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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Preparing for a Natural Disaster

In 2011, the south was struck with terrible tornadoes that wreaked havoc across many states.  There were 244 confirmed tornadoes between April 25-28 with 340 confirmed fatalities which occurred just from 8 a.m. April 27 to 8 a.m. April 28.  Many homes and businesses were also damaged in the storms.  In the aftermath, people are wondering how to better prepare for storms which may be seen throughout hurricane season.  For Fred Borman, a forester for Rockingham County’s University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, the answer was to create a “what-if” scenario.

As the final project in his homeland security class, Borman decided a plan should be created for a major natural disaster.  He took an inventory of a small sample of trees within the city’s rights of way and within 50 feet of the rights of way on private property.  He found that if a devastating storm were to hit Portsmouth, 33,000 trees could fall into the city’s rights of way, creating over 35,000 cubic yards of debris.   It would take 8,600 hours to clean up and would cost $1.3 million not including the private property.

To help the city, Borman create a manual which includes the inventory data, recommendations for maintaining the health of Portsmouth’s tree resources, FEMA guidelines for applying for federal assistance and debris management, and resources developed by other communities that suffered tree damage from major storms.  He hopes this will give a better understanding of what the affects of a storm could be and how lives can be saved by knowing these details.

Read the full story.

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Invading Pests Target Georgia Trees

Emerald ash borer

Emerald ash borer trap

The Georgia Forestry Commission is launching a major offensive against two destructive pests that have the potential to decimate significant portions of our state’s healthy forestland. Custom traps are being hung throughout the state to detect and respond to possible incoming infestations of emerald ash borers and gypsy moths.

“Emerald ash borers have been found as close as 55 miles from the north Georgia border in Tennessee,” said Chip Bates, forest health coordinator with the Georgia Forestry Commission. “Since the late 1990’s, these tiny insects have been spreading through 15 states from Michigansoutheastward and they’ve caused tree mortality in the billions of dollars. They are a serious threat to Georgia’s beautiful forests.”

The Georgia Forestry Commission is working with several partners to hang some 800 special, purple traps statewide to aid in early detection and rapid response to any emerald ash borer activity. The cooperative effort includes the Georgia Department of Agriculture, the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Trees Atlanta and U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Plant Health Inspection Service. The small, green insects are drawn to the traps because they contain a beetle pheromone and an ash tree scent. Emerald ash borers are capable of killing an ash tree in as few as two years and they are transported primarily by humans, who inadvertently move them on firewood or on vehicles. For this reason, Bates said traps are being positioned near major transportation corridors, including Interstates 75, 85 and 95. They are also being hung in state and federal parks, campgrounds and metro Atlanta, among other locations statewide.

Special, smaller traps are also being hung to capture gypsy moths, another destructive pest that targets hardwood trees, especially oaks. During epidemic population levels, entire forests can be stripped of their leaves, and several years of defoliation can lead to tree mortality. Trees stressed by environmental factors such as drought can be particularly hard hit by defoliation. Past outbreaks in White, Fannin and Rockdale Counties were successfully eradicated and while there are no known infestations currently in Georgia, the threat is always present.

“The impact of emerald ash borer or gypsy moth infestations would be felt by everyone in Georgia,” said Bates. “Homeowners, timber growers and wildlife managers would not only face huge expenses for removing diseased trees, but the visual fallout can be truly shocking. We can all help by never transporting firewood from the wood’s origin and by washing down any vehicle that’s traveling from a potentially infested area.”

Information about the emerald ash borer and gypsy moth, including photographs and detailed detection information, can be found at gatrees.org or your local office of the Georgia Forestry Commission.

# # #

State Sets out detectors for tree-killing critters – Atlanta Journal-Constituion

Plan targets beetle invasion in Georgia – WSB TV

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Trees in the Changing Climate

As the earth continues to warm, many are left wondering whether or not the trees will be able to handle the changing climate.  Trees will be forced to handle higher temperatures, increased carbon dioxide, and more intense storms.

Higher temperatures will stress the trees, so they need to be planted nearer the northern end of their temperature range.  CO₂ levels will cause the trees to grow more quickly, which is a benefit, but rising ozone levels will damage them.  The storms will be more damaging due to rising temperatures and increased water.

Trees also provide benefits for urban areas, as they lower temperatures and mitigate the heat island effect.  Lower temperatures leads to lower ozone levels.  Some trees, however, emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which, when combined with nitrogen oxide emitted from cars, creates ozone.  The key to ozone cleanup is to plant trees for their cooling effects, but to choose those which emit the least amount of VOCs, such as ashes, box elder, ginko, maples, elms, and red buds.

Read the full article in Shade.

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Did You Know?

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Trees absorb and trap pollutants from the air.  In one year, one acre of trees produces enough oxygen for 18 people to breathe every day and absorbs as much carbon dioxide as is emitted by driving 26,000 miles.  Studies have shown Atlanta’s current tree cover saves the city more than $15 million per year in pollution control.
–Trees Atlanta

Studies have shown 60% of Atlanta’s natural tree cover has been removed over the last 20 years, and metro Atlanta lost trees at a rate of 50 acres a day between 1991 and 2005. In metro Atlanta, for every one acre of tree canopy lost, one acre of impervious surface was gained in the 16-county Atlanta metro region between 1991 and 2005 (Kramer, NARSAL, UGA 2005). 

23 million acres of Georgia’s total 37 million acres are covered in forest.  That means two-thirds of the state is forested.  These forests provide numerous benefits for the state’s environment, including improved air and water quality.
–Georgia Forestry Commission

In the Atlanta area, a 20% loss of forest due to urbanization has led to a 14% increase in ozone concentrations.
–David Novak, Ph.D., USDA Forest Service Project Leader, Northeastern Research Station

An average Atlanta household spends hundreds of dollars annually on air conditioning.  Strategically placed shade trees can cut cooling bills in half.
–David Novak, Ph.D., USDA Forest Service Project Leader, Northeastern Research Station

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Branching Out with 2011 ISA True Professional Tim Womick

Tim Womick will be visiting Georgia in February to celebrate Georgia’s Arbor Day. Here’s an article about Tim from the International Society of Arboriculture’s (ISA) Planting Seeds newsletter:

Planting Seeds pulled over Tim Womick near Asheboro, N.C., after a busy past few months post-ISA True Professional recognition. This self-employed state forestry contractor’s adventures include: biking and planting trees, visiting John Muir’s home in California, stopping off at the farm of plant breeder Luther Burbank in Santa Rosa, and climbing 120 feet up a Redwood tree.In our continuing series of interviews with ISA True Professionals, Tim Womick offers this reflection: Has the honor of ISA True Professional changed the way people look at you? It is not uncommon when people introduce me as a True Professional for the audience to applaud. It happens because people respect the ISA and the weight of this achievement. Professionally, it is certainly facilitating me more as a main-stream notion. There is value to this sort of outreach for the public at large and to non-traditional tree advocates. What are you most proud of as an ISA member? In November, I was in Orlando at the Partners in Community Forestry Conference where the Arbor Day folk asked what I would do at their event next year in Sacramento. I told them I would be focusing on ISA’s “Best Practices” and tree climbing. I am honored to do something to bring the ISA to a national level with these front-line urban forestry players. These people are responsible for America’s community trees and it’s important that standard of ISA practices are incorporated. Share with us your concerns about tree care at The White House. I was four-years old during my first visit to D.C. and I knew even at that age it was a very special place. Since my days with the National Tree Trust, I pretty much got to know the city from end to end. The White House trees always attracted me because of their inaccessibility. A California congressman’s office recently supplied tickets to attend a White House Garden Tour. I knew Presidents planted trees there and I wanted to see them. The South Lawn is gorgeous, like a fine-manicured golf fairway. Unfortunately, there are mature trees with grass surrounding their bark, lacking the benefit of proper mulching. It’s seemingly attractive, but it was recognizably not an arboriculture best practice. We have several projects designed for there; not only mulching, but a seed collection initiative as well. We also think every First Family should experience the trees at their home from the crown, saddled in and climbing up ropes like arborists. Who knows where it could go from there? Best advice for arborists and tree care experts to improve their image? Be articulate and precise when speaking. It’s all about communication. Stand up straight. Work on it. Communication is not taught in arboriculture, but it’s vital in any business relationship.You don’t have to say a lot, but just say it well. The value of a few words is important. What’s next on the agenda for Tim Womick? We’ve secured funding to generate an illustrated ISA pruning and maintenance card for translation to Haitian Creole. To that end, we’ll partner with Miami-based Operation Green Leaves for community outreach, which will include an ISA Arborist Workshop in Little Haiti. I’ll also continue working on education and planting of fruit trees in elementary through high school, and I have hopes of securing an ISA grant to pay for an ISA Arborist evaluation of Port au Prince, Haiti, for rebuilding infrastructure there.

Sonia Garth sgarth@isa-arbor.com, 217.355.9411 ext. 217

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Huge East Point oaks a tough fight for preservationists

By Steve Visser, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Connally oaks finally may get the showcase that many of their fans say they deserve.

The stand of old trees, surrounded by other species in a nearly 30-acre urban forest in the heart of East Point, usually goes unnoticed. Currently not even an identification sign exists.

But for the tree community, the oaks represent one of toughest preservation fights in metro Atlanta arbor history. One of the trees is recognized by Trees Atlanta as the largest white oak inside I-285. But it’s the number of large oaks that make the stand unusual.

“They were huge trees and I was enamored,” said Greg Levine, chief program officer for Trees Atlanta, about his first visit to the site 12 years ago. “I would go down the trail and I would see one after another and I was mesmerized.”

Read more and view the pictures: http://www.ajc.com/news/huge-east-point-oaks-1258762.html

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Teaching Consumers the Value of ISA Certified Tree Care Professionals

This article comes from a California homeowner’s perspective, but Georgia homeowners should ask similar questions and ask to see the Certified Arborist‘s credentials. From the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA): As ISA Arborists regularly exchange conversation on business websites like LinkedIn and LISTSERV, the issue foremost on their minds concerns arborists/companies competing with those flying “under the radar.” Verna Mumby of Mumby’s Arboriculture Consulting in Comox, British Columbia, was a 2011 finalist in the ISA True Professionals of Arboriculture program. She says the general public does not know the training, knowledge, and ethical standards required of ISA Certified Arborists and therefore cannot understand the higher value of their work versus that of non-certified tree workers. A tree risk assessment she once conducted for a small community recreation area concluded that the work should be performed by an ISA Certified Arborist. The volunteer board failed to take her advice. “They did not get an estimate from a qualified person since they had a logger on the board who would do the work,” said Mumby. “The work completed by the logger left the trees more hazardous than before. His bill was three times more than he estimated. I explained to the board that if they would have hired a Certified Arborist to do the work, they would have saved money and the trees would have been properly worked on.” To help consumers differentiate Certified from non-certified arborists, Mumby teaches consumers to select qualified, Certified Arborists by asking these questions: Name a handful of common tree species growing in our area and name two of them in Latin. Is the use of spurs okay for the trees? Name one disease that is common to fruit trees in our area? Is topping okay for the tree? Mumby provides the correct answers so consumers are aware that some businesses will answer “Yes” to spurring and topping trees just to get the job, even if it’s against accepted best practices. Mumby uses her website, www.thetreelady.ca, and ISA resources for her arborist educational campaign. For more information, visit the TreesAreGood website and look for more suggestions to help consumers hire qualified, Certified Arborists, maintain healthy trees, and save money.

Sonia Garth sgarth@isa-arbor.com, 217.355.9411 ext. 217

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Tree Maintenance Training for Local Governments in Georgia

Healthy Community Trees in one of Georgia's Tree City USA Communities

Healthy trees provide multiple economic, environmental and social benefits for communities. For a great price, your City Staff and Tree Board members can get essential basic tree care and maintenance  training needed to care for your community trees. Make a small investment now for a big return on the benefits healthy trees provide to citizens and future generations. Workshops are from 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The $65 registration fee includes lunch and materials. This workshop is presented by the Georgia Urban Forest Council and sponsored by the Georgia Forestry Commission and is open to the public. 

• March 8, City Hall, 465 Riley Road, Dahlonega, Georgia 30533
• March 10 , City Hall, 110 W. Clarke Street, Oxford, Georgia 30054
• April 7, City Hall, 310 Bedell Avenue, Woodbine, Georgia

ISA CEUs are available: 5 Arborist, 5 Municipal, 1.25 BCMA Science, 3.25 BCMA Practice, .50 BCMA Management, 5 TW Climber Specialist.  Foresters will receive 4.0 SAF Category 1 CFE credits. 1 Commercial Pesticide Credit, per cat 23 & 24.   Certificate of attendance will be provided for all. 

This information-packed workshop will cover:

• tree biology
• the life cycle of a tree
• tree identification
• species, tree, and site selection
• transport and handling
• site preparation
• planting techniques
• mulching techniques
• after-planting maintenance
• tree pruning
• tree protection
• evaluating a tree’s condition
• standards and best management practices
• resources
• field demonstrations, and more. 

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