The diversity of birds that breed, winter or migrate through the northeast is tremendous, somewhere around 400 species. Landscaping specifically to attract birds to your property is an interesting and fast-growing trend that provides a healthy landscape, habitat and forage for many species of birds and a diversity of flowers, fruits and greenery that have aesthetic…
With an increasingly growing urban population and urban sprawl, maintaining the natural resources in these communities becomes critically important. The urban population has ballooned from 28% in 1910 to 80% in 2000 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2002) and with it the need for natural resources management to ensure sustainable development, enhance the quality of life and…
As part of the observance of Veteran’s Day the USDA and Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) announced that they will be funding job and training opportunities this year for over 300 veterans and youths to go to work improving our nation’s natural and historic resources. This effort is a show of continuing support of…
The time of year is fast-approaching when many will begin bringing greenery inside to decorate for the season. There are many beautiful and fragrant choices, some last longer once harvested and some may be messier than others. The balsam fir, Abies balsamea, is a gorgeous, aromatic quintessential green conical Christmas tree option. However, almost all…
Decorating indoors with plants and greenery during the winter is one of the oldest traditions in the world and has been a part of celebrating winter festivals since ancient times. Citizens in the southern U.S. states have been using fresh greenery to decorate for the holidays since colonization, while it is newer come to the…
On November 15th the U.S. celebrates America Recycles Day, a nationally recognized event dedicated to promotion and awareness of recycling. The average American produces 4.4 lbs of trash per day, and the United States as a country produces 250 million tons of trash per year. Technological advancements in production and recycling methods have allowed more…
Our paper “It’s Not Easy Going Green: Obstacles to Tree- Planting Programs in East Baltimore” has just been published in the journal Cities and the Environment (CATE). In 2006, government officials in Baltimore announced plans to double the city’s tree canopy over the next thirty years. While the effort has already produced positive results, many…
With the highest, concentrated populations living along coastlines it is important that our landscape plants be tolerant of higher soil salinity, salt spray and drift. A major component of salt is concentrated sodium, which is damaging to plant tissue, both foliage and roots. Very high salinity levels can stunt plant growth, even killing some plants. If excessive…
This week my colleague Dexter Locke and I had the opportunity to present at the DE / MD APA 2014 Regional Planning Conference. We presented on the suite of urban tree canopy tools available to planners. While many tree canopy goal efforts have focused disproportionately on tree planting, strategies for all variables in the equation below…
In honor of creepiest, scariest night of the year this post will pay tribute to some of the most horrifyingly poisonous plants on the planet. Terrifying trees and plants have long played a part in the imagination of humans, from the 1800s when rumors of a man-eating tree received widespread public attention to the more recent and infamous…
