Wednesday, November 24, 2010

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.

Monday, November 22, 2010

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.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

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.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

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.

Monday, November 15, 2010

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.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

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.

Monday, November 8, 2010

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.

Friday, November 5, 2010

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.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

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.

Monday, November 1, 2010

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.