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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marrickville Council gives the following as reasons for removal:

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

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

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

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

City tree canopy to spread - Hagerstown, MD

Maryland: Hagerstown City Council briefs

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

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

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

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


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


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

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

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

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

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

Safeway Apologizes for Gingko Massacre

Courtesy of WashingtonCityPaper.com

Safeway Apologizes for Gingko Massacre

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