Facebook and Twitter feed.

Is Seattle doing enough to save its trees? Trees v. density struggle continues; Seattle, WA

Is Seattle doing enough to save its trees?:
Tree advocates have been complaining for years that the city needs to do a better job of conserving its canopy of trees, which has declined over the decades because of development.
The city has estimated that the amount of land with an overhead tree canopy decreased from 40 percent in 1972 to 18 percent in 2006, though it now says the coverage is nearly 23 percent.
Tree policy issues are complicated, city hall sources say, pitting desires for tree preservation against conflicting pushes for more densely-packed developments.

Historic trees dodge the ax for now; Annapolis, MD

Historic trees dodge the ax for now • Community - Annapolis (www.HometownAnnapolis.com - The Capital)
Three trees in the Historic District that were headed toward the chopping block have received a stay of execution, courtesy of the Historic Preservation Commission and the city.

The trees, two oaks on Duke of Gloucester Street and an elm on Conduit Street, will not be toppled, at least not yet.
After a hearing last week before the commission, the city withdrew its application to remove the 40-foot-tall trees, and officials said they will develop a forestry plan for the Historic District.
Bruce Bereano, a well-known state lobbyist who has an office on Duke of Gloucester Street, was the only person to testify in person to save the trees.

Casey Trees receives Special Achievement in GIS Award at 30th Annual ESRI International User Conference; San Diego, CA

Press Releases - Directions Magazine:
Casey Trees received a Special Achievement in GIS Award on Wednesday at the 30th Annual ESRI International User Conference (ESRI UC) in San Diego. Casey Trees was selected from more than 300,000 organizations worldwide.
Casey Trees received the honor for its interactive Casey Trees Map which provides District residents the locations and details of Casey Trees-planted trees and trees inventoried through its Trees Count program. High resolution satellite imagery allows residents to determine the existing urban tree canopy and planting opportunities for any street address in the District.
The most recent enhancements to the Casey Trees Map are the Trees of Note feature and “Add a Tree” tool. The former allows individuals to add noteworthy trees located in the District and the latter provides a means for trees planted independently by residents be identified and counted towards the City’s Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) Goal of 40 percent by 2035. The UTC Goal requires 8,600 new trees be planted each year for the next 25 years.

Help Scouts celebrate 100th anniversary while helping TreeBaltimore double city's tree canopy; Baltimore, MD

Help Scouts celebrate 100 « Maryland Family Magazine:
The Baltimore Area Council will mark the anniversary with an announcement of a region-wide conservation initiative. The council is adopting TreeBaltimore as its official 100th Anniversary project and will help the city increase the urban tree canopy through the establishment, management and preservation of trees. Scouts will plant trees, mulch, water and remove invasive growth throughout Baltimore City Parks. The Baltimore Council’s goal is to contribute more than 1 million service hours to conservation and community service efforts in 2010 through this program and others.

Get a Free Fruit Tree!; Seattle, WA

City Fruit Blog , Archive » Get a Free Fruit Tree:
I’ve seen a few different things going around the web recently about how you can get your hands on a free fruit tree so I thought I’d help share them here with some additional info about caring for trees. Keep in mind that there are strings attached to getting one of these free fruit trees — but in both cases below, it’s that the trees are used for the good of the community. Can hardly argue with that.
One of my favorite organizations out there is The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation.

The reasons for planting a canopy overshadow today’s trend toward tiny trees; Toronto, Ontario, Canada

NOW Magazine // News // Money does grow on trees:
A large mulching machine was parked a few houses down from mine the other week. Workers were busy tearing a big old tree limb from limb. I didn’t have a deep relationship with the dismembered tree, but the loss of its towering mass of leaves still bummed me out.
Turns out I’m not alone. Trees affect us. Sounds obvious, but the extent of their influence will soon be easier to gauge. The city is days away from releasing study results about the composition and condition of the city’s canopy, its ability to ease greenhouse gas and store carbon, its real-estate advantages and a host of other surprising social pluses.

Trees v. solar panels; Takoma Park, MD

Couple's plan to cut tree might violate law:
An environmental dilemma has pitted trees against sunshine in nature-loving Takoma Park.
Residents Patrick and Shannon Earle, who are eager to cut down a silver maple in their front yard that would overshadow planned solar panels on their roof, have found themselves running afoul of the city's tree-protection ordinance.

D.C. Council’s pruning of Tree Fund places tree conservation out on a limb; Washington, DC

D.C. Council’s pruning of Tree Fund places tree conservation out on a limb:
The Urban Forest Preservation Act offers special protection to District trees with a circumference of 55 inches (17.5 inches in diameter). With certain exceptions--e.g., the tree poses a high risk of failure and property--protected trees may not be cut down without first securing a permit. Failure to properly secure a permit results in a minimum fine of $5,500. A permit may only be secured if the contractor agrees to plant replacement trees or pay into the “Tree Fund.” The Tree Fund money is designated exclusively towards the planting of replacement trees in the District and similar purposes.

Greening Philadelphia Tree by Tree; Philadelphia, PA

Greening Philadelphia Tree by Tree - Metropolis:
William Penn's vision of a 'Greene Country Towne' faded to black and grey long ago. Viewed from above, Philadelphia today has huge swaths of hot spots - where asphalt and concrete predominate and the color green is hard to find. This is what makes the program underway to reforest the city so interesting.
No one exactly uses the word 'reforest,' but the ambitious scope of the Philadelphia Tree Planting Initiative demands a re-imagining of the city's landscape.
The plans ambitious - and almost certainly unattainable-- goal is to plant 300,000 trees over the next five years and to double the percentage of the city's tree cover (or canopy, as it is called) by 2026.

$490 thousand in federal stimulus to be spent on Nevada tree planting, tree-care classes; NV

$490 thousand in federal stimulus to be spent on Nevada tree planting, tree-care classes This is Reno: Nevada News Bureau: Federal government efforts to create jobs through stimulus funding have expanded to encompass an urban Clark County tree planting effort and related activities, including tree care training for Spanish-speaking workers.
The Nevada Division of Forestry has received funding from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to make 2,500 trees available for free for planting by nonprofit organizations, government entities and others on urban public lands in Southern Nevada.
Money for the Nursery Greening Project comes from a $490,000 grant the U.S. Forest Service has allotted for Clark County urban tree projects, said Adria DeCorte, who is overseeing the tree-planting portion of the project for the state Forestry Division.

Tree emergency!; Washington, DC

All Opinions Are Local - Tree emergency!:
While the rain storm we received last week was heavy, it was all too short. GM can’t remember when it rained before that. So what’s that mean? Our street trees are in trouble. We’re still losing trees from a similar drought from a couple years ago. Trees neglected now could soon die too.
GM has already bored you to tears about the ins-and-outs of caring for our street trees, but now its your turn to step up to help preserve our tree canopy.
Water your street tree at least once a week (in this weather, do it twice if you can).

Balmy Beach Tree Tour set for July 7th; Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Balmy Beach Media Advisory (July 7) IRIS:
Public welcome at Balmy Beach Tree Tour
EVENT: Balmy Beach Tree Tour
WHEN: Wednesday, July 7, 2010. 7:00pm -9:00pm
WHERE: 971 Kingston Rd.
The Beaches (Savoury Grounds coffee shop at Kingston Rd. & Scarborough Rd.)
WHO: LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests)

Commisioner Rallies to Save Tree; Washington, DC

Save the Tree The Triangle:
ANC 6C01 Commissioner Keith Silver contacted me this morning urging the blog to support his urgent cause to save a 100 year old tree on the NW corner of 4th and I Streets NW. Mr Silver says the community only has 15 days to organize and petition before the tree will be cut down.

Water By-Cycle is on the road, watering trees; Washington, DC

D.C. news in brief:
For the second summer, members of Casey Trees are watering trees by bicycle.
The Water By-Cycle program allows the organization's high school interns to mulch and water trees on street bikes. The bikes have a custom, six-foot cargo trailer to carry hoses and safety cones.