News From The Field

In the News...

2010-10-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Make sure you check out our "In the News" Blog and keep up on where we are and what we're doing!

Plant 7 Trees A Year And You’re Carbon Neutral

2010-10-04T12:55:00.000-05:00

"According to carbonfootprint.com it is estimated that the average person needs to save about 7,000 kg of CO2 per year. So planting just 7 trees each year is one strategy for achieving this...Tree planting is recognised the world over as a practical short-term solution to offsetting carbon dioxide and it’s probably the easiest and most tangible way to offset your carbon emissions. Each tree

Tree study gets to root of diversity, growth link

2010-10-04T12:52:00.000-05:00

"Trees do not make good neighbors, at least to their own kind."Young seedlings tend to die if an adult tree of the same species is nearby. This is one way forests maintain diversity. Now, a group of researchers show that abundant tree species are less susceptible to disease inflicted by soil-borne organisms.Full Article

City Park Facts

2010-10-04T09:00:00.005-05:00

The Center for City Park Excellence maintains the nation's most complete database of park facts for the largest 85 U.S. cities.Full Article

Open Space Conservation

2010-10-04T09:00:00.003-05:00

"Close to 80 percent of the U.S. population (220 million people) lives in urban areas and depends on the essential ecological, economic, and social benefits provided by urban trees and forests. However, the distribution of urban tree cover and the benefits of urban forests vary across the United States, as do the challenges of sustaining this important resource. As urban areas expand across the

Complete Streets: Streets as Public Space

2010-09-27T13:09:00.002-05:00

Streets should be community assets, compatible with built and natural environments, and reflect the balanced needs of the community and transportation networks - part of public spaces, green and attractive. Full Article

Top 50 Forestry Blogs

2010-09-20T13:14:00.002-05:00

Top 50 Forestry BlogsFind everything you need to know about trees, forest management, urban forestry, conservation, and everything in-between.

Trees a 'low-cost' solution to air pollution and biodiversity loss in cities

2010-08-09T12:00:00.002-05:00

"Native woods and trees in urban areas, including gardens, provide haven for wildlife, reduce air pollution, surface run-off and flooding. Reversing the declining numbers of native trees and woods in cities would provide numerous benefits at 'relatively little cost', says a report from the Woodland Trust. As well as access to green space, the report, 'Greening the Concrete Jungle', says trees

Evergreen Summer

2010-07-19T13:27:00.000-05:00

Summer is the best time for Evergreens!Find out why...

Exposure to Plants and Parks Can Boost Immunity

2010-07-12T13:42:00.002-05:00

"In a series of studies, scientists found that when people swap their concrete confines for a few hours in more natural surroundings — forests, parks and other places with plenty of trees — they experience increased immune function."Full article...

Green Streets for All

2010-07-12T12:45:00.002-05:00

"The National Building Museum’s Smart Growth lecture series featured Adam Ortiz, Mayor of Edmonston, Maryland, who put forward his community’s innovative green street as a model, saying that the time has come for green infrastructure best practice to become common practice. Edmonston’s green street, which cost some $1.3 million and took 2-3 years to complete, represents his community’s attempt to

Two groups ring up dollar value of local trees

2010-07-05T11:49:00.004-05:00

In an attempt to educate the public about the monetary value of trees, 2 groups in Liberty, MO recently fastened oversized price tags to trees around the downtown area bearing a monetary value on the potential lifetime benefits the tree will pay back to the community.Read more...

Tree census: Chicago-area trees to be counted

2010-06-30T08:51:00.003-05:00

"Working in close collaboration with the Forest Service, arboretum census takers are counting the trees in the Chicago region this summer. The aim is to get an accurate count of each species living in yards, parkways and parklands in every city, town and unincorporated area of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will counties."Read more...

Denver tree program trains veterans to be urban foresters - Alliance for Community Trees

2010-06-21T13:12:00.004-05:00

Veterans City Canopy is a new program training homeless veterans to be urban foresters. Veterans Green Jobs, a Denver nonprofit that helps homeless veterans get the skills and experience to join the green-jobs economy, has a contract to plant free shade trees in homeowners' front yards. Read More...

Urban trees help migrating birds

2010-06-21T08:56:00.004-05:00

"Even a small urban forest can help migrating birds, a study has said. US researchers found that birds used the patches of greenery to rest and refuel in the middle of their journey between winter and breeding sites."Read More...

Trees Mean Jobs

2010-05-24T10:48:00.003-05:00

The proposed reauthorization of a national tree-planting program will produce an estimated economic impact of $741 million over the next five years according to a recent study. In addition, the program would create a total employment impact of more than 6,000 jobs during those five years, generating more than $87 million in revenue for federal, state and local governments at a time when municipal

Designing Wildlife Habitats

2010-05-24T10:00:00.002-05:00

During the Dumbarton Oaks symposium on “Designing Wildlife Habitats,” a range of ecologists and landscape architects analyzed various aspects of the relationship between people and nature, and how these relationships take form in natural, managed, and even restored wildlife habitats. Speakers also explored cutting-edge thinking on “ecological infrastructure” and ”human-nature interaction design,”

The benefits of an urban forest in the concrete jungle

2010-05-10T12:43:00.002-05:00

Their benefits go far beyond aesthetics. 'The roots and the canopies make a natural stormwater filtration system. It would also be a lot hotter here, and trees do their part in keeping the air clean, too,' said Jorgenson, whose Community Forestry Office operates under the Parks and Recreation Department. 'For us, it's not about planting trees because they look pretty. We recognize all the

Building Green and Healthy Places for Learning

2010-05-10T12:40:00.003-05:00

"Almost one in five Americans are housed in schools for the better part of each day, but many of these schools offer toxic environments with poor daylight and are sited in far-off places, which means they are both unhealthy learning environments and contribute to sprawl (or unhealthy communities). Creating green and healthy schools which are in walkable, bikeable neighborhoods is key to

Scaling up Green Infrastructure

2010-05-10T12:39:00.003-05:00

"Green infrastructure has been widely discussed as a solution for taking pressure off of outdated stormwater systems. Through natural technologies like green roofs, rain gardens, bioswales and green road medians, green infrastructure can absorb and filter excess water at the source, in effect, decentralizing stormwater management. Green infrastructure can also reduce the costs of water treatment

The Value of Urban Parks

2010-05-10T12:38:00.003-05:00

"The U.S. House Urban Caucus’ Urban Parks Taskforce organized a briefing on urban parks and their role in creating green spaces which can revitalize neighborhoods, improve health, and create jobs. Parks also play a major role in fighting childhood obesity, providing safe and healthy places to play. Caucus members heard from Joe Hughes, Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology; Susan Wachter,

High School Gardening-for Credit

2010-04-19T12:59:00.005-05:00

At a New Jersey high school, students can take gym class in the garden. 'We’re giving students another option to mainstream physical education,' Mr. Wilkinson said. 'How long is somebody going to play basketball or soccer? Gardening they can do their whole lives.'Full Article

Members of Congress Discuss Green Agenda

2010-04-19T12:52:00.002-05:00

"At this moment when all attention is on the economy, urban forestry is on the front lines of job creation, neighborhood stabilization, and cost effective infrastructure planning (including water, energy, and transportation). No other options provide the range of economic services as green infrastructure. Perhaps more important now than ever, the green industry is a reliable source of good paying

Tree-mendous

2010-04-12T14:15:00.004-05:00

Although trees are familiar to all of us, many aspects of their biology remain enigmatic: because they grow slowly and live for so long, they’ve been hard for us to study in the laboratory. Which is why they are Olivia Judson's nomination for Life-form of the Month: April. Full Article

Human health linked directly to forest health

2010-04-05T14:41:00.003-05:00

“Our research confirms what we know instinctively: Human health is inextricably linked to the health of the planet,” says Chris Elliot, WWF’s Executive Director of Conservation. “Deforestation is a double blow to human health,” says Elliot. “It increases the spread of certain diseases while destroying plants and animals that may hold the key to treating illnesses that plague millions of people.”