What the heck is an urban forest? And what are people saying about it? There’s an ongoing conversation about our urban forest, and we’d love to have your voice join it, too.
As fall sweeps through Michigan it’s almost impossible to ignore our state’s great trees. The crisp air, apple cider, and cozy evenings pale in comparison to the beauty of our fall leaves. Grand Rapids is lucky to have so many tree-lined streets and parks lighting up with golden fall colors. Some streets, however, aren’t so … More
EAST LANSING – A massive white oak tree brought down by a summer thunderstorm stood tall for close to 200 years before the campus of the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan began growing up around it. The felled tree is likely between 350 and 400 years old. Every person to ever visit the … More
Last month, Eddie Bauer launched the #Hug2Give social media campaign with philanthropic ambassador Ryan Reynolds as part of The One Tree Initiative benefiting longtime partner American Forests. You can join the #Hug2Give campaign by simply sharing a photo of you or a loved one hugging a tree on Instagram or Twitter, and tagging #OneTree, #Hug2Give, @EddieBauer and … More
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), August is Tree Check Month. Specifically, residents are encouraged to keep an eye out for signs of the extremely destructive Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). This invasive beetle, a native of China, could attack many of our valuable native tree … More
Time travel back to 1905. Back in 1905, a book called “The Apples of New York” was published by the New York State Department of Agriculture. It featured hundreds of apple varieties of all shapes, colors, and sizes, including Thomas Jefferson’s personal favorite, the Esopus Spitzenburg. That was 110 years ago, when commercial apple orchards … More
Sadly, a beloved bitternut hickory was lost at Cherry Park after succumbing to heavy winds this past weekend. A tree’s ability to withstand high wind varies from species to species. Several characteristics play into its ability to endure gusts: the height and taper of the trunk, the size and shape of the crown, the root system … More
“It is impossible to understand the making of America without looking at the founding fathers as farmers and gardeners.” –Andrea Wulf, “Founding Gardeners,” 2011 Today marks 240 years since the United States Declaration of Independence was signed by members of the Continental Congress, thereby entering the 13 colonies into war with England. It’s an appropriate time … More
ST. LOUIS • City officials say it’s time to start getting rid of the most common kind of tree on St. Louis streets: the ash. On Thursday, the city started chopping down thousands of ash trees at risk of infection by the tiny green and much-feared ash borer, a bug that showed up in St. … More
Dr. Ed Gilman from the University of Florida guarantees that once you begin pruning trees using the strategies learn in this webinar, you will not regress to the old way. He demonstrates practical strategies to increase long-term tree survival – starting at planting. Afterwards, you will be able to step outside and immediately begin to … More
Despite what you may think, a C- is nothing to be ashamed of. At a young age we are taught that A+ is perfect, B+ is above average, and a C is average. Thanks to social norms we have this idea that C- grade is something to be ashamed of. I beg to differ. Only … More
