Sustainability and Management of the Urban Forest

Agnes Scott College, Tree Campus USA

The Urban Forest Sustainability & Management Audit System was designed by the US Forest Service to provide a framework for comprehensively evaluating urban forest management programs.

A checklist and spreadsheet tool were developed to:

• engage Tree Board members and city management in policy, capacity and training, funding and accounting, authority, inventories, management plans, risk, disaster planning, standards and community,
• provide program direction that increases the level of urban forest management,
• conduct an analysis of management practices and the health of green assets (soil, trees) by walking the walk,
• increase the health of the green assets managed by the program, and
  optimize this management for identified ecosystem services (i.e. reach an acceptable benefit: cost ratio).

This audit system (the checklist and the process) can be used for municipal or county urban forest management programs, or to evaluate college or corporate campus programs. The system is particularly suited for participants in Arbor Day Foundation programs such as Tree Campus USA®, Tree City USA® or Tree Line USA®.

Agnes Scott College was the first school to adopt the Urban Forest Audit framework and has had success with building urban forestry program capacity. Agnes Scott College student, Claudia Mitchell says, “The audit has helped us hold ourselves accountable for the promises we make on paper to our trees.”

Contact the Georgia Forestry Commission for assistance in conducting an Urban Forestry Audit in your community.

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Sept. 17 – College Canopy Conference with the Georgia Urban Forest Council

Responsible for trees on a college campus? Don’t miss this year’s college canopy conference, September 17, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., on the beautiful Berry College Campus in the Krannert Center.

Both technical and administrative tracks make up this year’s conference: Why Trees Fall Down; Critical Root Zones on Construction Sites; Pests and Diseases plus Management Plans, iTree for Tree Inventories, and Trees and Sustainability Plans.

This conference is for physical plant managers, landscape directors and crews, arborists, college administrators and anyone responsible for the healthy urban forests of college campuses. See agenda here. Great opportunity for networking with your colleagues from colleges and universities, public and private, across Georgia. For directions, click here. See map of Berry College here.

Berry College
2277 Martha Berry Highway, NW
Mt. Berry, Georgia 30149 (Rome)

4.5 ISA Certified Arborist and Municipal Specialist CEUs will be available. Up to 5.5 SAF Continuing Forestry Education hours. Certificate of Attendance available for landscape architects and others. Lunch included.

Registration fee: $50
Register here.

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Trees and Construction: The Critical Root Zone

During construction, tree conservation efforts require that a large portion of the tree’s root system, the critical root zone (CRZ), be protected for all trees to survive. During construction, consider removing trees that have sustained CRZ loss in excess of 30%. Tree species, health, structure, soil type, vegetation competition, proximity to structures, future planned impacts, and planned maintenance all contribute to the determination of which trees should be removed and how remaining trees can be protected.

Trees may not die immediately, but could decline over several years. With this delay in symptom development, you may not associate the loss of the tree with construction.

The Georgia Forestry Commission has a new publication on calculating the CRZ of a tree, “Where are My Trees’ Roots?”

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Woodbine Tree Board’s 8th Annual Tree Care Seminar Success

Today we are featuring the City of Woodbine, Georgia.

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By Mark McClellan, Georgia Forestry Commission, and Beth McGowan, Woodbine Tree Board

The City of Woodbine became a Tree City USA in 2004. It was through the desire to be designated a Tree City USA that the tree board members joined together and began their journey. The board consists of five official members, 2 ex-officio members, 1 coordinator, and several honorary members.  Everyone who participates on the tree board contributes to its success.

In 2005, the tree board began to host a small workshop to provide education for local tree care professionals and the program has grown continually since. This year, the 8^th Annual Tree Care Seminar was sponsored by Nalley Honda of Brunswick. Attendance was at a record high with 68 registered participants. A panel of professional speakers from the Georgia Forestry Commission, University of Georgia, EDKO LLC, University of Florida, and Bartlett Tree Experts presented a wide variety of topics including construction damage to trees, forest health, use of growth regulators in trees, updates on pesticide applications and proper pruning practices. Participants from multiple states were able to obtain International Society of Arboriculture,  pesticide and Continuing Forestry Education (CFE) credits.

As a result of these annual training programs, the tree board has strengthened its partnerships with Georgia Power, Okefenokee Rural Electric Municipal Corporation (OREMC) and Georgia Forestry Commission. OREMC helped with some major pruning of mature live oak canopy at the Riverwalk, and Georgia Power assisted on several occasions with larger tree plantings.  Both OREMC and Georgia Power also sponsored the Tree Care Seminars.

A special thanks goes to Jerry Holcomb who helped set up the Woodbine Tree Board, on which he still serves, and guided Woodbine through Tree City USA designation in 2003. Each year Jerry’s passion for providing a quality Tree Care Seminar has built a very talented speaker panel that provides the ability to offer a multitude of CFE credits.

And many, many thanks to all those professionals who give of their time and talents to join the Annual Tree Care Seminar speaker panel – you all are the heart of our program and we greatly appreciate you all!

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If your Georgia Tree Board would like to be featured on the Georgia Forestry Commission Sustainable Community Forestry Program blog, please contact Susan Granbery.

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Calling All Tree Board Members!

Join the Georgia Urban Forest Council and Georgia Forestry Commission for some basic tree care instruction, a luncheon honoring Georgia’s Tree City USAs, and “Urban Forestry Jeopardy!”.

Meet us at the Georgia Forestry Commission headquarters, 5645 Riggins Mill Road, Dry Branch (Macon) on Wednesday, February 13, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for learning, lunching, and fun, as GUFC presents an event to get you ready for your own Georgia Arbor Day activities.

Featured Speakers and Topics: the Certified arborists from ARBORology, Connie Head and Gretchen Musser on tree planting, mulching, watering, and pruning; Athens-Clarke County community forester Andrew Saunders on Staking trees properly; and Beryl Budd, newly retired from the Georgia Forestry Commission on inspecting and evaluating existing trees. Also featured: a luncheon where we’ll honor Tree City USAs in attendance, and a game of “Urban Forestry Jeopardy!” with first, second, and third place team prizes.

Join your friends and colleagues for this great day of food, learning, and fun!  3 ISA CEUs.  1.5, Cat. 1 and 1.0, Cat. 2 SAF CFEs. Professional Development Certificates available for all.

Registration: $40 for GUFC members and representatives/tree board members from Tree City USAs in Georgia.  $50 for non-members.  $10 discount per ticket for groups of three or more GA Tree City USA reps/tree boards members.

Questions? E-mail marylynne@gufc.org.

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Trees and Municipal Infrastructure – Free Webinar

Join Davey Resource Group and the American Public Works Association online for Trees & Municipal Infrastructure – Creating a Sustainable Alliance Sept. 13, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Eastern)

This Click, Listen, and Learn webinar, featuring DRG experts Jenny Gulick and Skip Kincaid, and Gene Hyde, City Forester for Chattanooga, Tenn., will provide valuable and practical insight for protecting trees during your next public construction project. You’ll discover tried-and-true and new methods to protect trees during road, utility and building improvement projects, as well as corrective measures to minimize tree decline and loss after construction. Additionally, APWA will debut their newest pocket guide on this subject. For APWA members, this webinar is FREE. Click here for details or to reserve your spot. Or contact us at skip.kincaid@davey.com or jenny.gulick@davey.com.

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Buried Alive: The Problem of Planting Trees Too Deeply

Visit page 8 of the Georgia Urban Forest Council‘s TreeTalks Newsletter for a recent article by Daniel Westcot of the Georgia Forestry Commission for information on planting trees at the correct depth to help ensure survivability. http://www.gufc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Tree-Talks-Final.pdf

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GUFC’s 21st Annual Conference and Awards Program

The Georgia Urban Forest Council’s Annual Conference will take place in Madison next week. The conference focuses on trees and storm recovery, insurance issues, arboricultural lawsuits, lightning and tree damage, forest pests, risk management plans, Urban Forest Strike Teams and more.

Managing the Fear Factor:  Trees, Pests, Storms, & the Law

Date:  November 2 and 3

Location:  The James Madison Conference Center, 240 West Washington Street, Madison, GA  30650

Prepare for those unforeseen challenges of the urban forest.  Dr. Kim Coder, Professor of Community Forestry and Forest Health at the University of Georgia, will present “The Mechanics of Catastrophe:  Why Trees Fall Down” and “Zapped! Lightning and Tree Damage.” Attorney/Arborist Randall Stamen will lead us through “Understanding and Preventing Arboriculture Lawsuits,”  discussing the most common and most recent lawsuits and statutes which concern trees, arborists, public entities and property owners. Mr. Stamen will discuss the facts of each lawsuit, applicable statutes and court decisions, and how each lawsuit could have been prevented. Easy and inexpensive risk management steps will be discussed so that the audience may decrease the chances of being involved in costly and time consuming lawsuits.

In other sessions, attendees will learn about trees and insurance, lightning and tree damage, forest pests, risk management plans, and how communities recover from storms.  Also scheduled:  a guided trees/plantings tour of Round Bowl Spring Park, The Excellent in Urban Forestry Awards Luncheon, and an evening reception at Town Park.  Learn more about the full agenda and lodging options and register for this conference, held in charming Madison, Georgia, voted #1 Small Town in America” by Travel Holiday Magazine. 

Registration is $99.

8 Arborist and 7 Forestry CEUs.  Professional Development Certificates for all.

Interested in the annual conference bike ride?  E-mail neil@gufc.org.

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Wind Damaged Trees Pose Danger

Use extreme caution when clearing tree debris during this post-storm period. Large limbs that are broken or hanging are dangerous hazards, and homeowners are urged to contact a Certified Arborist for post-storm clean-up. It’s tempting to get out and start cleaning up the mess yourself. But heavy, broken tree limbs can be very dangerous, and their removal is best left to the professionals. Overhead work can be hazardous, especially if a chain saw is needed to complete the job. Only minor tree debris should be cleared by a homeowner.

Homeowners need to beware of drive-by tree services and price gouging in the aftermath of the storm.  Hire a certified arborist with proof of insurance. Professional arborists are trained to assess wind and rain damage and can help determine the trees’ survivability.

Trees and Storm Safety Information

More information for Homeowners – The Homeowner’s Role in Maintaining the Urban Forest

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Tree Climbing: A Sport and A Career!

Tree Climbing! Across the country, professional tree climbers are in demand to care for large trees that line our community, front yards, parks, golf courses, utility lines and greenspaces. Professional tree climbers make their way through trees with athleticism, grace, care and safety in mind.

National Tree Climbing Championship, Forsyth Park

National Tree Climbing Championship, Forsyth Park

The North American Tree Climbing Competition was recently held in Forsyth Park, Savannah, Georgia. For more information on these competitions, visit the International Society of Arboriculture.

Want to give it a try? Kids and adults alike can experience recreational tree climbing with the help of a professional like Georgia Urban Forest Council Board Member, Adrien Sasine, featured in this video by Georgia State.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4p0Whf1m8k

Downey Trees of Atlanta, GA and Destin, FL is looking to fill several tree climbing positions. They are looking for career-minded individuals who posses a clean Georgia drivers license, are drug free and hopefully have some experience in tree care. All positions will be full-time with the opportunity to make overtime most weeks. Downey Trees provides company insurance including health, dental and life insurance, top pay for qualified candidates, paid holidays and sick days, as well as paid vacations, and has top trainers in the tree care business that will train candidates on-the-clock. Call or email me with any questions: Rusty Lee, VP Tree Care Operations, rlee.downeytrees@hotmail.com  Cell # 678.410.7785, Office# 770.889.2822 

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