Spring has finally sprung…but what now? The peepers are croaking, crocuses are breaking through, the signs are here; Spring has finally arrived! We are all feeling ready for sunshine and warm weather, and so is your landscape. But just like us, plants and trees may need a little help to recover from the brutal winter…
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One day, brothers Zeb and Ted Esselstyn had an epiphany of sorts. It occurred to them that every year, hundreds of historic Connecticut trees were meeting an unceremonious end. After being removed or failing due to old age or weather, these trees were being chipped, turned into mulch, or deposited in anonymous landfills. Seeing…
DetailsThanks to all those that attended today’s webinar on managing trees during construction. We talked about different reasons for managing trees during construction; we discussed the American National Standard for tree management during construction (ANSI A300 Part 5); and we reviewed some of the provisions of ANSI A300 Part 5. A key point is the…
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We’ve all been there. You get to the checkout line at your local grocery store and you’re asked the question. Paper or plastic? While one option seems to provide an obvious environmental benefit, the best possible answer might be “neither.” It’s no secret that plastic shopping bags are bad for our environment, but you may…
DetailsDid you know that there are competitions for tree climbers? The International Society of Arboriculture has chapters all over the world. Those chapters hold tree climbing competitions where arborists compete to be the top climber in their chapter, and chapter competitors compete for the international crown. Today I attended the Mid-Atlantic Chapter, International Society of…
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More people than ever before are living in cities. In fact, the Earth Institute at Columbia University claims that, for the first time ever, half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. While this presents a number of challenges in terms of infrastructure and support, the question we ask is, what about the city…
DetailsI had a great day today spending some time with Dr. Jason Grabosky’s (Rutgers) ecology class on a field tour in Washington, DC. Our first stop was a visit with entomologist Dr. Mike Raupp (University of Maryland) who talked to us about the importance of biodiversity and the need to maintain all trophic levels in…
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Last week, the Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition celebrated 10 years of working to: Increase tangible support for urban forests on a national, regional and local level; Educate diverse audiences about the value and need for healthy trees in cities; and Network and leverage resources and knowledge among a growing community of organizations promoting healthier, more vibrant cities. Members…
DetailsToday Dr. Lara Roman from the USFS Philadelphia Urban Field Station visited TreeBaltimore to share her research on urban tree mortality. Dr. Roman has performed meta-analysis on a variety of studies on urban tree mortality. The findings? Well, we learned a great deal, but the bottom line is, like with people, we need to invest…
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During a visit to a greenhouse, dark angular leaf spots were observed on two coleus cultivars. Necrotic spotting was more pronounced on the lower foliage than the upper foliage. (The necrotic spots were confined between the secondary veins, which gave them a blocky appearance, but in the case of these Hosta, were confined between the…
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