Biomass energy or “bioenergy” is energy from plants and plant-derived materials. Wood and wood products are the largest source of biomass fuel with many companies supplying bulk hardwood pellets for those who use them. However, other sources are being tested and used including; crops, grasses, woody plants, algae, residual waste from agricultural forestry and the…
Now that fall is here, the harvest is happening, may be already complete in some regions or has already been wrapped up in others, most of us home gardeners in the north won’t think about planting again until the soil defrosts in the spring. But if your garden really thrived this year, you found some…
The Urban Natural Resources Institute (UNRI) is performing research to investigate how trees in urban areas affect the physical environment; air temperature, wind, humidity, solar and thermal radiation. They are also studying the subsequent effects that changes in the physical environment have on health and happiness of the community, temperatures in soil and streams, energy usage…
The pawpaw tree is rarely seen and hardly known, yet it is native to the U.S. and Canada, hardy in zones 5 through 8 as well as cold and shade tolerant. The pawpaw, Asimina triloba, bears edible and desirable fruit and aesthetically gives off a tropical vibe. It has large, dark green, tropical-looking foliage, produces purple…
Soil ecologists from Colorado State University (CSU) recently collected about 600 soil samples from Manhattan’s Central Park. The are hunting for soil microbes in support of the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative, which researcher Kelly Ramirez formerly of CSU heads. They were pleasantly surprised at the richness of diversity found in this urban environment. Microbes have…
I’m at Virginia Tech attending the Annual Meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. Continuing education is required to maintain Arborists’ certification. The Mid-Atlantic Chapter has a 2-day meeting. The first day is a field day, the second day is indoor sessions. Topics such as tree biology & ecology, tree pests,…
We all love to bring a little of the outside in, especially coming on to winter when we ache for the greenery. However, we all end up with struggling, browning, leaf-dropping sicklings somehow. What are we doing wrong? Well, here are a few common errors people make in caring for our indoor green friends. Watering regime…
With the decline of wild habitat to support pollinators it should come as no small surprise that bees are swarming urban areas in search of high-quality, diverse food sources. Research by Gordon Frankie, urban entomologist at the University of California Berkeley, is probing the question of how often bees are foraging in urban areas. He…
We had a great visit last week with the Northern Kentucky Urban and Community Forestry Council (NKUCFC). NKUCFC had a grant from the US Forest Service, State & Private Forestry via the Kentucky Division of Forestry to obtain an urban tree canopy assessment and planting plan for Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties. NKUCFC selected the…
One of the major results of this week’s climate summit at the United Nations was a vow to stop deforestation globally by 2030. Included in this plan, dozens of nations, indigenous groups and corporations agreed to slow the rate of deforestation over the next six years and come to a full stop in the following…
