Tree Tenders offer classes in Delaware County - Life - Delco News Network
How big should I dig the hole? How often should I water? Do I need to fertilize the tree? Planting a tree isn’t rocket science, but there are some basic steps a gardener needs to know if the tree is going to thrive.
Delaware County residents can get tips on planting and caring for new trees by enrolling in a Tree Tender course offered April 6, 13 and 20 in Rutledge Borough Hall and sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS.) The fee for the nine-hour evening course is $25.
Residents 16 and older may register online at phsonline.org or by calling 215-988-8845 or 215-988-8793. Rutledge Borough Hall is located at 212 Unity Terrace in Rutledge.
“We get all questions having to do with proper planting and care,” says Barley Van Clief, Tree Tenders project manager. “One of the things we want everybody to learn is what they should and can handle themselves and when they should call a professional arborist.
“We don’t want them to be climbing tall trees with a pruning saw!”
Another basic lesson is how to properly mulch a tree. Van Clief bemoans the fact that so many landscapers are piling mulch high against the trunk of a tree, forming what she calls a “mulch volcano,” that “the public interprets that it’s the correct and best way to mulch. But … mulch volcanoes are very detrimental.”
Perhaps the most critical part of planting a tree, she says, is planting it at the correct depth. “Too many times trees are planted too deeply, which smothers the root system.”
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Miami Beach will replace Alton Road oaks removed for bike trail - Miami Beach, FL
Miami Beach will replace Alton Road oaks - Miami Beach - MiamiHerald.com
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/28/2138718/miami-beach-will-replace-alton.html#ixzz1I5HNlvZH
As part of an improvement project that will widen the road, improve drainage and add bike lanes, the City of Miami Beach cut down 20 oak trees on Alton Road.
Oak trees on Alton Road were removed as the South Point Improvement Project, which will widen the road, improve underground infrastructure such as storm drainage and add new curbs, sidewalks and bike lanes.
BY LAURA EDWINS
LEDWINS@MIAMIHERALD.COM
Last week Miami Beach’s tree canopy got a trim.
About 20 oak trees were removed on Alton Road, south of Fifth Street, as part of the ciyt’s South Pointe Improvement Project which will widen the road, improve storm drainage and add new curbs, sidewalks and bike lanes.
According to Nannette Rodriguez , a spokeswoman for the City of Miami Beach, the South Pointe Improvement Project is near completion.
However, the sight of the “beheaded” oaks has some worried about the city’s plans for the area.
“Every time we loose trees it’s very painful,” said Laura Mullaney, a South Miami resident and regular visitor to Miami Beach. Mullaney, who is also a member of the Coral Gables Historical Society, worries about the overall canopy coverage in Miami-Dade County.
“We need to increase the tree canopy. Miami-Dade County does not have a very dense tree canopy, and it’s such an environmentally correct thing to do,” she said.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/28/2138718/miami-beach-will-replace-alton.html#ixzz1I5HNlvZH
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
MillionTreesNYC Symposium Content Available Online
MillionTreesNYC Symposium Content Available Online -- Environmental Protection
The Cities and the Environment website provides information on the latest research in urban ecology science.
On-line access to the latest urban ecology science is available in a special issue of Cities and the Environment (CATE).
The issue features peer-reviewed articles and poster abstracts resulting from last year’s MillionTreesNYC, Green Infrastructure and Urban Ecology Symposium, and includes topics ranging from urban pollinator communities to civic engagement in urban forestry.
CATE is published in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service with support from Loyola Marymount University and Boston College. The journal publishes peer-reviewed scholarship on urban ecology research and urban ecology education.
“As the United States population becomes increasingly urban, it is important to understand the benefits provided by urban ecosystems and also the challenges faced by environmental managers in maintaining these resources,” said Erika Svendsen, a research social scientist with the Forest Service's Northern Research Station. “On-line access to MillionTreesNYC Research Symposium results is a tremendous tool that will enhance our understanding of the urban environment.”
Funeral home owner, others at odds over large elm with roots pushing up sidewalk - Fall River, MA
Funeral home owner, others at odds over large elm with roots pushing up sidewalk - Fall River, MA - The Herald News
Read more: http://www.heraldnews.com/archive/x1608498771/Funeral-home-owner-others-at-odds-over-large-elm-with-roots-pushing-up-sidewalk#ixzz1HzOuqobo
FALL RIVER —
Overtures to cut down the regal American elm at Broadway and Osborn over the past decade never flew, and there’s no expectation that the tree, pulling at the sidewalk, is going anywhere.
About 75 feet tall — twice the height of the three-story Boule Funeral Home at its side — the thick trunk of the famous elm variety nears the 4-foot diameter they have been known to reach.
The American elm became the most dominant shade tree east of the Rockies a half-century ago. The large numbers of them led to Elm Street being regarded as the most common street name in the country.
Mary Ann Wordell, president of the Fall River Street Planting Program, said she’s heard of another such elm in a resident’s yard on Hood Street, but she has never seen it. And there could be a few other elms of this stature in the city.
But, like New Haven, Conn., and Portland, Maine — both dubbed “City of Elms," nicknames no longer applicable — Fall River bid adieu to these upright canopies when the infamous Dutch elm disease blanketed the eastern half of the country. The deadly fungus covered a swath from southern Maine to Florida, North Dakota to Texas, and a ribbon along the Canadian border.
The city’s desire to protect the trees, foster new ones and grow their green canopies has become clear in recent months, as proposals for a tree ordinance have been debated publicly and will continue.
Last week, Wordell and her group joined Community Maintenance Director Kenneth Pacheco in refining proposal requests they plan to distribute to hire a qualified tree warden with a $30,000 matching state grant.
The two of them, along with Boule Funeral co-owner Thomas Wilkinson, offered comments about Wilkinson’s bid years ago to remove the American elm because of its safety infringement upon his business.
The American elm became the most dominant shade tree east of the Rockies a half-century ago. The large numbers of them led to Elm Street being regarded as the most common street name in the country.
Mary Ann Wordell, president of the Fall River Street Planting Program, said she’s heard of another such elm in a resident’s yard on Hood Street, but she has never seen it. And there could be a few other elms of this stature in the city.
But, like New Haven, Conn., and Portland, Maine — both dubbed “City of Elms," nicknames no longer applicable — Fall River bid adieu to these upright canopies when the infamous Dutch elm disease blanketed the eastern half of the country. The deadly fungus covered a swath from southern Maine to Florida, North Dakota to Texas, and a ribbon along the Canadian border.
The city’s desire to protect the trees, foster new ones and grow their green canopies has become clear in recent months, as proposals for a tree ordinance have been debated publicly and will continue.
Last week, Wordell and her group joined Community Maintenance Director Kenneth Pacheco in refining proposal requests they plan to distribute to hire a qualified tree warden with a $30,000 matching state grant.
The two of them, along with Boule Funeral co-owner Thomas Wilkinson, offered comments about Wilkinson’s bid years ago to remove the American elm because of its safety infringement upon his business.
Read more: http://www.heraldnews.com/archive/x1608498771/Funeral-home-owner-others-at-odds-over-large-elm-with-roots-pushing-up-sidewalk#ixzz1HzOuqobo
Report: Tree canopy declining in Seattle's parks and forests - Seattle, WA
Report: Tree canopy declining in Seattle's parks and forests
By LARRY LANGE
SPECIAL TO SEATTLEPI.COM
By LARRY LANGE
SPECIAL TO SEATTLEPI.COM
Seattle is losing trees in its parks and urban forests, the last places you might think that would happen.
The trend, picked up by a recent study of the city's tree canopy, results from an aging public forest that's dying, being slowly choked by invasive plants or killed by disease.The finding about parks deviates from the study conclusion that, city-wide, Seattle's tree canopy -- the percentage of in-city ground covered by trees and their leafy branches -- had grown slightly over five years.
Statistics showing the decline in the parks and natural areas appear in a report summarizing results of a 2009 study that analyzed the amount of tree cover above Seattle's landscape.
The report said the canopy in developed parks and boulevards declined from 25.3 per cent in 2002 to 24.6 percent in 2007. Tree cover at city-owned natural areas like greenbelts declined from 82.7 percent in 2002 to 80.8 percent in 2007.
The study said that meant there were 60 fewer acres of parks and natural that were shaded or protected by trees in 2007. That's a reduction equal to an area three times the size of the Safeco Field site.
The estimate was contained in a 2009 study done for the city Parks & Recreation Department by a Colorado consultant, using satellite imaging and geographic information system data.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Watchdog: 'Leave the trees alone' - homeowners seek relief from BGE line clearance - Annapolis, MD
Watchdog: 'Leave the trees alone' • Columnists (www.HometownAnnapolis.com - The Capital)
Couple questions BGE's 'one size fits all' policy
By ALLISON BOURG, The Capital
Published 03/28/2011
Paul Goszkowski is no tree hugger.
But that doesn't mean he wants anyone messing with the two 100-year-old Norway spruce trees on his Bay Ridge Road property, where he has lived since 1987. The 50-foot trees form a teepee over the house, shrouding it from the buzz of traffic outside.
"One of the reasons we bought this house was because it was heavily screened from the road," said his wife, Lucy. "We already lost 13 trees to the county when they put the bike path in 1997."
Now, the Goszkowskis are afraid they're going to lose their spruces - or at least a big portion of them - once tree trimmers contracted by Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. start cutting their branches.
The problem, they complained to the Watchdog, is a BGE policy that prohibits trees from coming within 10 feet of utility lines. Paul Goszkowski said he's been told that the spruces sway too close to the wires, even though the trees are planted far enough away from the power lines.
Couple questions BGE's 'one size fits all' policy
By ALLISON BOURG, The Capital
Published 03/28/2011
Paul Goszkowski is no tree hugger.
But that doesn't mean he wants anyone messing with the two 100-year-old Norway spruce trees on his Bay Ridge Road property, where he has lived since 1987. The 50-foot trees form a teepee over the house, shrouding it from the buzz of traffic outside.
"One of the reasons we bought this house was because it was heavily screened from the road," said his wife, Lucy. "We already lost 13 trees to the county when they put the bike path in 1997."
Now, the Goszkowskis are afraid they're going to lose their spruces - or at least a big portion of them - once tree trimmers contracted by Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. start cutting their branches.
The problem, they complained to the Watchdog, is a BGE policy that prohibits trees from coming within 10 feet of utility lines. Paul Goszkowski said he's been told that the spruces sway too close to the wires, even though the trees are planted far enough away from the power lines.
Pittsburgh's ash, oak trees expected to die off - Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh's ash, oak trees expected to die off
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11086/1135083-455.stm#ixzz1Huz4jJXN
Borer 'unstoppable,' 165,000 ash in peril
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Woodpeckers are already very busy, digging emerald ash borer larvae out of the city's ash trees and loving it.
But folks who like to stroll down tree-shaded neighborhood streets, relax in sylvan backyards or hike through the city's forested parks will have a more negative and potentially more dangerous view of the imminent, massive and costly die off of ash and, to a lesser extent, oak, in Pittsburgh's urban forest.
Over the next three to eight years, as the rat-a-tat-tat of the opportunistic woodpeckers echoes through the city's parks and neighborhoods, more than 165,000 ash trees will likely be killed by emerald ash borer infestation, according to city forester David Jahn. Oak wilt fungus will also claim some of the 45,000 oaks in the city.
But folks who like to stroll down tree-shaded neighborhood streets, relax in sylvan backyards or hike through the city's forested parks will have a more negative and potentially more dangerous view of the imminent, massive and costly die off of ash and, to a lesser extent, oak, in Pittsburgh's urban forest.
Over the next three to eight years, as the rat-a-tat-tat of the opportunistic woodpeckers echoes through the city's parks and neighborhoods, more than 165,000 ash trees will likely be killed by emerald ash borer infestation, according to city forester David Jahn. Oak wilt fungus will also claim some of the 45,000 oaks in the city.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11086/1135083-455.stm#ixzz1Huz4jJXN
Urban Natural Resources Institute » March 2011 – Urban Tree Canopy in Your Community webinar available in archive
Urban Natural Resources Institute » March 2011 – UTC in Your Community
“Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) Analysis: Using the Results Effectively in Your Community”
Wednesday, March 23, 2011, 11:00 AM (Eastern)
featuring Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne, University of Vermont (UVM) Spatial Analysis Laboratory and Dexter Locke, US Forest Service, NYC Field Station
“Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) Analysis: Using the Results Effectively in Your Community”
Wednesday, March 23, 2011, 11:00 AM (Eastern)
featuring Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne, University of Vermont (UVM) Spatial Analysis Laboratory and Dexter Locke, US Forest Service, NYC Field Station
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Developer, State Rep work to wipe out tree protections - San Antonio, TX
San Antonio Current - NEWS+FEATURES: Developer swipe at SA tree protections, Hasslocher assault on public servant, and Rep. Villarreal's budget-knowledge war
It was former mayor Phil Hardberger (starring as the whiskery tree-loving Lorax) who first locked horns with Milestone Potranco Development in 2005 in a case that drove the developer to the mat (via the State Supreme Court in 2010), all to show the world that San Antonio can and would protect our air-cleaning and flood-buffering tree canopy in the extraterritorial jurisdiction.
It was former mayor Phil Hardberger (starring as the whiskery tree-loving Lorax) who first locked horns with Milestone Potranco Development in 2005 in a case that drove the developer to the mat (via the State Supreme Court in 2010), all to show the world that San Antonio can and would protect our air-cleaning and flood-buffering tree canopy in the extraterritorial jurisdiction.
While the developers targeting 150 acres just outside 1604 on Potranco Road lost (again) on appeal before the U.S. Fifth Circuit, the earth eaters haven’t given up. A bill carried by East Texas state Representative Bob Nichols would cut SA’s legal argument off at the knees by adding a short sentence to state law. Under Nichols’ SB 732, cities would no longer be able to regulate “the planting, clearing, or harvesting of trees or vegetation or other uses of trees or vegetation on a particular tract of land.”
And dismantling of city controls over clear-cutting would likely cause increased flooding and contamination of the Edwards Aquifer, warn the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance and the San Antonio Citizens Trees Coalition, while also pushing the region toward ozone non-attainment and putting increasing pressure on endangered birds like the golden-cheeked warbler, thereby jeopardizing the mission at Camp Bullis.
Since Texas counties have very little control over how development occurs in their boundaries, what controls occur must come from the city. Or as Jim Cannizzo, environmental attorney for Camp Bullis and surrounding Army operations, puts it: “If this doesn’t get regulated here, it’s not going to get regulated.”
Arcadia Highlands' Oak Protesters Face Trial as Sheriff Declares Tree-Sit Site a "Crime Scene" in Order to Limit Public View of and Access to Bulldozing of Mature Woodlands - Los Angeles County, CA
Arcadia Highlands' Oak Protesters Face Trial - Page 1 - News - Los Angeles - LA Weekly
“I am willing to go to trial,” Quigley says. “I want to see what a jury of my peers says when they see what the county did and how they did it.” John Quigley, Andrea Bowers, Julia Jaye Posin and Travis Jochimsen were arrested by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies after taking up positions in the tree canopy to slow the bulldozers and draw attention to the stunning destruction.
If those outraged by Los Angeles County’s green light to bulldoze hundreds of graceful century-old oaks and sycamores in the Arcadia Highlands have any solace, it’s perhaps that the annihilation of the old-growth woodland to create a sediment dump has stirred a wider public to action — or at least anger.
That awareness may be raised further this week as four eco-activists face arraignment on misdemeanor charges over their failed efforts to protect 249 majestic trees in the Santa Anita Wash north of Arcadia.
 |
| PHOTO BY MARK CROMER |
“I am willing to go to trial,” Quigley says. “I want to see what a jury of my peers says when they see what the county did and how they did it.” John Quigley, Andrea Bowers, Julia Jaye Posin and Travis Jochimsen were arrested by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies after taking up positions in the tree canopy to slow the bulldozers and draw attention to the stunning destruction.
The bulldozers on Jan. 12 smashed through 11 acres of pristine wildland owned since the 1950s by the County Department of Public Works. But for much longer than that, the area had been home to a vibrant community of creatures that included deer, fox and occasional bears and big cats.
Woodbury considers increasing tree canopy - Woodbury, MN
Woodbury considers increasing tree canopy | Woodbury Bulletin | Woodbury, Minnesota
We all know the basic benefits of greenery around us, but tree canopy has much more to offer than shade, cleaner air and the nice scenery.
A lengthy discussion at last Wednesday's Woodbury City Council workshop provided detailed information from experts on the benefits of added tree canopy in Woodbury, as well as the risks of Emerald Ash Borer.
“People have been planting trees for a very, very long time and they will continue to do so because they’re beautiful,” said Jill Johnson, coordinator of the Midwest Center for Urban and Community Forestry in St. Paul.
But trees offer much more than something nice to look at. Research shows trees reduce asthma rates in children, decrease hospital stays, make people more sociable, neighborhoods safer and lower crime rates, she added.
Trees help homeowners pay less for energy costs; they keep the temperature cooler and help with storm water management.
“All those layers of leaves can actually intercept and hold water” – as opposed to polluted water runoff on impervious surfaces, Johnson said.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Bushland doomed to build more apartments - Lane Cove, New South Wales, Australia
Bushland doomed to build more apartments - National News - National - General - Nambucca Guardian News
LANE COVE Council has called on the NSW government to reverse its zoning to allow 2500 new apartments after a consultant's report suggested removing more than 80 per cent of trees in an adjacent reserve to reduce the risk of bushfire.
The council resolved unanimously to write to the federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke, and lobby the incoming state government to protect the bushland by reversing an earlier decision by the Department of Planning to rezone a gully of residential housing to allow apartment blocks that the council believes could be up to six stories.
Plans to permit the blocks of apartments next to Batten Reserve have infuriated the council and residents, some of whom have worked for 40 years to regenerate the patches of littoral rainforest.
''This whole thing is unbelievable; it does not fit with the government's strategy to build near shops and transport,'' said Frances Vissel, the president of the Stringy Bark Creek Residents Association, which has been restoring the bush since 1993.
The battle over the reserve is another flashpoint in the government's campaign to squeeze more people into Sydney by requiring all councils to zone land for medium and high-density development to provide for a 40 per cent growth in population over the next 30 years.
Spring is Here, Tend to Your Trees - Georgetown, DC
Spring is Here, Tend to Your Trees - Georgetown, DC Patch
Sunday March 20 marked the Spring Equinox, the first day of spring. As our minds shift to warmer weather and we seek activities outdoors, it is a good time to tend to trees and gardens once plagued by the frigid frost of winter.
Spring flowers are beginning to blossom throughout the DC area and the Cherry Blossom Festival begins this coming weekend. With this new wave of plant life sprouting there are a few key things you can do to ensure healthy trees.
Local non-profit, Casey Trees, just released a Spring Almanac of helpful tips on how to keep your trees healthy this season.
The organization is committed to “restoring, enhancing and protecting the tree canopy of the Nation’s Capital.”
How valuable are your street trees? Ask i-Tree - Miami, FL
How valuable are your street trees? Ask i-Tree - Environment - MiamiHerald.com
U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell recently traveled to Philadelphia - city of many street trees - to unveil a new version of the service's i-Tree software.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/21/2126243/how-valuable-are-your-street-trees.html#ixzz1HLZ8ea6p
U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell recently traveled to Philadelphia - city of many street trees - to unveil a new version of the service's i-Tree software.
Not quite an app - but the same idea - it helps both planners and regular citizens assess the monetary value of the street trees plus quantify the environmental services the trees provide.
It factors how the trees help with temperature control, with water quality by filtering out contaminants, with air quality by filtering out pollutants, and with climate change by sequestering carbon.
Tidwell calls urban trees "the hardest working trees in America. Urban trees' roots are paved over, and they are assaulted by pollution and exhaust, but they keep working for us."
According to the Forest Service, one recent i-Tree study found that street trees in Minneapolis provided $25 million in benefits ranging from energy savings to increased property values. Urban planners in Chattanooga, Tenn., were able to show that for every dollar invested in their urban forests, the city received $12.18 in benefits. New York City used i-Tree to justify $220 million for planting trees during the next decade.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/21/2126243/how-valuable-are-your-street-trees.html#ixzz1HLZ8ea6p
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Friends of Grand Rapids Parks and Urban Forestry Committee team up for 'Global ReLeaf' effort - Grand Rapids, MI
Friends of Grand Rapids Parks and Urban Forestry Committee team up for 'Global ReLeaf' effort | MLive.com
West Michigan tree lovers can get deals on native trees and shrubs thanks to an event sponsored by the city's Urban Forestry Committee, Friends of Grand Rapids Parks and Global ReLeaf of Michigan.
More than 40 varieties of trees and shrubs will be available at prices ranging from $18 for lilac or hydrangea shrubs to $50 for trees such as Snow Fountain Cherry or Heritage Oak, according to the sponsors.
West Michigan tree lovers can get deals on native trees and shrubs thanks to an event sponsored by the city's Urban Forestry Committee, Friends of Grand Rapids Parks and Global ReLeaf of Michigan.
More than 40 varieties of trees and shrubs will be available at prices ranging from $18 for lilac or hydrangea shrubs to $50 for trees such as Snow Fountain Cherry or Heritage Oak, according to the sponsors.
Friday, March 18, 2011
City embraces trees with new funding for tree care, removal, and replacement in support of tree canopy goal - St Catherines, Ontario, Canada
City embraces trees - St. Catharines Standard, Niagara Region, Sun Media - Ontario, CA
The draft 2011 operating budget is scheduled to be debated and approved by city councillors on Monday night, after a public meeting set for 6:30 p.m. in the third floor council chambers at city hall.
The draft budget shows the average homeowner will pay $1,166 in city property taxes this year, an increase of 2.95% or $33, based on an average house assessed at a market value of $196,750.
City treasurer Shelley Chemnitz said almost all of this year's tax increase will be going to fund new initiatives such as the Kiwanis aquatic centre, the Kiwanis artifi- cial-turf field and the performing arts centre.
Two other items getting funding boosts are transit and trees, said Chemnitz, which is in keeping "with what residents have spoken out about at various open houses. They overwhelmingly spoke for trees and Sunday (bus) service."
Budget committee members are recommending $257,000 for the first phase of an increase in Sunday bus service, which will start in May, and are recommending the city increase its forestry budget by $629,400.
Most of that money -- $469,400 -- will be spent to begin dealing with the backlog of tree trimming, tree removal and tree stumping, but the remainder --$160,000 -- will more than double the amount of money the city spends on planting trees.
Both the tree planting and the tree trimming are part of an ambitious new Urban Forestry Management Plan that has been drafted at the request of council.
The draft 2011 operating budget is scheduled to be debated and approved by city councillors on Monday night, after a public meeting set for 6:30 p.m. in the third floor council chambers at city hall.
The draft budget shows the average homeowner will pay $1,166 in city property taxes this year, an increase of 2.95% or $33, based on an average house assessed at a market value of $196,750.
City treasurer Shelley Chemnitz said almost all of this year's tax increase will be going to fund new initiatives such as the Kiwanis aquatic centre, the Kiwanis artifi- cial-turf field and the performing arts centre.
Two other items getting funding boosts are transit and trees, said Chemnitz, which is in keeping "with what residents have spoken out about at various open houses. They overwhelmingly spoke for trees and Sunday (bus) service."
Budget committee members are recommending $257,000 for the first phase of an increase in Sunday bus service, which will start in May, and are recommending the city increase its forestry budget by $629,400.
Most of that money -- $469,400 -- will be spent to begin dealing with the backlog of tree trimming, tree removal and tree stumping, but the remainder --$160,000 -- will more than double the amount of money the city spends on planting trees.
Both the tree planting and the tree trimming are part of an ambitious new Urban Forestry Management Plan that has been drafted at the request of council.
Woodbury Looks at Tree Canopy, Prepares for Emerald Ash Borer - Woodbury, MN
Woodbury Looks at Tree Canopy, Prepares for Emerald Ash Borer - Woodbury, MN Patch
The Woodbury City Council on Wednesday learned that about 23 percent of the city is covered by a tree canopy while also looking at how it can prepare for the seemingly imminent arrival of the emerald ash borer.
An inventory of trees in city parks and right-of-ways shows that a little more than 17 percent are ash, according to Whitney Olson, an urban forestry specialist with Minnesota GreenCorps, part of a team that examined the city’s trees through a Department of Natural Resources grant.
The council took no formal action Wednesday, as it was a workshop meeting, but members seemed to agree that the city should start removing old and dying ash trees. The emerald ash borer—a beetle that kills ash trees—has not come to the city. But those tasked with the tree canopy study it’s a matter of when, not if.
The Woodbury City Council on Wednesday learned that about 23 percent of the city is covered by a tree canopy while also looking at how it can prepare for the seemingly imminent arrival of the emerald ash borer.
An inventory of trees in city parks and right-of-ways shows that a little more than 17 percent are ash, according to Whitney Olson, an urban forestry specialist with Minnesota GreenCorps, part of a team that examined the city’s trees through a Department of Natural Resources grant.
The council took no formal action Wednesday, as it was a workshop meeting, but members seemed to agree that the city should start removing old and dying ash trees. The emerald ash borer—a beetle that kills ash trees—has not come to the city. But those tasked with the tree canopy study it’s a matter of when, not if.
Greening Union City, One Tree at a Time - Union City, CA
Greening Union City, One Tree at a Time - Union City, CA Patch
Nelson Kirk cares about the future of Union City.
You may not notice it today, in a month, or even in a year. But five decades from now, when the city’s streets are lined with 60-foot to 80-foot tall trees that not only clean but create the air we breathe, the residents of Union City can say “Thank you” to the man who planted the seed.
In December, Kirk, public works supervisor for Union City’s Grounds Division, spearheaded a campaign to plant 100 Cedrus deodara (deodar cedar) trees throughout the city. The four locations were along Alvarado Niles Road, Union City Boulevard, Mission Boulevard and Decoto Road.
Nelson Kirk cares about the future of Union City.
You may not notice it today, in a month, or even in a year. But five decades from now, when the city’s streets are lined with 60-foot to 80-foot tall trees that not only clean but create the air we breathe, the residents of Union City can say “Thank you” to the man who planted the seed.
In December, Kirk, public works supervisor for Union City’s Grounds Division, spearheaded a campaign to plant 100 Cedrus deodara (deodar cedar) trees throughout the city. The four locations were along Alvarado Niles Road, Union City Boulevard, Mission Boulevard and Decoto Road.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Tree Tenders training course slated for March 28, April 4 and 11 - Lower Frederick, PA
Tree Tenders training course slated for March 28, April 4 and 11 - timesherald.com
LOWER FREDERICK - The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society will offer its nine-hour Tree Tenders training course, which empowers and teaches concerned residents how to make dramatic strides toward restoring and caring for the local tree canopy, on March 28, April 4 and 11, from 6 to 9 p.m., at the Lower Frederick Township Building, 53 Spring Mount Rd., Spring Mount.
This spring, PHS and its partners are launching Plant One Million, the nation’s largest multi-state tree campaign, to replenish the tree population of 13 counties in the Greater Philadelphia region, southern New Jersey and Delaware. The region has lost millions of trees in recent decades to development. The new initiative will involve local governments, corporate sponsors, organizations, schools, civic groups and residents in reaching the goal of a 30 percent tree canopy – the area of land shaded by trees.
The Tree Tenders course offers hands-on tree care training for residents and covers tree biology, urban stress on trees, tree identification, tree planting, community organizing, tree pruning and root care. Given the intensity of the training, the training is not appropriate for children under age 16.
LOWER FREDERICK - The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society will offer its nine-hour Tree Tenders training course, which empowers and teaches concerned residents how to make dramatic strides toward restoring and caring for the local tree canopy, on March 28, April 4 and 11, from 6 to 9 p.m., at the Lower Frederick Township Building, 53 Spring Mount Rd., Spring Mount.
This spring, PHS and its partners are launching Plant One Million, the nation’s largest multi-state tree campaign, to replenish the tree population of 13 counties in the Greater Philadelphia region, southern New Jersey and Delaware. The region has lost millions of trees in recent decades to development. The new initiative will involve local governments, corporate sponsors, organizations, schools, civic groups and residents in reaching the goal of a 30 percent tree canopy – the area of land shaded by trees.
The Tree Tenders course offers hands-on tree care training for residents and covers tree biology, urban stress on trees, tree identification, tree planting, community organizing, tree pruning and root care. Given the intensity of the training, the training is not appropriate for children under age 16.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
City's draft Urban Forest Strategic Plan sets targets for tree species in Peterborough - Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
City's draft Urban Forest Strategic Plan sets targets for tree species in Peterborough - Peterborough Examiner - Ontario, CA
A draft plan that aims to maintain and expand the city's urban forest was received Tuesday night by the city's arenas, parks and recreation advisory committee.
The goal is to ensure the urban forest is here in the future and better than it is today, public works division manager Peter Southall said.
"The key here is sustainability and enhancement," he said.
The Urban Forest Strategic Plan recommends the city establish targets for native species composition in the various land use classes, such as commercial and residential.
Terrestrial Terror Round 1: Insect wars - this pest v. pest smack down is a great way to get to know your urban tree insect pests - MSU
Terrestrial Terror Round 1: Insect wars | Great Lakes Echo
Editor’s note: Great Lakes SmackDown Terrestrial Terror is an ongoing Great Lakes Echo series. Brackets can be filled out until Friday, March 18. Find more information here.
By Alice Rossignol and Rachael Gleason
They stink, they sting and bore holes – it’s time for the insects to fight the battle of the bug.
EMERALD ASH BORER vs. SIREX WOODWASP
First to square-off, all the way from Asia, is the Emerald Ash Borer, or “The Green Menace.” This shiny plated insect is a professional ash tree killer. It bores through the bark, messing up the tree’s system which leads to certain death! Also from across the globe, the Sirex Woodwasp, also known as, “Miley Cyrex,” also drives through tree bark. It injects toxic mucus and eggs that interact to successfully murder it. We hope this match doesn’t “bore” you to death.
Editor’s note: Great Lakes SmackDown Terrestrial Terror is an ongoing Great Lakes Echo series. Brackets can be filled out until Friday, March 18. Find more information here.
By Alice Rossignol and Rachael Gleason
They stink, they sting and bore holes – it’s time for the insects to fight the battle of the bug.
EMERALD ASH BORER vs. SIREX WOODWASP
First to square-off, all the way from Asia, is the Emerald Ash Borer, or “The Green Menace.” This shiny plated insect is a professional ash tree killer. It bores through the bark, messing up the tree’s system which leads to certain death! Also from across the globe, the Sirex Woodwasp, also known as, “Miley Cyrex,” also drives through tree bark. It injects toxic mucus and eggs that interact to successfully murder it. We hope this match doesn’t “bore” you to death.
April 8 is deadline for community groups to apply for grants through Tree Canopy Fund - Arlington County, VA
Sun Gazette Newspapers - from Archives - Arlington > News
April 8 is the deadline for community groups to file notice of intent to apply for grants through the Arlington government’s Tree Canopy Fund.
Civic associations, service clubs, school groups, non-profit organizations and ad hoc groups can apply for grants of up to $7,500 to plant trees on private property or provide public information and outreach on tree stewardship.
Final applications are due July 8.
The Tree Canopy Fund was established by the County Board in 2007 and began awarding grants two years later. It is administered by Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment and the Arlington County Urban Forestry Commission.
For information, see the Web site at www.arlingtonenvironment.org.
April 8 is the deadline for community groups to file notice of intent to apply for grants through the Arlington government’s Tree Canopy Fund.
Civic associations, service clubs, school groups, non-profit organizations and ad hoc groups can apply for grants of up to $7,500 to plant trees on private property or provide public information and outreach on tree stewardship.
Final applications are due July 8.
The Tree Canopy Fund was established by the County Board in 2007 and began awarding grants two years later. It is administered by Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment and the Arlington County Urban Forestry Commission.
For information, see the Web site at www.arlingtonenvironment.org.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Grove Online Community Expands Nationwide - tell your tree story at www.AmericanGrove.org
The Grove Online Community Expands Nationwide | SYS-CON MEDIA
The Grove (www.AmericanGrove.org), an online community that brings together nature enthusiasts to plant trees and protect the urban tree canopy, is now open to residents across the country to celebrate the United Nations’ International Year of Forests, 2011.
The goal of The Grove is to enable members to share the experience of planting trees and commemorating life moments online with family, friends and their communities.
Members can upload pictures, videos and captions of their tree planting experiences, discuss tree-related issues and get updates on local planting events. The Grove also offers a tree match tool to choose the right tree to commemorate a special event, as well as information on planting and care tips.
The Grove (www.AmericanGrove.org), an online community that brings together nature enthusiasts to plant trees and protect the urban tree canopy, is now open to residents across the country to celebrate the United Nations’ International Year of Forests, 2011.
The goal of The Grove is to enable members to share the experience of planting trees and commemorating life moments online with family, friends and their communities.
Members can upload pictures, videos and captions of their tree planting experiences, discuss tree-related issues and get updates on local planting events. The Grove also offers a tree match tool to choose the right tree to commemorate a special event, as well as information on planting and care tips.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
TREEmendous Extreme Tree Houses Exhibition at Missouri Botanical Garden Zoo and Aquarium - St. Louis, MO
TREEmendous Extreme Tree Houses Exhibition at Missouri Botanical Garden Zoo and Aquarium Visitor News
The Missouri Botanical Garden invites visitors to branch out from the ordinary notion of tree houses with an original exhibition of nine TREEmendous Extreme Tree Houses. View the winning works of a juried competition to construct imaginative, non-traditional, ground-level structures beneath the canopy of the Garden’s oak, elm, gingko and other stately trees. The Extreme Tree Houses are on outdoor display Saturday, Apr. 30 through Sunday, Aug. 21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The exhibit is included with general admission and highlights the Garden’s TREEmendous year of activities in recognition of the United Nations (U.N.) International Year of Forests. For more information, visit www.mobot.org/treemendous.
The Extreme Tree Houses exhibition is designed to showcase the creativity and talent of the local community while also reinforcing the significant role trees play in our lives and in the health of our planet. Designers were encouraged to ponder the concepts of sustainability, exploration and play in the outdoors, nature-inspired design, imagination and more through their installations.
The Missouri Botanical Garden invites visitors to branch out from the ordinary notion of tree houses with an original exhibition of nine TREEmendous Extreme Tree Houses. View the winning works of a juried competition to construct imaginative, non-traditional, ground-level structures beneath the canopy of the Garden’s oak, elm, gingko and other stately trees. The Extreme Tree Houses are on outdoor display Saturday, Apr. 30 through Sunday, Aug. 21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The exhibit is included with general admission and highlights the Garden’s TREEmendous year of activities in recognition of the United Nations (U.N.) International Year of Forests. For more information, visit www.mobot.org/treemendous.
The Extreme Tree Houses exhibition is designed to showcase the creativity and talent of the local community while also reinforcing the significant role trees play in our lives and in the health of our planet. Designers were encouraged to ponder the concepts of sustainability, exploration and play in the outdoors, nature-inspired design, imagination and more through their installations.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Trees help make city a cooler place to live; Phoenix seeks to increase tree canopy from 11% to 25% - Phoenix, AZ
Trees help make city a cooler place to live
You wouldn't guess metro Phoenix used to be known for its trees. The Valley was once a leafy oasis, with ample shade offering protection from the heat.
Trees are associated with livable cities for more than aesthetics, although that's a powerful reason to have them.
They also reduce air pollution, control erosion, offset the buildup of urban heat and can reduce utility costs.
As Arizona spruces up for its centennial next year, it's a great time to crank up tree-planting campaigns. Some added momentum could come from Wednesday's Regional Tree and Shade Summit, which included representatives from Valley cities.
Phoenix is trying to increase its "tree canopy," the amount of living shade coverage, from a skimpy 11 percent to 25 percent.
You wouldn't guess metro Phoenix used to be known for its trees. The Valley was once a leafy oasis, with ample shade offering protection from the heat.
Trees are associated with livable cities for more than aesthetics, although that's a powerful reason to have them.
They also reduce air pollution, control erosion, offset the buildup of urban heat and can reduce utility costs.
As Arizona spruces up for its centennial next year, it's a great time to crank up tree-planting campaigns. Some added momentum could come from Wednesday's Regional Tree and Shade Summit, which included representatives from Valley cities.
Phoenix is trying to increase its "tree canopy," the amount of living shade coverage, from a skimpy 11 percent to 25 percent.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Forest gumption: Goal to plant a million trees — Philadelphia, PA
Forest gumption: Goal to plant a million trees — NewsWorks
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has launched a tree-planting program with an ambitious goal: 1 million trees throughout the tri-state region.
Spread over 13 counties in South Jersey, Southeastern Pennsylvania and Northern Delaware, the ambitious urban forestry effort will put tools and resources in the hands of individuals, community groups and corporations who will do the labor.
The city of Philadelphia's "green" promise to plant 300,000 trees is included in the million-tree number.
The project--called Plant One Million--will get some help from new software developed by the U.S. Forest Service.
It's called iTree, and it works like tax software. Plug in data such as location, maximum height and average rainfall. Then input what you want the tree to accomplish: create shade, block wind, and/or absorb storm water. The software then spits out a list of trees that would be appropriate.
While most people intuitively appreciate the aesthetic and health benefits of trees, iTree can express the benefit of trees in dollar amounts. For example, a homeowner can expect a 20-foot red oak tree to save him $116 a year in energy costs.
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has launched a tree-planting program with an ambitious goal: 1 million trees throughout the tri-state region.
Spread over 13 counties in South Jersey, Southeastern Pennsylvania and Northern Delaware, the ambitious urban forestry effort will put tools and resources in the hands of individuals, community groups and corporations who will do the labor.
The city of Philadelphia's "green" promise to plant 300,000 trees is included in the million-tree number.
The project--called Plant One Million--will get some help from new software developed by the U.S. Forest Service.
It's called iTree, and it works like tax software. Plug in data such as location, maximum height and average rainfall. Then input what you want the tree to accomplish: create shade, block wind, and/or absorb storm water. The software then spits out a list of trees that would be appropriate.
While most people intuitively appreciate the aesthetic and health benefits of trees, iTree can express the benefit of trees in dollar amounts. For example, a homeowner can expect a 20-foot red oak tree to save him $116 a year in energy costs.
How valuable are your street trees? Ask i-Tree - Philadelphia, PA
How valuable are your street trees? Ask i-Tree | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/10/2011
This morning, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell traveled to Philadelphia -- city of many street trees -- to unveil a new version of the service's i-Tree software.
Not quite an ap -- but the same idea -- it helps both planners and regular citizens assess the monetary value of the street trees plus quantify the environmental services the trees provide.
It factors how the trees help with temperature control, with water quality by filtering out contaminants, with air quality by filtering out pollutants, and with climate change by sequestering carbon.
Tidwell, who planned to debut the new i-Tree at an event at the Fairmount Horticultural Center, calls urban trees "the hardest working trees in America. Urban trees’ roots are paved over, and they are assaulted by pollution and exhaust, but they keep working for us.”
According to the Forest Service, one recent i-Tree study found that street trees in Minneapolis provided $25 million in benefits ranging from energy savings to increased property values. Urban planners in Chattanooga, Tenn., were able to show that for every dollar invested in their urban forests, the city received $12.18 in benefits. New York City used i-Tree to justify $220 million for planting trees during the next decade.
This morning, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell traveled to Philadelphia -- city of many street trees -- to unveil a new version of the service's i-Tree software.
Not quite an ap -- but the same idea -- it helps both planners and regular citizens assess the monetary value of the street trees plus quantify the environmental services the trees provide.
It factors how the trees help with temperature control, with water quality by filtering out contaminants, with air quality by filtering out pollutants, and with climate change by sequestering carbon.
Tidwell, who planned to debut the new i-Tree at an event at the Fairmount Horticultural Center, calls urban trees "the hardest working trees in America. Urban trees’ roots are paved over, and they are assaulted by pollution and exhaust, but they keep working for us.”
According to the Forest Service, one recent i-Tree study found that street trees in Minneapolis provided $25 million in benefits ranging from energy savings to increased property values. Urban planners in Chattanooga, Tenn., were able to show that for every dollar invested in their urban forests, the city received $12.18 in benefits. New York City used i-Tree to justify $220 million for planting trees during the next decade.
Queens Botanical Garden hosts talk on tornado-felled boro trees - New York, NY
YourNabe.com > Archives > Queens > Botanical Garden hosts talk on tornado-felled boro trees
About 3,000 trees came down Sept. 16 when two tornadoes tore across the city, and thousands more were damaged.
So, a coalition of state and city agencies, community groups and institutions came together Saturday to assess the lessons of the freak storms and share ideas on how to avoid such catastrophic losses in the event of another large-scale weather event.
The all-day event, dubbed “After the Storm: Urban Tree Sustainability,” was held at the Queens Botanical Garden as an opportunity to learn from the past while looking to the future of New York’s vital tree canopy.
One of the conference’s organizers, Mary Kramarchyk, a community partnership coordinator for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said it was a unique chance for like-minded people to come together to find solutions for the problems exposed by the tornado’s wrath and also to educate people.
About 3,000 trees came down Sept. 16 when two tornadoes tore across the city, and thousands more were damaged.
So, a coalition of state and city agencies, community groups and institutions came together Saturday to assess the lessons of the freak storms and share ideas on how to avoid such catastrophic losses in the event of another large-scale weather event.
The all-day event, dubbed “After the Storm: Urban Tree Sustainability,” was held at the Queens Botanical Garden as an opportunity to learn from the past while looking to the future of New York’s vital tree canopy.
One of the conference’s organizers, Mary Kramarchyk, a community partnership coordinator for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said it was a unique chance for like-minded people to come together to find solutions for the problems exposed by the tornado’s wrath and also to educate people.
Calgary doesn't have enough trees, report warns - Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Calgary doesn't have enough trees, report warns
They can help boost property values, adding to the character and liveability of a neighbourhood, and offering a welcome reprieve after a long day cooped-up in the office,
But the number of trees lining Calgary streets and in groomed city parks has not kept up with the explosive growth in people population during the last decade.
A new report on the state of the city's environment finds a target of one street or groomed park tree for every two Calgarians is not close to being met. In 2007, Calgary was 120,000 trees short of reaching the mark, with a city official saying the situation has only improved marginally since then.
They can help boost property values, adding to the character and liveability of a neighbourhood, and offering a welcome reprieve after a long day cooped-up in the office,
But the number of trees lining Calgary streets and in groomed city parks has not kept up with the explosive growth in people population during the last decade.
A new report on the state of the city's environment finds a target of one street or groomed park tree for every two Calgarians is not close to being met. In 2007, Calgary was 120,000 trees short of reaching the mark, with a city official saying the situation has only improved marginally since then.
Jefferson Heritage Tree Council to host combination workshop, hoe-down on March 12th - why don't more tree groups do this? Jefferson, GA
Jefferson to celebrate its trees || OnlineAthens.com
The Jefferson Heritage Tree Council is hosting the town's inaugural Foliage Fest, a community festival meant to celebrate the town's trees and give Jefferson residents some pointers on how to plant and care for new trees.
The festival, from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Jefferson City Park, will feature performances by four local bluegrass bands, barbecue and answers to all residents' tree-planting and tree-care questions.
"It's late in the season, but we timed to the festival to be within (tree) planting season," said tree council spokeswoman Mary Dugan.
The tree council, which planted more than 120 trees on city property in 2010, is hosting the part hoe-down, part gardening workshop to provide suggestions on which trees do best in Northeast Georgia's climate and how and where to plant them.
The Jefferson Heritage Tree Council is hosting the town's inaugural Foliage Fest, a community festival meant to celebrate the town's trees and give Jefferson residents some pointers on how to plant and care for new trees.
The festival, from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Jefferson City Park, will feature performances by four local bluegrass bands, barbecue and answers to all residents' tree-planting and tree-care questions.
"It's late in the season, but we timed to the festival to be within (tree) planting season," said tree council spokeswoman Mary Dugan.
The tree council, which planted more than 120 trees on city property in 2010, is hosting the part hoe-down, part gardening workshop to provide suggestions on which trees do best in Northeast Georgia's climate and how and where to plant them.
Tree Experts Lebow, Buscaino, others make the case for urban tree canopy at Regional Tree and Shade Summit - Phoenix, AZ
Tree experts envision the return of Phoenix's oasis of green
In the early 1900s, the Valley was an oasis of green with lush trees sprouting tall along wide canal banks that crisscrossed Phoenix and its suburbs.
Cottonwoods, among the more common of the area's trees, dug in, drinking water that seeped from the dirt-lined canals.
By the 1950s, as families flocked to the Valley in post-World War II bliss to create a modern community, the oasis withered.
Today, only hints of the area's original vegetation remain. Among them, Murphy Bridle Path, which stretches north along Central Avenue from Bethany Home Road in Phoenix.
In the early 1900s, the Valley was an oasis of green with lush trees sprouting tall along wide canal banks that crisscrossed Phoenix and its suburbs.
Cottonwoods, among the more common of the area's trees, dug in, drinking water that seeped from the dirt-lined canals.
By the 1950s, as families flocked to the Valley in post-World War II bliss to create a modern community, the oasis withered.
Today, only hints of the area's original vegetation remain. Among them, Murphy Bridle Path, which stretches north along Central Avenue from Bethany Home Road in Phoenix.
Arbor Day, Million Trees LA: ecological destruction in the name of Anglo-American agro-imperialism? Los Angeles, CA
Shady Dealings: Or the Problem with Planting Trees in Los Angeles | Commentary | SoCal Focus | KCET
This week California celebrates Arbor Day, a nationwide campaign to spruce up the country by releafing its streets, adding shade overhead, and injecting a little arboreal calm into our busy lives. So it is probably not the best time to take a poke at Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Million Tree Initiative. Then again, there's really not a better moment to examine its unchecked presumption that trees will save us. Can this, should this dry place support all that projected growth?
Launched in 2006 with considerable éclat, the program got a quick rhetorical jump-start: "I am committed to making Los Angeles the largest, cleanest and greenest city in the United States," the new mayor declared shortly after his first election. "Today, only 18.09 percent of Los Angeles is covered with trees. I ask all angelenos to work with me and engage in this effort to grow our canopy cover for the future by planting one million trees today."
This week California celebrates Arbor Day, a nationwide campaign to spruce up the country by releafing its streets, adding shade overhead, and injecting a little arboreal calm into our busy lives. So it is probably not the best time to take a poke at Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Million Tree Initiative. Then again, there's really not a better moment to examine its unchecked presumption that trees will save us. Can this, should this dry place support all that projected growth?
Launched in 2006 with considerable éclat, the program got a quick rhetorical jump-start: "I am committed to making Los Angeles the largest, cleanest and greenest city in the United States," the new mayor declared shortly after his first election. "Today, only 18.09 percent of Los Angeles is covered with trees. I ask all angelenos to work with me and engage in this effort to grow our canopy cover for the future by planting one million trees today."
Sunday, March 6, 2011
City of Montpelier Tree Board to Give Tree Canopy Report on March 10th - Montpelier, VT
City of Montpelier Tree Board to Give Tree Canopy Report
Results of Montpelier’s Urban Tree Canopy Assessment Released on March 10
On March 10 at 7:00 pm in City Hall, the Montpelier Tree Board and the Conservation Commission and will host a presentation of the city’s Urban Tree Canopy Assessment. Performed by the UVM Spatial Analysis Lab, the tree canopy assessment identifies how much area is covered by tree canopy and which areas are available for planting of additional trees.
The presentation will provide an overview of which city zones contain the most tree canopy and which zones could use improvement. Discussions of areas of improvement will be narrowed down to the neighborhood and parcel level.
The presentation will be followed by a discussion about how to translate the results of the assessment into tree planting projects.
Results of Montpelier’s Urban Tree Canopy Assessment Released on March 10
On March 10 at 7:00 pm in City Hall, the Montpelier Tree Board and the Conservation Commission and will host a presentation of the city’s Urban Tree Canopy Assessment. Performed by the UVM Spatial Analysis Lab, the tree canopy assessment identifies how much area is covered by tree canopy and which areas are available for planting of additional trees.
The presentation will provide an overview of which city zones contain the most tree canopy and which zones could use improvement. Discussions of areas of improvement will be narrowed down to the neighborhood and parcel level.
The presentation will be followed by a discussion about how to translate the results of the assessment into tree planting projects.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Urban Natural Resources Institute » March 23rd Webcast Planned – Using UTC in Your Community
Urban Natural Resources Institute » March 23rd Webcast Planned – Using UTC in Your Community
Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) Analysis: Using the Results Effectively in Your Community
Wednesday, March 23, 2011, 11:00 AM (Eastern)
featuring Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne, University of Vermont (UVM) Spatial Analysis Laboratory
Please plan to join us for this upcoming March UNRI Informational Webcast, which will provide an overview of utilizing information and results from an Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) study as a tool in the development of more effective urban forest management in your community. This web session will feature a summary of how UTC data can be used to effectively communicate information on the importance of trees in a community. This web session will be of interest to a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from city planners, urban foresters, arborists, and natural resource practitioners, since it provides technical and strategic information related to improving the urban forest health in a community. Please join us to learn more about this direct application of new tools and technologies in an important and relevant manner.
Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) Analysis: Using the Results Effectively in Your Community
Wednesday, March 23, 2011, 11:00 AM (Eastern)
featuring Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne, University of Vermont (UVM) Spatial Analysis Laboratory
Please plan to join us for this upcoming March UNRI Informational Webcast, which will provide an overview of utilizing information and results from an Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) study as a tool in the development of more effective urban forest management in your community. This web session will feature a summary of how UTC data can be used to effectively communicate information on the importance of trees in a community. This web session will be of interest to a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from city planners, urban foresters, arborists, and natural resource practitioners, since it provides technical and strategic information related to improving the urban forest health in a community. Please join us to learn more about this direct application of new tools and technologies in an important and relevant manner.
Treasuring trees: Arbor Day recognition educates next generation as Maxwell Air Force Base wins 18th consecutive Tree City USA designation - Maxwell Air Force Base, AL
Treasuring trees: Arbor Day recognition educates next generation
Thursday marked National Arbor Day and Maxwell's 18th consecutive annual designation as a Tree City USA.
The Tree City USA designation is awarded by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service. It denotes cities that have made a commitment to urban forestry by having a tree board, a community tree ordinance, a community forestry program with a budget of $2 per person, and an Arbor Day observance or proclamation.
The base was also awarded the Tree City USA Growth Award for increased commitment to its urban forestry program.
During the ceremony held at the Gunter Child Development Center, the center's children were present at the ceremony that included the reading of an Arbor Day proclamation from the 42nd Air Base Wing, a presentation of the Tree City USA award to Vice Commander Col. Christopher Sharpe, a parade and the planting of new trees around the center.
Thursday marked National Arbor Day and Maxwell's 18th consecutive annual designation as a Tree City USA.
The Tree City USA designation is awarded by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service. It denotes cities that have made a commitment to urban forestry by having a tree board, a community tree ordinance, a community forestry program with a budget of $2 per person, and an Arbor Day observance or proclamation.
The base was also awarded the Tree City USA Growth Award for increased commitment to its urban forestry program.
During the ceremony held at the Gunter Child Development Center, the center's children were present at the ceremony that included the reading of an Arbor Day proclamation from the 42nd Air Base Wing, a presentation of the Tree City USA award to Vice Commander Col. Christopher Sharpe, a parade and the planting of new trees around the center.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Study aims to protect Macon's tree canopy - volunteers assist with land cover mapping to identify changes in canopy - Macon, GA
Study aims to protect Macon's tree canopy - Local & State - Macon.com
“Tree canopy is essential and irreplaceable,” said Connie Head, an urban forestry consultant with Technical Forestry Service. “It’s part of a city’s infrastructure. It’s as important as our road networks, fire, police. ... It allows us to breathe and increases the value of an area.”
In 2008, Macon’s tree canopy was 37 percent, down more than 2 percent from measurements in 1991, according to numbers from the University of Georgia Natural Resources Spatial Analysis Laboratory.
Ecologically, 50 percent would be ideal, Head said, but 40 percent should be an absolute minimum for a city Macon’s size.
“It’s up to each community to decide for itself (what the right percentage is),” Head said, which is why she has been commissioned by the city of Macon and the Macon Tree Commission.
In 2001, Bibb County had 49 percent tree canopy coverage, Head said, but due to the development of the area since then, that percentage is expected to be lower this time around. Through the study, she is calculating numbers for Macon and also for all of Bibb County.
“This is coming at a good time because of the potential for consolidation,” Head said. “This is planned to be a sister ordinance, so it’ll be the same for both (Macon and Bibb County).”
Macon’s current tree ordinance addresses only public property and rights of way, Head said.
“This is unique among cities in Georgia of the size of Macon,” she said. “In fact, all cities greater than 30,000 population, except for Macon, regulate tree canopy cover on new developments.”
The project will analyze 85 aerial-view maps of the city and county, representing 2,560 acres each. Most of the maps include nearly 5,000 dots which must be color-coded based on the cover type at that spot on the map. Those conducting the study are measuring five land cover types -- tree canopy, other vegetation, hard or impervious surfaces, bare soil or gravel and water.
“Tree canopy is essential and irreplaceable,” said Connie Head, an urban forestry consultant with Technical Forestry Service. “It’s part of a city’s infrastructure. It’s as important as our road networks, fire, police. ... It allows us to breathe and increases the value of an area.”
In 2008, Macon’s tree canopy was 37 percent, down more than 2 percent from measurements in 1991, according to numbers from the University of Georgia Natural Resources Spatial Analysis Laboratory.
Ecologically, 50 percent would be ideal, Head said, but 40 percent should be an absolute minimum for a city Macon’s size.
“It’s up to each community to decide for itself (what the right percentage is),” Head said, which is why she has been commissioned by the city of Macon and the Macon Tree Commission.
In 2001, Bibb County had 49 percent tree canopy coverage, Head said, but due to the development of the area since then, that percentage is expected to be lower this time around. Through the study, she is calculating numbers for Macon and also for all of Bibb County.
“This is coming at a good time because of the potential for consolidation,” Head said. “This is planned to be a sister ordinance, so it’ll be the same for both (Macon and Bibb County).”
Macon’s current tree ordinance addresses only public property and rights of way, Head said.
“This is unique among cities in Georgia of the size of Macon,” she said. “In fact, all cities greater than 30,000 population, except for Macon, regulate tree canopy cover on new developments.”
The project will analyze 85 aerial-view maps of the city and county, representing 2,560 acres each. Most of the maps include nearly 5,000 dots which must be color-coded based on the cover type at that spot on the map. Those conducting the study are measuring five land cover types -- tree canopy, other vegetation, hard or impervious surfaces, bare soil or gravel and water.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
University of South Carolina named Tree Campus USA for third consecutive year - Spartansburg, SC
USC Upstate News
Spartanburg, S.C. — The Arbor Day Foundation has honored the University of South Carolina Upstate as a 2010 Tree Campus USA University for its dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship.
This is the third consecutive year USC Upstate has been named a Tree Campus USA University. The campus was the first public university in the state to achieve the honor, and is one of four universities in the state to be named a Tree Campus USA.
“The Tree Campus USA program will have a long-lasting impact at the University of South Carolina Upstate as it engages college students and local citizens to plant trees and create healthier communities for people to enjoy for decades to come,” said John Rosenow, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “The university will benefit from exceptional tree-care practices on campus as it works with tree-care professionals in the community to improve the tree canopy in Spartanburg.”
Spartanburg, S.C. — The Arbor Day Foundation has honored the University of South Carolina Upstate as a 2010 Tree Campus USA University for its dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship.
This is the third consecutive year USC Upstate has been named a Tree Campus USA University. The campus was the first public university in the state to achieve the honor, and is one of four universities in the state to be named a Tree Campus USA.
“The Tree Campus USA program will have a long-lasting impact at the University of South Carolina Upstate as it engages college students and local citizens to plant trees and create healthier communities for people to enjoy for decades to come,” said John Rosenow, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “The university will benefit from exceptional tree-care practices on campus as it works with tree-care professionals in the community to improve the tree canopy in Spartanburg.”
Dwarfing of the urban forest for overhead utilities: Removing 30 elm trees will change look and feel of east Vancouver street, residents say - Vancouver, BC
Removing 30 elm trees will change look and feel of east Vancouver street, residents say
Karen Cooper, who lives in the 1800-block of East Sixth, has had a couple of trees in front of her home replaced by smaller trees in recent years. She said replacing 30 will drastically alter the look of the street.
“The trees are gorgeous,” said Cooper, who moved to the area from Toronto three years ago. “The sunlight dapples through them. Right now, we have a beautiful, unified tree canopy. The incremental approach to taking down some of the trees has resulted in different trees — short, squat, trees. They’re ornamental, tiny trees. You don’t get the street canopy.”
Karen Cooper, who lives in the 1800-block of East Sixth, has had a couple of trees in front of her home replaced by smaller trees in recent years. She said replacing 30 will drastically alter the look of the street.
“The trees are gorgeous,” said Cooper, who moved to the area from Toronto three years ago. “The sunlight dapples through them. Right now, we have a beautiful, unified tree canopy. The incremental approach to taking down some of the trees has resulted in different trees — short, squat, trees. They’re ornamental, tiny trees. You don’t get the street canopy.”
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Seattle tree preservation measure put off for a year so officials can "get it right" -Seattle, WA.
Seattle tree preservation measure put off for a year
Seattle City Council members will likely start working on a new tree-preservation ordinance next year - a year later than previously expected - to adequately cover legal and political issues.
"I really want us to take our time, to make sure we get this one right," Council President Richard Conlin said Tuesday during a committee session.
There'd been some expectation that the Council would consider a stronger and more detailed ordinance this year, to replace one enacted in 2009. The original ordinance, labeled an "interim" law, limits the cutting of trees on individual lots and requires protection of trees considered "exceptional" in size and type. It also allows some variations in building setbacks to avoid cutting trees.
At the same time, the interim ordinance does allow tree cutting if keeping it on a property would keep a new project from meeting its potential. The city's Department of Planning and Development has not come up with a tree-cutting permit system as it was directed to do. It has said it didn't think a permit system would work.
Seattle City Council members will likely start working on a new tree-preservation ordinance next year - a year later than previously expected - to adequately cover legal and political issues.
"I really want us to take our time, to make sure we get this one right," Council President Richard Conlin said Tuesday during a committee session.
There'd been some expectation that the Council would consider a stronger and more detailed ordinance this year, to replace one enacted in 2009. The original ordinance, labeled an "interim" law, limits the cutting of trees on individual lots and requires protection of trees considered "exceptional" in size and type. It also allows some variations in building setbacks to avoid cutting trees.
At the same time, the interim ordinance does allow tree cutting if keeping it on a property would keep a new project from meeting its potential. The city's Department of Planning and Development has not come up with a tree-cutting permit system as it was directed to do. It has said it didn't think a permit system would work.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Tree pollen starting to spike - Washington, DC.
WashingtonPost
It's been a while since we've had to think about pollen. But it's that time again.
Writes microbiologist Susan Kosisky in Walter Reed Army Medical Center's Daily Pollen Report: If anyone has been sneezing and sniffing of late...there is good cause. Before the rain yesterday and probably due to the warmer weather on Sunday, we had a large amount of cedar/cyp/juniper pollen in the air. Not so much this morning with the cooler temperatures.... The tree count is HIGH at 567.41 gr/cubic meter with cedar/cyp/jun pollen comprising 539.94 grains/cubic meter of the total count. Alder, birch, elm, maple and pine were also observed. It is not unusual for cedar/cyp/jun pollen to been seen in such high amounts during the latter part of February-early March. In 2002, February 20th had a count for cedar of 905.87 grains/cubic meter. Highest daily count for cedar in early March was 1334 grains/cubic meter on March 7, 2005.
It's been a while since we've had to think about pollen. But it's that time again.
Writes microbiologist Susan Kosisky in Walter Reed Army Medical Center's Daily Pollen Report: If anyone has been sneezing and sniffing of late...there is good cause. Before the rain yesterday and probably due to the warmer weather on Sunday, we had a large amount of cedar/cyp/juniper pollen in the air. Not so much this morning with the cooler temperatures.... The tree count is HIGH at 567.41 gr/cubic meter with cedar/cyp/jun pollen comprising 539.94 grains/cubic meter of the total count. Alder, birch, elm, maple and pine were also observed. It is not unusual for cedar/cyp/jun pollen to been seen in such high amounts during the latter part of February-early March. In 2002, February 20th had a count for cedar of 905.87 grains/cubic meter. Highest daily count for cedar in early March was 1334 grains/cubic meter on March 7, 2005.
The Daily Gripe: NW resident persists in getting danger tree cut - Washington, DC
The Daily Gripe - NW resident persists in getting danger tree cut
The good news is that Pepco and DDOT don't go around cutting trees down all willy-nilly. The bad news is that it took about six months for them to come cut down an ivy-covered poplar tree that the Daily Gripe reported was in danger of touching a power line after a spate of summer storms. The trunk of the tree was growing between two power lines in the 7900 block of Orchid Street.
Griper Richard Bellin followed up with us to say that his "persistence, perseverance, and just plain ornery stubbornness" paid off after contacting John Thomas at the District Department of Transportation in November and subsequently coordinating with Pepco.
Bellin said that Thomas assured him that the tree was healthy but sent two men to inspect it to "placate" him.
The good news is that Pepco and DDOT don't go around cutting trees down all willy-nilly. The bad news is that it took about six months for them to come cut down an ivy-covered poplar tree that the Daily Gripe reported was in danger of touching a power line after a spate of summer storms. The trunk of the tree was growing between two power lines in the 7900 block of Orchid Street.
Griper Richard Bellin followed up with us to say that his "persistence, perseverance, and just plain ornery stubbornness" paid off after contacting John Thomas at the District Department of Transportation in November and subsequently coordinating with Pepco.
Bellin said that Thomas assured him that the tree was healthy but sent two men to inspect it to "placate" him.
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