The term “hardwood” refers to trees, usually flowering trees and shrubs, which produce dense heavy wood due to their thick-walled, densely packed fiber cells and abundance of tracheids and vessel elements (water conducting tissue). Hardwoods can be further categorized depending on their density into groups such as “medium heavy”, “heavy”, “very heavy” and “ironwood” for…
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The 600 acres of crop and forest land in close proximity to the Penn State University campus is interlaced with irrigation pipes carrying and discharging over 500 million gallons per year of primarily treated wastewater. This “living filter” system was developed and constructed in the 1960s and provides a unique opportunity for university scientists to…
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The term “living fossil” was coined by Charles Darwin to describe plants still surviving today that were known to be thriving millions of years ago. Primitive spore and seed-bearing plants which flourished in the ages of the dinosaurs are still found on earth today. When dinosaurs roamed the planet, 65-225 million years ago, was a…
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While this may not seem like an argument, suspend disbelief for one second and indulge me, do you actually know the difference between fruits and vegetables? This may seem subjective, but that is probably because you are thinking about it in terms of what you eat and not botanically. So, gardeners and chefs may define…
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The tradition of placing a live tree on the White House lawn in celebration of Christmas was started in 1964 by then Speaker of the House, U.S. Representative, John W. McCormack (D-MA). At that time, the tree was actually planted in its place, it lived for approximately 3 years before succumbing to damage from wind and…
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As the birthplace of Arbor Day, with a flagship Tree USA campus, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is has a reputation to protect and they do so by making a serious commitment to protecting the environment. This is why one of the seniors in their landscape architecture program initiated a campus-wide policy for replacing trees when it…
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During the first frost, berries that remain on the tree will ferment producing alcohol held within the sweet fruits. When birds feed on fermented winter berries they can become intoxicated. And recent research indicates they may be getting more drunk than first thought. While most birds may get slightly tipsy from ingesting fermented berries and…
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The quaking or trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) is one of the most widely distributed tree species in North America. Its range extends from New England through the lakes states to the Rocky Mountains and throughout much of Canada, however they are susceptible to tree diseases, pathogens and pests across their range. Although the pathogens that cause…
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The black turpentine beetles (Dendroctonus terebrans) is the largest pine beetle native to the U.S.. And while turpentine beetles are certainly tree pests, they are often considered secondary pests due to the fact that their ideal target is freshly cut pine stumps, stressed or weakened trees. Drought or fire stress, disease, previous pest infestation or storm damage…
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White pine (Pinus strobus) is a critical member of eastern forests, ecologically and economically. There are currently 3 tree diseases threatening the health and sustainability of white pine co-dominant forest systems. The first affliction facing white pines is white pine blister rust (WPBR); introduced in the 1900s this disease continues to seriously threaten forest and…
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