Seminar #82 from Online Seminars for Municipal Arborists
April - June 2019
Sections Go directly to the section by clicking on the title below
April - June 2019
Sections Go directly to the section by clicking on the title below
Note: Click on green text in each section for more information and photos.
Tree Management 2019 Updates
By Len Phillips
The methods we use to plant trees in our cities today continues to change. Thanks to a lot of researchers, they have determined that there are better ways to install trees within or beside city sidewalks.
Selecting The Best Tree
Planting trees this spring is going to require extra effort. First, with climate change getting worse, you are going to have to make an effort to select the right tree for long term survival in hotter summers. Using the latest research, arborists should plant as many heat tolerant trees as space allows. For example:
Soil Cells
If your city is planning any sidewalk replacement projects, or a major new downtown redevelopment project, get your request in early for using soil cells under the tree planting area. For the past several years, the use of soil cells have been recommended for ensuring there is enough suitable soil for a tree to quickly develop into a mature, healthy specimen. Soil cells transfer the surface load suitable for a sidewalk, plaza, or light traffic roadway to a compacted foundation 3 ft. (1 m) below grade while allowing plenty of ideal soil for growing tree roots in between and within the recycled plastic soil cells.
According to a recently published report, a city planted several trees in the conventional way for $250 per tree and in 15 years, the trees doubled in value. The same city planted the same size and species with soil cells at a cost of $10,000 per tree and in 4 years, the trees doubled its value. (Now that is excellent growth!!)
Structural soils provide the same benefit as soil cells, except the ideal soil is stuck to small stones which provide the transfer of the surface load from the sidewalk to the compacted foundation, 3 ft. (1 m) below grade.
Stormwater Storage
Soil cells and structural soils are now being designed to also provide stormwater storage which reduces the frequency of manual watering of a newly installed tree. Perforated pipe is laid from a storm drain to the roots of the tree. A second perforated pipe serves as an under-drain from below the root ball and is connected to the city storm drain system. This process cleans and cools the water as it passes through the soil,while it also provides water for the tree, as it is needed. The surplus water leaves the site instead of being trapped and stagnating. However, if your city uses a lot of deicing salt on the winter roads, some trees may experience desiccation. See the article "Soil Cell Updates" below in this Seminar for a couple of examples.
Bare Root Trees
Continue to stay informed about bare root planting methods. They are the least expensive to purchase and plant by contract, and easiest to plant when using volunteers or your own crew. Planting trees with bare roots will also help the tree make their transition to the new soil type and texture. See more information on planting bare root trees.
Soil Cell Options
Soil cells are expensive and are being reserved for major street and sidewalk reconstruction projects. A less expensive alternative is to go with CU-Soil which uses soil coated stone to provide a sturdy surface for pavement and plenty of pore space for tree roots.
A similar system from Sweden is the use of the Stockholm Solution. The Solution requires the installation of medium sized stones, in layers, under a pavement and a high quality soil is washed into the voids between the stones. In Stockholm, this procedure is used for street and sidewalk reconstruction projects as well as for improving the growing conditions around existing trees that are suffering from compacted soil or the lack of sufficient growing area for the roots.
Root Barriers
During any tree installation project, plant the trees first and install root barriers if necessary to deflect roots downward. This will prevent the tree's roots from causing future damage to the surface pavements such as cracks in the road surface and heaved sidewalks. The tree installation should be done before finishing the job with the addition of the new pavement at the surface.
B&B Tree Treatment
The latest research indicates that the burlap and wire basket should be completely removed from the root balls of Balled & Burlapped trees at the time of planting. Just prior to backfilling, the soil in the root ball should be removed somewhat during the installation process to be sure there are no problem roots. The installation pit should be a large saucer in profile and three times the diameter of the root ball. Pits dug with a backhoe are the best. Regardless of the planting method, be sure the flare is level with or one inch above the final grade when the installation is finished.
Stabilizing
Guy wires, and above ground tree stakes, are no longer considered appropriate for tree stabilization. Recent research has indicated that staking a tree causes more harm to the tree than using root stabilizers. If there is a concern that the lack of a soil ball might cause a bare root tree to blow over or be knocked over by vandals, this is easily remedied with any of several root stabilizing options, such as a tree staple or long stakes that are driven through the root system and into the soil below the tree. See more information on root stabilization.
Surface Treatment of the Planting Pit
After the tree is installed and roots are stabilized, the best surface treatment is to consider using one of two living mulches. Living mulch is intended to beautify and replace the need for a tree grate or conventional mulch by using low maintenance plants to provide weed suppression, moderate the soil temperature, and provide a visual means to discourage people from walking close to the tree and causing soil compaction. Watering and after-installation care to the tree remains the same as using any surface treatment. The notion that the groundcover roots rob the tree of water and nutrients is false.
Porous Pavement
If the surface treatment with plants is not acceptable to the community leaders, the next best option is to go with porous pavement. This is a fully permeable paving product which allows water to freely drain through the surface. The porous pavement's non-skid, 50% rubber content and 50% stone aggregate surface along with a hard urethane binder ensures good traction even when wet.
Contract Tree Trimming
Many cities are now writing contracts that require the winning contractor to be accredited by the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) and only bids from these accredited companies will be accepted. TCIA's Accredited companies are required to provide expert, professional tree services. Accreditation validates that a company, not just an individual, has the capacity to perform arboriculture services in a manner that follows all regulatory requirements across the board. This ensures that the city will be using well-trained climbers who know how to properly prune trees from the best, safest companies available. Low cost contractors who cut corners, use unsafe equipment, and untrained employees should not be considered. Many cities have indicated the contract might cost more, but the safety factor and skilled employees, minimize the need for constant supervision by city personnel, so the total cost to the city is actually less.
The Future
All of the suggestions provided here represent the latest research results for growing trees in our cities. As global warming continues to break temperature records every year and super-storms continue to pound countries around the globe, installing and growing trees in our cities becomes more important and more challenging every year.
Sources
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Climber Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
By Len Phillips
The methods we use to plant trees in our cities today continues to change. Thanks to a lot of researchers, they have determined that there are better ways to install trees within or beside city sidewalks.
Selecting The Best Tree
Planting trees this spring is going to require extra effort. First, with climate change getting worse, you are going to have to make an effort to select the right tree for long term survival in hotter summers. Using the latest research, arborists should plant as many heat tolerant trees as space allows. For example:
- The trees to be selected should be trees that will tolerate heat as global warming continues to harm our existing heat intolerant trees.
- Recent research reports have proven that selecting a smaller tree to plant at a site will increase recovery from transplant shock and grow more rapidly than planting a large tree. For example a 1-inch (2.5 cm) dbh tree will grow larger than a 4-inch (10 cm) tree of the same species within the first 5 years after the installation. Also considering cost, a 1-inch diameter maple tree for example, might cost US$100 while the same species, as a 4-inch tree might cost at least $400. That means you could purchase four small trees for the price of 1 large tree and in 5 years no one would know the difference.
- Another recent research report has proven that selecting trees with bare, fibrous root systems provide the best chance for long-term success and a quick transplant shock recovery period. So using the example above, the 1-inch maple with bare roots and a fibrous root system will grow larger than a 4-inch diameter trunk, B&B in 3 years. The unfortunate part of bare root trees is, not every tree in the larger sizes will tolerate bare roots, and you have to do a lot of searching to find nurseries who sell bare root trees and will ship to your city. However, our nursery sponsor does have a large supply of bare root stock.
- Small trees require less watering so your first season of maintenance is also less (you can water more trees in the same amount of time). According to the latest research, the best watering method after planting, is to permanently use stormwater from the nearby catch basins, but this can only be considered during new construction. The next best option is to require the planting contractor to keep the trees watered and alive for two years. Green water bags that sit over the roots and release water slowly for several days before refilling, are highly recommended, whether you do the watering or your contractor does. The bags can be reused for several years if cared for and removed from the tree when the roots are established.
Soil Cells
If your city is planning any sidewalk replacement projects, or a major new downtown redevelopment project, get your request in early for using soil cells under the tree planting area. For the past several years, the use of soil cells have been recommended for ensuring there is enough suitable soil for a tree to quickly develop into a mature, healthy specimen. Soil cells transfer the surface load suitable for a sidewalk, plaza, or light traffic roadway to a compacted foundation 3 ft. (1 m) below grade while allowing plenty of ideal soil for growing tree roots in between and within the recycled plastic soil cells.
According to a recently published report, a city planted several trees in the conventional way for $250 per tree and in 15 years, the trees doubled in value. The same city planted the same size and species with soil cells at a cost of $10,000 per tree and in 4 years, the trees doubled its value. (Now that is excellent growth!!)
Structural soils provide the same benefit as soil cells, except the ideal soil is stuck to small stones which provide the transfer of the surface load from the sidewalk to the compacted foundation, 3 ft. (1 m) below grade.
Stormwater Storage
Soil cells and structural soils are now being designed to also provide stormwater storage which reduces the frequency of manual watering of a newly installed tree. Perforated pipe is laid from a storm drain to the roots of the tree. A second perforated pipe serves as an under-drain from below the root ball and is connected to the city storm drain system. This process cleans and cools the water as it passes through the soil,while it also provides water for the tree, as it is needed. The surplus water leaves the site instead of being trapped and stagnating. However, if your city uses a lot of deicing salt on the winter roads, some trees may experience desiccation. See the article "Soil Cell Updates" below in this Seminar for a couple of examples.
Bare Root Trees
Continue to stay informed about bare root planting methods. They are the least expensive to purchase and plant by contract, and easiest to plant when using volunteers or your own crew. Planting trees with bare roots will also help the tree make their transition to the new soil type and texture. See more information on planting bare root trees.
Soil Cell Options
Soil cells are expensive and are being reserved for major street and sidewalk reconstruction projects. A less expensive alternative is to go with CU-Soil which uses soil coated stone to provide a sturdy surface for pavement and plenty of pore space for tree roots.
A similar system from Sweden is the use of the Stockholm Solution. The Solution requires the installation of medium sized stones, in layers, under a pavement and a high quality soil is washed into the voids between the stones. In Stockholm, this procedure is used for street and sidewalk reconstruction projects as well as for improving the growing conditions around existing trees that are suffering from compacted soil or the lack of sufficient growing area for the roots.
Root Barriers
During any tree installation project, plant the trees first and install root barriers if necessary to deflect roots downward. This will prevent the tree's roots from causing future damage to the surface pavements such as cracks in the road surface and heaved sidewalks. The tree installation should be done before finishing the job with the addition of the new pavement at the surface.
B&B Tree Treatment
The latest research indicates that the burlap and wire basket should be completely removed from the root balls of Balled & Burlapped trees at the time of planting. Just prior to backfilling, the soil in the root ball should be removed somewhat during the installation process to be sure there are no problem roots. The installation pit should be a large saucer in profile and three times the diameter of the root ball. Pits dug with a backhoe are the best. Regardless of the planting method, be sure the flare is level with or one inch above the final grade when the installation is finished.
Stabilizing
Guy wires, and above ground tree stakes, are no longer considered appropriate for tree stabilization. Recent research has indicated that staking a tree causes more harm to the tree than using root stabilizers. If there is a concern that the lack of a soil ball might cause a bare root tree to blow over or be knocked over by vandals, this is easily remedied with any of several root stabilizing options, such as a tree staple or long stakes that are driven through the root system and into the soil below the tree. See more information on root stabilization.
Surface Treatment of the Planting Pit
After the tree is installed and roots are stabilized, the best surface treatment is to consider using one of two living mulches. Living mulch is intended to beautify and replace the need for a tree grate or conventional mulch by using low maintenance plants to provide weed suppression, moderate the soil temperature, and provide a visual means to discourage people from walking close to the tree and causing soil compaction. Watering and after-installation care to the tree remains the same as using any surface treatment. The notion that the groundcover roots rob the tree of water and nutrients is false.
Porous Pavement
If the surface treatment with plants is not acceptable to the community leaders, the next best option is to go with porous pavement. This is a fully permeable paving product which allows water to freely drain through the surface. The porous pavement's non-skid, 50% rubber content and 50% stone aggregate surface along with a hard urethane binder ensures good traction even when wet.
Contract Tree Trimming
Many cities are now writing contracts that require the winning contractor to be accredited by the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) and only bids from these accredited companies will be accepted. TCIA's Accredited companies are required to provide expert, professional tree services. Accreditation validates that a company, not just an individual, has the capacity to perform arboriculture services in a manner that follows all regulatory requirements across the board. This ensures that the city will be using well-trained climbers who know how to properly prune trees from the best, safest companies available. Low cost contractors who cut corners, use unsafe equipment, and untrained employees should not be considered. Many cities have indicated the contract might cost more, but the safety factor and skilled employees, minimize the need for constant supervision by city personnel, so the total cost to the city is actually less.
The Future
All of the suggestions provided here represent the latest research results for growing trees in our cities. As global warming continues to break temperature records every year and super-storms continue to pound countries around the globe, installing and growing trees in our cities becomes more important and more challenging every year.
Sources
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Climber Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Pathway to the Mitigation of Climate Change
Edited by Len Phillips
The rapid increase in our use of fossil fuels is of profound importance to arboriculture as a profession and especially for any person under the age of thirty. Based on the science supporting the Paris Climate Agreement, if mankind is to have any chance at salvaging a livable climate, we must work to draw down the excess carbon dioxide that is already in the atmosphere, therefore:
Tree growing and maintenance methods will have enormous implications for arborists. This will require zero carbon dioxide emissions on anything we use or purchase. While the need for our work will grow, eliminating the use of fossil fuels would radically alter the tools and methods we take for granted. For example, electric battery powered chain saws have recently been developed but are a long way away from being used by everyone. Most arborists have already switched to using vegetable oil for saw chain lubrication. Electric powered chippers and trucks will be necessary but are a few years away from being produced. Trucks, backhoes, skid steers, and earth-movers, etc. are all dependent on fossil fuels, for now. Until there are alternatives, the use of this equipment should be minimized and productive. While it is possible to run some equipment on electricity, it is doubtful that electricity will provide the amount of energy to run the big equipment that we utilize today. Hopefully equipment designers are working on this issue. In the meantime, do not let the equipment sit with the engine idling for hours.
Beyond our work in the trees, fossil fuels currently provide 80% of the energy our society uses. The elimination of fossil fuels will mean that society will have to drastically use less energy for everything. At this point, many people will simply use renewable products like electricity from solar or wind power. Unfortunately, renewable products are not a significant substitute for fossil fuels. The batteries that are currently used to store surplus solar and wind power, are improving reliability, but have a ways to go. Renewable products such as solar and wind currently provide approximately 10% of our total energy supply. Unfortunately, they are at the mercy of the weather and the revolving earth.
Even more importantly, renewable products only provide electricity. But it is fossil fueled fire that powers our industrial civilization. It is fossil fueled fire in our airplanes, trains, cars, and the trucks that move our large machinery and transport people and our supplies. It is fossil fueled fire that provides us with our most commonly used materials. We must end the use of fire if we are to stop and reverse global warming. It is unknown, but seems unlikely, that renewable electricity alone can provide us with all the energy and materials that we have grown accustomed to.
For example, cement production is the third largest source of carbon dioxide pollution around the globe. It is literally impossible to make cement without fossil fuel fires to provide the heat required to expel the carbon dioxide trapped in the limestone. Thus, at the end of the process, as much as one ton of airborne carbon dioxide results from creating one ton of cement.
Another example is steel production. Like the cement process, carbon dioxide is a chemical by-product of steel creation. To drive that carbon dioxide out of the ore, requires very high temperatures, normally supplied by a high carbon form of coal fire. While some quantities of steel can be made with electricity, there is no evidence that large-scale amounts of non-carbon dioxide steel can be produced.
In addition to cement and steel, many other common materials may be severely curtailed by ending the use of fossil fuels. This includes most plastics, metals, fired bricks, ceramics, and glass. Recycling these products is very labor intensive and only slightly more sustainable than producing the product from raw materials..
Many will hope that these realities are overstated and that technology and other actions will enable business to continue with modifications. We can hope that the use of bio-fuels, carbon scrubbers, massive tree planting to offset emissions, and geo-engineering will provide pathways along which we can continue as we have.
The world is on the edge of an epochal change, with two choices for moving forward. We can continue business as usual, accepting the ravages done to our life support system by climate change in the hope that somehow it will be survivable. Or we can voluntarily choose to eliminate the use of fossil fuels and begin to craft a new economy and way of life on different kinds of, and much less, energy.
Surely arborists will be able to lead with authenticity, provided we become knowledgeable about the implications and possibilities of a low carbon era. These actions give us the best chance of bringing the climate back into a balance so human life to can continue.
We must all do our part if mankind is to survive.
Source
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Climber Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Edited by Len Phillips
The rapid increase in our use of fossil fuels is of profound importance to arboriculture as a profession and especially for any person under the age of thirty. Based on the science supporting the Paris Climate Agreement, if mankind is to have any chance at salvaging a livable climate, we must work to draw down the excess carbon dioxide that is already in the atmosphere, therefore:
- first and foremost is to plant and preserve as many trees as possible;
- then, plan to cease the use of fossil fuels within the next 30 years;
- convert all surplus wood chips to biochar with a cooker that will bind the carbon to the chip;
- preserve wetlands that are natural carbon sinks;
- add several shovels full of biochar under every new tree being planted;
- refrain from needless tree removals, and those trees that are being removed for good cause, should have the wood sequestered, such as in lumber;
- replace trees that are removed with new, heat tolerant trees, planted at a location where the tree can survive and grow to become ancient.
Tree growing and maintenance methods will have enormous implications for arborists. This will require zero carbon dioxide emissions on anything we use or purchase. While the need for our work will grow, eliminating the use of fossil fuels would radically alter the tools and methods we take for granted. For example, electric battery powered chain saws have recently been developed but are a long way away from being used by everyone. Most arborists have already switched to using vegetable oil for saw chain lubrication. Electric powered chippers and trucks will be necessary but are a few years away from being produced. Trucks, backhoes, skid steers, and earth-movers, etc. are all dependent on fossil fuels, for now. Until there are alternatives, the use of this equipment should be minimized and productive. While it is possible to run some equipment on electricity, it is doubtful that electricity will provide the amount of energy to run the big equipment that we utilize today. Hopefully equipment designers are working on this issue. In the meantime, do not let the equipment sit with the engine idling for hours.
Beyond our work in the trees, fossil fuels currently provide 80% of the energy our society uses. The elimination of fossil fuels will mean that society will have to drastically use less energy for everything. At this point, many people will simply use renewable products like electricity from solar or wind power. Unfortunately, renewable products are not a significant substitute for fossil fuels. The batteries that are currently used to store surplus solar and wind power, are improving reliability, but have a ways to go. Renewable products such as solar and wind currently provide approximately 10% of our total energy supply. Unfortunately, they are at the mercy of the weather and the revolving earth.
Even more importantly, renewable products only provide electricity. But it is fossil fueled fire that powers our industrial civilization. It is fossil fueled fire in our airplanes, trains, cars, and the trucks that move our large machinery and transport people and our supplies. It is fossil fueled fire that provides us with our most commonly used materials. We must end the use of fire if we are to stop and reverse global warming. It is unknown, but seems unlikely, that renewable electricity alone can provide us with all the energy and materials that we have grown accustomed to.
For example, cement production is the third largest source of carbon dioxide pollution around the globe. It is literally impossible to make cement without fossil fuel fires to provide the heat required to expel the carbon dioxide trapped in the limestone. Thus, at the end of the process, as much as one ton of airborne carbon dioxide results from creating one ton of cement.
Another example is steel production. Like the cement process, carbon dioxide is a chemical by-product of steel creation. To drive that carbon dioxide out of the ore, requires very high temperatures, normally supplied by a high carbon form of coal fire. While some quantities of steel can be made with electricity, there is no evidence that large-scale amounts of non-carbon dioxide steel can be produced.
In addition to cement and steel, many other common materials may be severely curtailed by ending the use of fossil fuels. This includes most plastics, metals, fired bricks, ceramics, and glass. Recycling these products is very labor intensive and only slightly more sustainable than producing the product from raw materials..
Many will hope that these realities are overstated and that technology and other actions will enable business to continue with modifications. We can hope that the use of bio-fuels, carbon scrubbers, massive tree planting to offset emissions, and geo-engineering will provide pathways along which we can continue as we have.
The world is on the edge of an epochal change, with two choices for moving forward. We can continue business as usual, accepting the ravages done to our life support system by climate change in the hope that somehow it will be survivable. Or we can voluntarily choose to eliminate the use of fossil fuels and begin to craft a new economy and way of life on different kinds of, and much less, energy.
Surely arborists will be able to lead with authenticity, provided we become knowledgeable about the implications and possibilities of a low carbon era. These actions give us the best chance of bringing the climate back into a balance so human life to can continue.
We must all do our part if mankind is to survive.
Source
- Land8.com, July 24, 2018
- Wikipedia, “Carbon Sequestration”, December, 18, 2018.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Climber Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
2019 Urban Tree of the Year
American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)
Edited by Len Phillips
Ostrya virginiana has common names that include American hophornbeam, Eastern hophornbeam, hornbeam, ironwood, and leverwood. The distinctive hop-like flowers that give American hophornbeam its common name are most numerous when it has some sunlight, but the tree is shade-tolerant and thrives in a forest. The common name, “ironwood” is because of the great strength of its wood, which is prized for tool handles, fence posts, etc.
American hophornbeam was selected as the 2019 Urban Tree of the Year by a vote from the members of the Society of Municipal Arborists. This tree's popularity comes from the tree's many unique features and its ability to tolerate the urban environment.
The most humble member of the birch family (Betulaceae), Ostrya virginiana is not as flashy as its white-barked cousins. However, in the temperate deciduous forests of eastern North America, the beauty of this species lies in the subtlety of its bark. It has distinctive ragged grayish-brown bark which looks like thin, lightly exfoliating strips hanging from the trunk. The female, light green American hophornbeam catkins morph into showy clusters of drooping seed pods and the intricacy of its papery composite fruit that look like the hops that are used for making beer.
American hophornbeam leaves also blend with American elms (Ulmus americana) and Red elms (U. rubra) because of their similar shape and edges. The leaves have an acuminate tip, and their edges are doubly serrated that look like ridged potato chips. They are a dull to lime-green color that stands out from the leaves of more common street trees like maples and oaks. Ostrya virginiana has a distinguishing yellow autumn color. Plus, it is common for some of the dead leaves to exhibit marcescence and remain on the branches through winter, adding interest to the tree during overcast winter days.
This is a fairly slow growing, medium-sized tree that develops a generally oval to rounded form, about 30 – 40 feet (9 – 12 m) tall and wide at maturity, with somewhat downward drooping branches. It presents a neat clean overall appearance.
Although it manages dry periods in the shade of the forest, it is not particularly drought-tolerant when planted in the urban landscape. It does tolerate a wide range of soil pH levels. Another major advantage of the American hophornbeam is that it has no serious insect or disease problems.
Ostrya virginiana is difficult to transplant successfully. In studies, small-caliper (1.5 inch/38 mm) trees showed significant transplant shock in the first year after planting but then recovered in their second year. B&B trees transplanted better in the spring than bare root trees, while B&B and bare root trees transplanted equally well in autumn. Regardless of production method or season, small-caliper trees would be recommended when transplanting. American hophornbeam is known to tolerate poor soil conditions, provided soil drainage is adequate.
Given its slow growth rate, transplanting and aftercare require attention and patience. But once established, Ostrya virginiana is a tough native tree with a subtle ornamental flair.
American hophornbeam has an excurrent growth habit with well-spaced, subordinate scaffold branches. As such, it requires minimal structural pruning and holds up well in storms and busy urban environments.
It has a very large native range east of the Rockies, from Manitoba to Florida. American hophornbeam can be found most often as an understory tree. Nonetheless, having a wide native growing range is a notable positive trait for this tree. It grows well in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 9A.
It is a good candidate for planting in narrow tree lawns, sidewalk cutouts, and parking lot buffers throughout most of the United States and southern Canada. For use in an urban setting, Ostrya virginiana has few limits and relatively low maintenance requirements. Because it generally has an average height, it doesn’t get out of scale on a residential property, park, or streetscape setting.
Appreciate American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) for its unique features within the forest and its use when matched appropriately to the site as part of a diverse urban tree inventory.
Source
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Climber Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)
Edited by Len Phillips
Ostrya virginiana has common names that include American hophornbeam, Eastern hophornbeam, hornbeam, ironwood, and leverwood. The distinctive hop-like flowers that give American hophornbeam its common name are most numerous when it has some sunlight, but the tree is shade-tolerant and thrives in a forest. The common name, “ironwood” is because of the great strength of its wood, which is prized for tool handles, fence posts, etc.
American hophornbeam was selected as the 2019 Urban Tree of the Year by a vote from the members of the Society of Municipal Arborists. This tree's popularity comes from the tree's many unique features and its ability to tolerate the urban environment.
The most humble member of the birch family (Betulaceae), Ostrya virginiana is not as flashy as its white-barked cousins. However, in the temperate deciduous forests of eastern North America, the beauty of this species lies in the subtlety of its bark. It has distinctive ragged grayish-brown bark which looks like thin, lightly exfoliating strips hanging from the trunk. The female, light green American hophornbeam catkins morph into showy clusters of drooping seed pods and the intricacy of its papery composite fruit that look like the hops that are used for making beer.
American hophornbeam leaves also blend with American elms (Ulmus americana) and Red elms (U. rubra) because of their similar shape and edges. The leaves have an acuminate tip, and their edges are doubly serrated that look like ridged potato chips. They are a dull to lime-green color that stands out from the leaves of more common street trees like maples and oaks. Ostrya virginiana has a distinguishing yellow autumn color. Plus, it is common for some of the dead leaves to exhibit marcescence and remain on the branches through winter, adding interest to the tree during overcast winter days.
This is a fairly slow growing, medium-sized tree that develops a generally oval to rounded form, about 30 – 40 feet (9 – 12 m) tall and wide at maturity, with somewhat downward drooping branches. It presents a neat clean overall appearance.
Although it manages dry periods in the shade of the forest, it is not particularly drought-tolerant when planted in the urban landscape. It does tolerate a wide range of soil pH levels. Another major advantage of the American hophornbeam is that it has no serious insect or disease problems.
Ostrya virginiana is difficult to transplant successfully. In studies, small-caliper (1.5 inch/38 mm) trees showed significant transplant shock in the first year after planting but then recovered in their second year. B&B trees transplanted better in the spring than bare root trees, while B&B and bare root trees transplanted equally well in autumn. Regardless of production method or season, small-caliper trees would be recommended when transplanting. American hophornbeam is known to tolerate poor soil conditions, provided soil drainage is adequate.
Given its slow growth rate, transplanting and aftercare require attention and patience. But once established, Ostrya virginiana is a tough native tree with a subtle ornamental flair.
American hophornbeam has an excurrent growth habit with well-spaced, subordinate scaffold branches. As such, it requires minimal structural pruning and holds up well in storms and busy urban environments.
It has a very large native range east of the Rockies, from Manitoba to Florida. American hophornbeam can be found most often as an understory tree. Nonetheless, having a wide native growing range is a notable positive trait for this tree. It grows well in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 9A.
It is a good candidate for planting in narrow tree lawns, sidewalk cutouts, and parking lot buffers throughout most of the United States and southern Canada. For use in an urban setting, Ostrya virginiana has few limits and relatively low maintenance requirements. Because it generally has an average height, it doesn’t get out of scale on a residential property, park, or streetscape setting.
Appreciate American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) for its unique features within the forest and its use when matched appropriately to the site as part of a diverse urban tree inventory.
Source
- Sutton, Michelle, Editor, City Trees, "2019 SMA Urban Tree of the Year" January/February, 2019.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Climber Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Changing Arboricultural Practices
Edited by Len Phillips
Remember the old days when conventional wisdom said tree canopies should be pruned to remove one-third of the top growth at planting time to compensate for the root loss? The tree’s root system was reduced in size because they were being dug to be balled and burlapped or for a tree spade move. For many years, compensatory pruning was considered the best way to balance the natural root to crown ratio. Removing one-third of the canopy was thought to increase transplant survival and decrease canopy dieback because trees would be healthier, the ratio was in balance, and the tree was not straining to support a mass of leaves with limited roots. Removing these branches at planting time just seemed logical. As reasonable as this practice seemed, a scientific base to support this concept never existed. Did you know this was changed because of an accident?
It all began in the 1970's, at a nursery in Oklahoma. A research team led by Dr. Carl Whitcomb was conducting a weed control study. As part of the research plan, tree canopies were pruned back at transplanting, since this was the standard practice that every respectable arborist and horticulturist would do. However, Mother Nature intervened and a long rainy spring season prevented the compensatory pruning in 40% of the trees. By the time the nursery fields dried and workers could resume work, the trees had already started their flush of spring growth. It was decided not to prune the remaining unpruned trees. However, during the first growing season a fortuitous finding occurred. The unpruned trees grew faster and had fewer failures than the pruned trees.
But perhaps these observations were merely due to species differences. Follow-up experiments were conducted to confirm if the earlier findings were merely due to species differences or if compensatory pruning was truly not beneficial. In a total of 11 different species, subsets of trees were either pruned or not pruned to remove 15%, 30% or 45% of the canopy. Each treatment was replicated 12 times and tree responses were evaluated for two years. Again, compensatory pruning was found to be not beneficial. Since then, three additional studies in other locations (Colorado and England) by different research teams have produced similar results.
Water Limitations
The findings in England are interesting because they suggested pruning to compensate for root loss was not the critical question; rather that soil moisture was more important. When pruned or unpruned treatments were grown in a dry soil condition they both grew very little. But when water was not a limiting factor, pruned trees had less root growth, as well as fewer, and smaller leaves. Trees not pruned at planting that received ample water had more leaf tissue to photosynthesize and a greater ability to produce tree growth.
Water Guidelines
In addition to not performing compensatory pruning, what else could be done to decrease canopy dieback, increase transplant survival, and improve tree health? The conventional tree-watering guide at that time suggested 1 – 1.5 inches (2.5 – 3.8 cm) of rain or irrigation water every seven to ten days is appropriate. Apparently this common watering guideline was always accepted as fact and never researched. Now, in recent years, the Morton Arboretum and the University of Florida have produced research that suggests more frequent watering is optimal. These results determined that newly installed trees benefit from:
Newly installed trees are absorbing water from a diminished rooting area, so apply all the water to the root ball area. Roots must generate and grow into surrounding soils before a larger soil volume can be tapped for moisture. When tree roots have spread into the surrounding soil, they are considered established.
Trees in northern climates will become established within one to one-and-a-half years for each caliper inch (2.5 cm) of stem. Therefore, it takes two to three years before a two-inch (5 cm) caliper tree becomes established. If you cannot adequately meet the water requirements of newly transplanted trees, installing smaller trees is recommended. For example, one inch (2.5 cm) caliper trees have less root loss and recover faster (1 year) than trees with two to three inches (5 – 7.5 cm) in stem caliper. Also keep in mind that mulching trees with a two to three-inch (5 – 7.5 cm) depth of mulch or woodchips is recommended as it helps to conserve soil moisture.
Branch Removal at Planting
On the other hand, even though compensatory pruning is not recommended, some branches may require removal and most nurseries prune out co-dominant leaders, limbs that rub against each other, and poorly angled branches, long before the sale. If a problem has not been pruned in the nursery, remove it after planting. All trees should be inspected because some limbs may have been damaged in transit from the nursery to the planting site. Any dead, dying, and diseased branches should also be removed.
Branches that are weakly attached or have included bark should be removed at planting, unless you can revisit the tree and prune it within the next few years. If removing these bad branches will result in more than 10% to 20% canopy loss, do not accept the tree. If your supplier has many trees that require extensive pruning, it may be best to either look for a new supplier of nursery stock or discuss quality issues with this supplier. Arborists often forget that as buyers we can influence the quality of nursery stock. Accepting inferior stock only perpetuates more of it entering the market.
Selecting structurally sound and healthy trees are a must. Whitcomb said it best 45 years ago: “Top pruning and other practices are unlikely to help an thrifty tree and a thrifty tree doesn’t need it.”
Source
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Climber Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, or BCMA science or practice credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Edited by Len Phillips
Remember the old days when conventional wisdom said tree canopies should be pruned to remove one-third of the top growth at planting time to compensate for the root loss? The tree’s root system was reduced in size because they were being dug to be balled and burlapped or for a tree spade move. For many years, compensatory pruning was considered the best way to balance the natural root to crown ratio. Removing one-third of the canopy was thought to increase transplant survival and decrease canopy dieback because trees would be healthier, the ratio was in balance, and the tree was not straining to support a mass of leaves with limited roots. Removing these branches at planting time just seemed logical. As reasonable as this practice seemed, a scientific base to support this concept never existed. Did you know this was changed because of an accident?
It all began in the 1970's, at a nursery in Oklahoma. A research team led by Dr. Carl Whitcomb was conducting a weed control study. As part of the research plan, tree canopies were pruned back at transplanting, since this was the standard practice that every respectable arborist and horticulturist would do. However, Mother Nature intervened and a long rainy spring season prevented the compensatory pruning in 40% of the trees. By the time the nursery fields dried and workers could resume work, the trees had already started their flush of spring growth. It was decided not to prune the remaining unpruned trees. However, during the first growing season a fortuitous finding occurred. The unpruned trees grew faster and had fewer failures than the pruned trees.
But perhaps these observations were merely due to species differences. Follow-up experiments were conducted to confirm if the earlier findings were merely due to species differences or if compensatory pruning was truly not beneficial. In a total of 11 different species, subsets of trees were either pruned or not pruned to remove 15%, 30% or 45% of the canopy. Each treatment was replicated 12 times and tree responses were evaluated for two years. Again, compensatory pruning was found to be not beneficial. Since then, three additional studies in other locations (Colorado and England) by different research teams have produced similar results.
Water Limitations
The findings in England are interesting because they suggested pruning to compensate for root loss was not the critical question; rather that soil moisture was more important. When pruned or unpruned treatments were grown in a dry soil condition they both grew very little. But when water was not a limiting factor, pruned trees had less root growth, as well as fewer, and smaller leaves. Trees not pruned at planting that received ample water had more leaf tissue to photosynthesize and a greater ability to produce tree growth.
Water Guidelines
In addition to not performing compensatory pruning, what else could be done to decrease canopy dieback, increase transplant survival, and improve tree health? The conventional tree-watering guide at that time suggested 1 – 1.5 inches (2.5 – 3.8 cm) of rain or irrigation water every seven to ten days is appropriate. Apparently this common watering guideline was always accepted as fact and never researched. Now, in recent years, the Morton Arboretum and the University of Florida have produced research that suggests more frequent watering is optimal. These results determined that newly installed trees benefit from:
- daily watering for the first one to two weeks, applying approximately 1.5 gallons per caliper inch (1.5 liters per caliper centimeter) per watering.
- after two weeks, water the trees every two to three days for the next two or three months, with approximately 1.5 gallons per caliper inch (1.5 liters per caliper cm).
- after 2-3 months, weekly watering is necessary for the remainder of the season or until the tree is established.
- after the first year, if watering is necessary, it should be 1 gallon of water per inch of caliper. This equates to 1 inch of rainfall per week.
Newly installed trees are absorbing water from a diminished rooting area, so apply all the water to the root ball area. Roots must generate and grow into surrounding soils before a larger soil volume can be tapped for moisture. When tree roots have spread into the surrounding soil, they are considered established.
Trees in northern climates will become established within one to one-and-a-half years for each caliper inch (2.5 cm) of stem. Therefore, it takes two to three years before a two-inch (5 cm) caliper tree becomes established. If you cannot adequately meet the water requirements of newly transplanted trees, installing smaller trees is recommended. For example, one inch (2.5 cm) caliper trees have less root loss and recover faster (1 year) than trees with two to three inches (5 – 7.5 cm) in stem caliper. Also keep in mind that mulching trees with a two to three-inch (5 – 7.5 cm) depth of mulch or woodchips is recommended as it helps to conserve soil moisture.
Branch Removal at Planting
On the other hand, even though compensatory pruning is not recommended, some branches may require removal and most nurseries prune out co-dominant leaders, limbs that rub against each other, and poorly angled branches, long before the sale. If a problem has not been pruned in the nursery, remove it after planting. All trees should be inspected because some limbs may have been damaged in transit from the nursery to the planting site. Any dead, dying, and diseased branches should also be removed.
Branches that are weakly attached or have included bark should be removed at planting, unless you can revisit the tree and prune it within the next few years. If removing these bad branches will result in more than 10% to 20% canopy loss, do not accept the tree. If your supplier has many trees that require extensive pruning, it may be best to either look for a new supplier of nursery stock or discuss quality issues with this supplier. Arborists often forget that as buyers we can influence the quality of nursery stock. Accepting inferior stock only perpetuates more of it entering the market.
Selecting structurally sound and healthy trees are a must. Whitcomb said it best 45 years ago: “Top pruning and other practices are unlikely to help an thrifty tree and a thrifty tree doesn’t need it.”
Source
- Hauer, Rich, “To prune or not to prune at planting, that is the question!”, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Agronomy and Plant Protection Division, 2011.
- Whitcomb, Carl E., “Establishment and Maintenance of Landscape Plants II”, 2010.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Climber Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, or BCMA science or practice credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Outstanding Inventors of Trees
Dr. Carl Whitcomb
By Len Phillips
Dr. Carl E. Whitcomb is a distinguished researcher who has discovered and is promoting a substantial number of advancements to assist nurseries in their quest for growing better trees. Carl developed and patented 15 new cultivars of trees and shrubs, 10 of which are cold hardy crapemyrtle, including the first ever true red named Dynamite® crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia indica 'Whit II'). Carl has also published books and hundreds of research papers, currently holds 32 US Patents, and has received many professional awards for his advancements to the arboricultural and nursery industries.
Carl was born in 1939 and grew up poor, living on rented farms in Kansas. Living there, he developed a wide range of interests and skills such as gardening, driving, and equipment modifications. Carl received his PhD in horticulture, plant ecology, and agronomy from Iowa State University in 1969. Carl continued his education and research as a professor, first at the University of Florida from 1967 to 1972, and then at Oklahoma State University from 1972 to 1985. During this time, his achievements were becoming well known in the tree growing industry.
Revolutionary Containers
One of his observations came when the tip of a root was girdled by exposure to air, the downward flow of sugars was restricted and this resulted in the root system branching out and becoming more fibrous. He observed that fibrous roots equip trees for better transplanting success and vigorous growth, which is especially important for trees being planted in urban locations. From this observation Carl began his quest for better containers that would encourage trees to develop fibrous roots.
In 1985, Carl left Oklahoma State to begin his own horticultural research company called Lacebark Inc. Under Lacebark, Carl was able to register and receive patents for RootMaker®, RootBuilder®, RootTrapper®, and Knit Fabric In-Ground containers that were all designed to create fibrous, non-circling root systems, at all phases of production. The containers had various openings in the walls for air-root-pruning and his latest design has outward projecting cones that slope slightly downward.
Carl was the first to demonstrate that producing trees in the field in fabric containers, then finishing the nursery tree in above ground containers, was a viable and cost effective sales technique. He also determined that, contrary to the ‘accepted fact’ at the time, commonly used soil amendments in the planting hole are of no benefit because they restrict the speed of plant establishment.
In the nursery business, Carl was the first to discover that tree roots can be just as restrictive to grass roots as grass roots are to the roots of young trees. Because of this, he was the first person to demonstrate that digging a planting hole three times the diameter of the root ball provided a great benefit for the rapid establishment of newly planted trees. This discovery also resulted in requiring a much larger diameter mulch ring around a newly planted tree.
He was also the first to plant stick cuttings into small containers and observe greater uniformity of rooting and ease of transplanting compared to the previously accepted practice of sticking all the cuttings in large beds or bulk flats. Direct sticking of cuttings in individual containers is almost universally used today.
Carl studied the incorporation of slow release fertilizers into the rooting medium for cuttings stuck in small individual containers. This led to the development of long-term slow release fertilizers lasting two years or more in containers and in the field. He also studied the interrelationships of six micronutrients in container production which led to developing Micromax micronutrients fertilizer which he patented and used it to solve plant problems in containers around the world.
Carl determined that contrary to the ‘accepted fact’ at the time, extensive top pruning when transplanting trees in spring, “to compensate for the loss of roots left at the nursery” is detrimental to establishment and development of sound branching patterns and vigorous growth. This discovery led to a major change in the way trees are transplanted. From this time on, the nursery industry has recognized that “compensatory” pruning effort is no longer an acceptable practice. (Editor's Note: for more information on this subject, see Changing Arboricultural Practices above in this same Seminar.)
Accomplishments
Carl's books include “Know It and Grow It ll”, “Plant Production in Containers ll”, “Production of Landscape Plants ll”, “Establishment and Maintenance of Landscape Plants ll”, and "Beyond Expectations".
As mentioned above, Carl is responsible for many patents on container designs and has papers published in several hundred journal and technical publications. He has also received numerous awards from nursery associations. As an expert on plant root systems, his work has been reprinted in hundreds of trade journals and magazine articles. He has also written over 250 published research papers.
Carl has received dozens of honors from groups such as the American Association of Nurserymen, the Oklahoma Horticultural Society, the International Society of Arboriculture, the Association of Garden Writers, and Nursery Business Magazine.
Carl has personally received many awards for his inventions and improvements to the industry. Some notable awards include:
Carl has spent his entire career advancing the growth of trees and can certainly be called an outstanding inventor of trees.
Sources
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Climber Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, or BCMA science or management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Dr. Carl Whitcomb
By Len Phillips
Dr. Carl E. Whitcomb is a distinguished researcher who has discovered and is promoting a substantial number of advancements to assist nurseries in their quest for growing better trees. Carl developed and patented 15 new cultivars of trees and shrubs, 10 of which are cold hardy crapemyrtle, including the first ever true red named Dynamite® crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia indica 'Whit II'). Carl has also published books and hundreds of research papers, currently holds 32 US Patents, and has received many professional awards for his advancements to the arboricultural and nursery industries.
Carl was born in 1939 and grew up poor, living on rented farms in Kansas. Living there, he developed a wide range of interests and skills such as gardening, driving, and equipment modifications. Carl received his PhD in horticulture, plant ecology, and agronomy from Iowa State University in 1969. Carl continued his education and research as a professor, first at the University of Florida from 1967 to 1972, and then at Oklahoma State University from 1972 to 1985. During this time, his achievements were becoming well known in the tree growing industry.
Revolutionary Containers
One of his observations came when the tip of a root was girdled by exposure to air, the downward flow of sugars was restricted and this resulted in the root system branching out and becoming more fibrous. He observed that fibrous roots equip trees for better transplanting success and vigorous growth, which is especially important for trees being planted in urban locations. From this observation Carl began his quest for better containers that would encourage trees to develop fibrous roots.
In 1985, Carl left Oklahoma State to begin his own horticultural research company called Lacebark Inc. Under Lacebark, Carl was able to register and receive patents for RootMaker®, RootBuilder®, RootTrapper®, and Knit Fabric In-Ground containers that were all designed to create fibrous, non-circling root systems, at all phases of production. The containers had various openings in the walls for air-root-pruning and his latest design has outward projecting cones that slope slightly downward.
Carl was the first to demonstrate that producing trees in the field in fabric containers, then finishing the nursery tree in above ground containers, was a viable and cost effective sales technique. He also determined that, contrary to the ‘accepted fact’ at the time, commonly used soil amendments in the planting hole are of no benefit because they restrict the speed of plant establishment.
In the nursery business, Carl was the first to discover that tree roots can be just as restrictive to grass roots as grass roots are to the roots of young trees. Because of this, he was the first person to demonstrate that digging a planting hole three times the diameter of the root ball provided a great benefit for the rapid establishment of newly planted trees. This discovery also resulted in requiring a much larger diameter mulch ring around a newly planted tree.
He was also the first to plant stick cuttings into small containers and observe greater uniformity of rooting and ease of transplanting compared to the previously accepted practice of sticking all the cuttings in large beds or bulk flats. Direct sticking of cuttings in individual containers is almost universally used today.
Carl studied the incorporation of slow release fertilizers into the rooting medium for cuttings stuck in small individual containers. This led to the development of long-term slow release fertilizers lasting two years or more in containers and in the field. He also studied the interrelationships of six micronutrients in container production which led to developing Micromax micronutrients fertilizer which he patented and used it to solve plant problems in containers around the world.
Carl determined that contrary to the ‘accepted fact’ at the time, extensive top pruning when transplanting trees in spring, “to compensate for the loss of roots left at the nursery” is detrimental to establishment and development of sound branching patterns and vigorous growth. This discovery led to a major change in the way trees are transplanted. From this time on, the nursery industry has recognized that “compensatory” pruning effort is no longer an acceptable practice. (Editor's Note: for more information on this subject, see Changing Arboricultural Practices above in this same Seminar.)
Accomplishments
Carl's books include “Know It and Grow It ll”, “Plant Production in Containers ll”, “Production of Landscape Plants ll”, “Establishment and Maintenance of Landscape Plants ll”, and "Beyond Expectations".
As mentioned above, Carl is responsible for many patents on container designs and has papers published in several hundred journal and technical publications. He has also received numerous awards from nursery associations. As an expert on plant root systems, his work has been reprinted in hundreds of trade journals and magazine articles. He has also written over 250 published research papers.
Carl has received dozens of honors from groups such as the American Association of Nurserymen, the Oklahoma Horticultural Society, the International Society of Arboriculture, the Association of Garden Writers, and Nursery Business Magazine.
Carl has personally received many awards for his inventions and improvements to the industry. Some notable awards include:
- Honorary Member award from the Southern Nurserymen's Association, Atlanta, GA for Outstanding Contributions to the Association and the horticulture Industry.
- Author's Award of Excellence, from the International Society of Arboriculture, in recognition for his significant impact in the field of arboriculture.
- Selected as a Fellow in the International Plant Propagator's Society.
- Elected President of the International Plant Propagator's Society, Southern Chapter.
- Received the Henry Wallace Award by Iowa State University, for Outstanding Contributions to International Agriculture in writing, research, teaching, and leadership.
Carl has spent his entire career advancing the growth of trees and can certainly be called an outstanding inventor of trees.
Sources
- 'The Whitcomb System' video
- RootMaker
- Lacebark Inc.
- McClellan, Matt, “More Trees, Quicker”, Nursery Management, August 2018.
- Whitcomb, Carl E. “Beyond Expectations, An Autobiography”, 2010.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Climber Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, or BCMA science or management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Soil Cell Updates
Edited by Len Phillips
Soil cells have been used in downtown renewal projects for the past twenty years to insure the success of new tree installations. The use of soil cells was originally intended to provide ideal soil in quality and quantity for proper new tree growth. Vigorous trees could now thrive in uncompacted, fertile soil, and enhance the downtown businesses while also providing comfort and beauty for the city's residents coming into the downtown area.
Soil Cell Second Role
Over the last decade, soil cells have expanded in usefulness by taking on the second role of capturing and cleaning the stormwater runoff from city streets. Traditional drainage of stormwater run-off was designed to rapidly convey rainwater from where it has fallen to a soak-away or watercourse. This old method increased the risks of flooding, environmental damage, and urban water pollution, as run-off water usually carried contaminants including oils, heavy metals, pesticides, fertilizers, chemicals, road salt, and other matter. Now however, the water is used to irrigate newly installed trees in specially engineered tree pits; and the surplus water leaving the tree pit has been cleaned of pollutants before it enters the city's stormwater system. Two excellent examples of how this stormwater cleaning system works can be found in Toronto and Chicago.
Jack Layton Ferry Terminal
The Jack Layton Ferry Terminal in Toronto, Ontario project was designed to channel stormwater through a linear drain that empties into a large continuous soil cell tree pit. The tree pit contains 19 trees planted along a walkway in a total of 15,000 cubic feet (430 cubic meters) of uncompacted soil and has the capacity for 25,000 gallons (94,600 liters) of stormwater. By using the soil within the tree pits to reduce urban runoff and weaken the force of the stormwater rushing into the lake, the soil also removes the pollutants that are then absorbed by the trees as nutrients. This results in surplus stormwater that is much cleaner than it was when it entered the drainage system and trees that are growing at their best. Winter road salt from the walkway runoff is not a factor of concern for tree health.
Every year, over 1.3 million visitors pass through the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal on their way to Toronto’s most beloved parks on the Toronto Islands. Due to its prime location on the water’s edge and its important role as a transportation hub, “Waterfront Toronto” took on the large task of reviving the terminal and giving the surrounding area the prominence it deserves as a welcoming point for residents and visitors.
The innovative design to develop the bold new vision for the 11-acre Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbor Square Park was launched in 2014 by Waterfront Toronto, with a master plan that could be completed in phases over time. The plan has resulted in a waterfront park that personified the iconic ferry terminal and enhanced accessibility, while offering spectacular views of the harbor to complement its proximity to Lake Ontario. The original walkway was nearly doubled in width to accommodate the large pedestrian crowds, and a double row of new trees were planted along the new walkway.
Chicago Riverwalk
Another recently completed project is along the Chicago River in Illinois. The Chicago Riverwalk stretches along the south edge of the Chicago River, in the heart of the City. It is a pedestrian-only amenity, open waterfront, that is located below street level. Known as the “second lakefront” of Chicago, the Riverwalk now provides an elegant setting for walking, jogging, or simply sitting and enjoying the magnificent views of the surrounding buildings, the river, and the seating among the trees. Success of the riverside promenade is due to three continuous, linear planters that were built into the stairs to support the 17 honey locust trees that punctuate the staircase.
This revitalization initiative is famed for reclaiming the Chicago River and it’s ecological, recreational, and economic benefit. The long-term project was finally completed toward the end of 2016. The primary consideration of this project was the preservation of the Chicago River water quality. Therefore stormwater runoff from the hardscape surface of the Riverfront staircase had to be managed at the source.
The most exciting element of the Riverwalk redevelopment is a water-harvesting system that collects the stormwater drained from the River Theater area into an underground structure, where water is stored and supplied as irrigation for the trees. This block-wide sculptural staircase features an amphitheater style stairway linking the adjacent street to the river. It also offers pedestrians connectivity to the water’s edge, while trees provide greenery and shade. The area has the capacity to seat more than 750 people during scheduled Theater events. The water runoff from the Theater surface is seldom treated with road salt, so this is not a factor in using the water runoff for watering the trees.
These two projects clearly indicate how the use of soil cells for watering trees has been successfully combined to deal with improving the quality of stormwater runoff and should be added to future projects whenever soil cells are being considered.
Sources
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Climber Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Edited by Len Phillips
Soil cells have been used in downtown renewal projects for the past twenty years to insure the success of new tree installations. The use of soil cells was originally intended to provide ideal soil in quality and quantity for proper new tree growth. Vigorous trees could now thrive in uncompacted, fertile soil, and enhance the downtown businesses while also providing comfort and beauty for the city's residents coming into the downtown area.
Soil Cell Second Role
Over the last decade, soil cells have expanded in usefulness by taking on the second role of capturing and cleaning the stormwater runoff from city streets. Traditional drainage of stormwater run-off was designed to rapidly convey rainwater from where it has fallen to a soak-away or watercourse. This old method increased the risks of flooding, environmental damage, and urban water pollution, as run-off water usually carried contaminants including oils, heavy metals, pesticides, fertilizers, chemicals, road salt, and other matter. Now however, the water is used to irrigate newly installed trees in specially engineered tree pits; and the surplus water leaving the tree pit has been cleaned of pollutants before it enters the city's stormwater system. Two excellent examples of how this stormwater cleaning system works can be found in Toronto and Chicago.
Jack Layton Ferry Terminal
The Jack Layton Ferry Terminal in Toronto, Ontario project was designed to channel stormwater through a linear drain that empties into a large continuous soil cell tree pit. The tree pit contains 19 trees planted along a walkway in a total of 15,000 cubic feet (430 cubic meters) of uncompacted soil and has the capacity for 25,000 gallons (94,600 liters) of stormwater. By using the soil within the tree pits to reduce urban runoff and weaken the force of the stormwater rushing into the lake, the soil also removes the pollutants that are then absorbed by the trees as nutrients. This results in surplus stormwater that is much cleaner than it was when it entered the drainage system and trees that are growing at their best. Winter road salt from the walkway runoff is not a factor of concern for tree health.
Every year, over 1.3 million visitors pass through the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal on their way to Toronto’s most beloved parks on the Toronto Islands. Due to its prime location on the water’s edge and its important role as a transportation hub, “Waterfront Toronto” took on the large task of reviving the terminal and giving the surrounding area the prominence it deserves as a welcoming point for residents and visitors.
The innovative design to develop the bold new vision for the 11-acre Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbor Square Park was launched in 2014 by Waterfront Toronto, with a master plan that could be completed in phases over time. The plan has resulted in a waterfront park that personified the iconic ferry terminal and enhanced accessibility, while offering spectacular views of the harbor to complement its proximity to Lake Ontario. The original walkway was nearly doubled in width to accommodate the large pedestrian crowds, and a double row of new trees were planted along the new walkway.
Chicago Riverwalk
Another recently completed project is along the Chicago River in Illinois. The Chicago Riverwalk stretches along the south edge of the Chicago River, in the heart of the City. It is a pedestrian-only amenity, open waterfront, that is located below street level. Known as the “second lakefront” of Chicago, the Riverwalk now provides an elegant setting for walking, jogging, or simply sitting and enjoying the magnificent views of the surrounding buildings, the river, and the seating among the trees. Success of the riverside promenade is due to three continuous, linear planters that were built into the stairs to support the 17 honey locust trees that punctuate the staircase.
This revitalization initiative is famed for reclaiming the Chicago River and it’s ecological, recreational, and economic benefit. The long-term project was finally completed toward the end of 2016. The primary consideration of this project was the preservation of the Chicago River water quality. Therefore stormwater runoff from the hardscape surface of the Riverfront staircase had to be managed at the source.
The most exciting element of the Riverwalk redevelopment is a water-harvesting system that collects the stormwater drained from the River Theater area into an underground structure, where water is stored and supplied as irrigation for the trees. This block-wide sculptural staircase features an amphitheater style stairway linking the adjacent street to the river. It also offers pedestrians connectivity to the water’s edge, while trees provide greenery and shade. The area has the capacity to seat more than 750 people during scheduled Theater events. The water runoff from the Theater surface is seldom treated with road salt, so this is not a factor in using the water runoff for watering the trees.
These two projects clearly indicate how the use of soil cells for watering trees has been successfully combined to deal with improving the quality of stormwater runoff and should be added to future projects whenever soil cells are being considered.
Sources
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Utility Specialist, Climber Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Problem Employees
By Len Phillips
Do you have an employee who has become unreliable or hard to work with? Managing problem employees in an effective manner is important for keeping your department running efficiently and protecting your rights as an employer. Proper management starts with letting your employees know the rules and expectations from them.
Employee Handbook
Employee handbooks should cover behavior expectations such as your regular work hours, licenses required, the work week, vacation time, and holiday time. It should also explain procedures for requesting time off, clocking in and out, sick leave guidelines, drug and alcohol abuse, and how to raise a concern with management. Handbooks should also thoroughly and clearly explain the disciplinary process that your department uses.
Employee handbooks are the best way to give employees a guide to what is expected from them, how the department works, and how they can expect to be treated when guidelines are not followed. Go over the general department guidelines and policies with each employee when they are hired so you can answer their questions and ensure they understand all the rules of employment and where they can go for assistance.
Addressing Problems
If you notice an employee having problems, address it right away. Letting the problem behavior persist and hoping it will go away, is a recipe for disaster. When you let problem behavior continue, it sends the wrong message to the problem employee as well as to the other employees. They will all believe that the behavior is acceptable because you have not said otherwise.
Once you have identified a problem behavior, document it and collect information that can substantiate the problem the employee is having. The severity of the issue determines how much investigating you need to conduct. If the employee is consistently late for work, a simple printout of their time card may be enough. If the employee has been accused of harassing another employee, or is suspected of having a problem with drugs or alcohol, you will want to interview others that may have witnessed the behavior.
Addressing the Problem Employee
Before pulling the employee aside to discuss the behavior, make sure you organize your thoughts and what you want to cover during the talk. Bring copies of any documentation for the employee so he or she can look at the issues or concerns on their own time, after you have talked to the person.
Pull the employee aside at a time and place that will minimize distractions for both of you and will also respect the employee's privacy. Embarrassing an employee in front of others can turn a fixable situation into further problems. When you sit down and talk to the employee, your goal should be to help the employee improve his or her performance. Explain to them why their behavior is bad for the department, why it disrupts other employees, or is a safety concern. Let them know why it is important for him or her to change their behavior.
Once you have explained the problem and showed the employee your documentation, allow the person to suggest actions they will take to correct the situation and prevent a re-occurrence in the future. Provide some of your own suggestions and come to an agreement with the employee on what actions will be taken and what the time frame will be for implementing the agreed upon changes.
Resist the urge to issue verbal warnings without documenting the conclusions you reach when meeting with the employee. Write down what you ultimately agreed to and give a copy to the employee so they understand the importance of the conversation you had with them. Then put a copy of the agreement into the employee's file and let the employee know that you will be doing so. It is hard to keep up with all the paperwork, but it is important to do so, especially if legal problems develop during a termination procedure.
Termination Process
Although you and the employee have already discussed the problem, a verbal reminder or warning is not enough. You must create documentation and evidence (a.k.a. a paper trail) for all further proceedings that may be necessary between you and the employee. This information will be essential, if and when you terminate the employee. Every time you meet with an employee to discuss a problem, you should create a document for their file, and which you might need in the future to support your decision. Check on the employee's behavior regularly and be sure to compliment or reward compliance with the agreement you came to.
Be sure to make all disciplinary actions progressive for the repeated problem. For example, after the first discussion and written warning, follow up with a 2 – day suspension if the problem persists. If this does not bring an end to the continuing problem, issue a 2 – week suspension and notification that the final offense will be termination. Note that the suspensions are listed in twos. This way if you have a union or the employee pleads hardship, you can cut the penalty in half. The suspension is still in effect and you have made your point. Also note in your written warnings what the next penalty will be for failure to end the problem.
No matter how much counseling and mentoring takes place, sometimes a problem employee is unable to overcome the behavioral obstacles they face. It does not matter whether this is due to an unwillingness to change or other things going on in the employee’s life, sometimes you have to fire people. If the problem behavior continues, choose a time to give the employee a final warning and let them know that termination will be the next step. Put this warning in writing as well and clearly explain why the employee must figure out how to change.
Final Termination
Even though the employee being terminated has caused you all sorts of headaches and problems, still treat them with respect and dignity. Perhaps try to have the termination meeting at a time when other employees are not around. Prepare for the meeting and make a checklist of things you need to cover. If the employee has borrowed tools, make sure you get them back before you schedule the meeting. Also if the employee has access to confidential information or materials, make sure that is accounted for as well. Have the final paycheck ready to hand over at the meeting, and the written letter stating that they are terminated. It is also a good idea to have another employee or union representative sit in on the meeting as a witness. If you have a human resources person, it would be ideal to have them there as well and be sure they have reviewed the employee’s file to be sure you are on solid ground.
Terminations are emotionally charged and no matter how deserved, the termination can result in a variety of behaviors. Most people will ask for an explanation, but this is really an attempt to engage you in further conversation and a plea for one more chance. Some people cry and others may yell. Often the employee will want to bargain with you so that you give them another chance. It is best not to engage in this type of discussion. Do not go into detail but instead tell them that they are no longer a good fit for the department and they are no longer needed. Depending on the type of position and the circumstance of the termination, you may want to consider a severance agreement for the employee if that is possible. If a labor union is involved, there may be several more requirements. If the employee is somewhat irrational, it may be advisable to have police presence during the termination meeting and removal from your premises.
Consider how the employee will exit the property and be prepared to walk with them to their vehicle to ensure they do not vandalize anything or remove any department property. If the employee has a desk or locker be sure to have a few empty boxes around so that they can take all of their personal belongings with them and not need to return at a later date. Think about any additional security issues which may need to be addressed once the employee leaves. Things such as lock combinations, passwords, and extra key hiding spots are often over looked during a termination.
Once the termination has taken place, move on and encourage other employees to move on as well. Do not engage in conversation with other employees about the terminated person.
Sometimes an employee just is not a good fit for your department. Many times employees are able and willing to fix their behavior right away when a problem is pointed out. Either way, your department’s rights and reputation are at stake so be sure to have a plan for every step.
Source
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Climber Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
By Len Phillips
Do you have an employee who has become unreliable or hard to work with? Managing problem employees in an effective manner is important for keeping your department running efficiently and protecting your rights as an employer. Proper management starts with letting your employees know the rules and expectations from them.
Employee Handbook
Employee handbooks should cover behavior expectations such as your regular work hours, licenses required, the work week, vacation time, and holiday time. It should also explain procedures for requesting time off, clocking in and out, sick leave guidelines, drug and alcohol abuse, and how to raise a concern with management. Handbooks should also thoroughly and clearly explain the disciplinary process that your department uses.
Employee handbooks are the best way to give employees a guide to what is expected from them, how the department works, and how they can expect to be treated when guidelines are not followed. Go over the general department guidelines and policies with each employee when they are hired so you can answer their questions and ensure they understand all the rules of employment and where they can go for assistance.
Addressing Problems
If you notice an employee having problems, address it right away. Letting the problem behavior persist and hoping it will go away, is a recipe for disaster. When you let problem behavior continue, it sends the wrong message to the problem employee as well as to the other employees. They will all believe that the behavior is acceptable because you have not said otherwise.
Once you have identified a problem behavior, document it and collect information that can substantiate the problem the employee is having. The severity of the issue determines how much investigating you need to conduct. If the employee is consistently late for work, a simple printout of their time card may be enough. If the employee has been accused of harassing another employee, or is suspected of having a problem with drugs or alcohol, you will want to interview others that may have witnessed the behavior.
Addressing the Problem Employee
Before pulling the employee aside to discuss the behavior, make sure you organize your thoughts and what you want to cover during the talk. Bring copies of any documentation for the employee so he or she can look at the issues or concerns on their own time, after you have talked to the person.
Pull the employee aside at a time and place that will minimize distractions for both of you and will also respect the employee's privacy. Embarrassing an employee in front of others can turn a fixable situation into further problems. When you sit down and talk to the employee, your goal should be to help the employee improve his or her performance. Explain to them why their behavior is bad for the department, why it disrupts other employees, or is a safety concern. Let them know why it is important for him or her to change their behavior.
Once you have explained the problem and showed the employee your documentation, allow the person to suggest actions they will take to correct the situation and prevent a re-occurrence in the future. Provide some of your own suggestions and come to an agreement with the employee on what actions will be taken and what the time frame will be for implementing the agreed upon changes.
Resist the urge to issue verbal warnings without documenting the conclusions you reach when meeting with the employee. Write down what you ultimately agreed to and give a copy to the employee so they understand the importance of the conversation you had with them. Then put a copy of the agreement into the employee's file and let the employee know that you will be doing so. It is hard to keep up with all the paperwork, but it is important to do so, especially if legal problems develop during a termination procedure.
Termination Process
Although you and the employee have already discussed the problem, a verbal reminder or warning is not enough. You must create documentation and evidence (a.k.a. a paper trail) for all further proceedings that may be necessary between you and the employee. This information will be essential, if and when you terminate the employee. Every time you meet with an employee to discuss a problem, you should create a document for their file, and which you might need in the future to support your decision. Check on the employee's behavior regularly and be sure to compliment or reward compliance with the agreement you came to.
Be sure to make all disciplinary actions progressive for the repeated problem. For example, after the first discussion and written warning, follow up with a 2 – day suspension if the problem persists. If this does not bring an end to the continuing problem, issue a 2 – week suspension and notification that the final offense will be termination. Note that the suspensions are listed in twos. This way if you have a union or the employee pleads hardship, you can cut the penalty in half. The suspension is still in effect and you have made your point. Also note in your written warnings what the next penalty will be for failure to end the problem.
No matter how much counseling and mentoring takes place, sometimes a problem employee is unable to overcome the behavioral obstacles they face. It does not matter whether this is due to an unwillingness to change or other things going on in the employee’s life, sometimes you have to fire people. If the problem behavior continues, choose a time to give the employee a final warning and let them know that termination will be the next step. Put this warning in writing as well and clearly explain why the employee must figure out how to change.
Final Termination
Even though the employee being terminated has caused you all sorts of headaches and problems, still treat them with respect and dignity. Perhaps try to have the termination meeting at a time when other employees are not around. Prepare for the meeting and make a checklist of things you need to cover. If the employee has borrowed tools, make sure you get them back before you schedule the meeting. Also if the employee has access to confidential information or materials, make sure that is accounted for as well. Have the final paycheck ready to hand over at the meeting, and the written letter stating that they are terminated. It is also a good idea to have another employee or union representative sit in on the meeting as a witness. If you have a human resources person, it would be ideal to have them there as well and be sure they have reviewed the employee’s file to be sure you are on solid ground.
Terminations are emotionally charged and no matter how deserved, the termination can result in a variety of behaviors. Most people will ask for an explanation, but this is really an attempt to engage you in further conversation and a plea for one more chance. Some people cry and others may yell. Often the employee will want to bargain with you so that you give them another chance. It is best not to engage in this type of discussion. Do not go into detail but instead tell them that they are no longer a good fit for the department and they are no longer needed. Depending on the type of position and the circumstance of the termination, you may want to consider a severance agreement for the employee if that is possible. If a labor union is involved, there may be several more requirements. If the employee is somewhat irrational, it may be advisable to have police presence during the termination meeting and removal from your premises.
Consider how the employee will exit the property and be prepared to walk with them to their vehicle to ensure they do not vandalize anything or remove any department property. If the employee has a desk or locker be sure to have a few empty boxes around so that they can take all of their personal belongings with them and not need to return at a later date. Think about any additional security issues which may need to be addressed once the employee leaves. Things such as lock combinations, passwords, and extra key hiding spots are often over looked during a termination.
Once the termination has taken place, move on and encourage other employees to move on as well. Do not engage in conversation with other employees about the terminated person.
Sometimes an employee just is not a good fit for your department. Many times employees are able and willing to fix their behavior right away when a problem is pointed out. Either way, your department’s rights and reputation are at stake so be sure to have a plan for every step.
Source
- McGuiness, Patrick, “Effectively Handling Problem Employees”, Tree Care Industry, September 2013.
- Town of Wellesley, MA, Personnel Policies and Procedures, 2000.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Climber Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Psithurism
Edited by Len Phillips
We can't see wind, only the things that it moves. Likewise, we can't hear wind unless it's flowing past something that makes it vibrate. This causes it to adopt various sonic guises depending on what it interacts with. Taking a walk through a pine grove provides some of the most common and admired ways for wind to make itself heard. The sound of wind in the trees is a very restorative and mysterious voice from which the forest speaks to us, and that to lie or sit in the forest for an hour at a time listening to the wind is an experience worth going far to seek. The sound of wind in the trees and rustling of leaves has been termed psithurism (sith-err-iz-um). The sonic qualities of psithurism seem to smudge the border between music and noise. Psithurism has fascinated poets and writers for generations. What follows are some examples of the romantic side of psithurism.
The American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) described the sound in “A Day of Sunshine”:
“I hear the wind among the trees
Playing celestial symphonies;
I see the branches downward bent,
Like keys of some great instrument.”
The type of leaf, the season and the species of tree all work together to create a unique sound, or as John Muir put it: “Winds are advertisements of what they touch”. He describes how, in the wind, each tree expresses itself in its own way, “singing its own song, and making its own peculiar gestures”. Of all the tree species the sounds of the pine seems to have captured the imagination of naturalists more than any other. Muir suggests pines are the best interpreters of wind. “They are mighty waving golden-rods, ever in tune, singing and writing wind music all their long century lives." (A Wind Storm in the Forests of the Yuba, 1878)
Henry David Thoreau also had an affinity for the wind through the pines:
"The white pines in the horizon, either single trees or whole wood, are particularly interesting.
The wind is making passes over them, magnetizing and electrifying them…
This is the brightening and awakening of the pines…
As if in this wind-storm of March a certain electricity was passing from heaven to earth through the pines
and calling them to life”...
(Journal of Henry David Thoreau 1855-1861)
Eastern thinkers also noted the distinctiveness of pines. Shunryu Suzuki (1904-1971), a Zen monk and teacher, describes with typical equity, psithurism and the mind:
“When we hear the sound of the pine trees on a windy day,
perhaps the wind is just blowing,
and the pine tree is just standing in the wind.
That is all that they are doing.
But the people who listen to the wind in the tree will write a poem,
or will feel something unusual.
That is, I think,
the way everything is.”
Finally, perhaps the earliest and loveliest writing on this subject is by Liu Chi (1311-1375), an important scholar under the Yuan and the Ming Dynasties, who wrote that:
“Among plants and trees, those with large leaves have a muffled sound;
those with dry leaves have a sorrowful sound;
those with frail leaves have a weak and no melodic sound.
For this reason, nothing is better suited to wind than the pine.”
Liu Chi continues to say,
“Now, the pine as a species has a stiff trunk and curled branches,
its leaves are thin,
and its twigs are long.
It is gnarled yet noble,
unconstrained and overspreading,
entangled and intricate.
So when wind passes through it,
it is neither obstructed nor agitated.
Wind flows through smoothly with a natural sound.
Listening to it can relieve anxiety and humiliation,
wash away confusion and impurity,
expand the spirit and lighten the heart,
make one feel peaceful and contemplative,
cause one to wander free and easy through the skies
and travel along with the force of Creation.
It is well suited to gentlemen who seek pleasure in mountains and forests,
delighting in them and unable to abandon them....
Gazing at the pines soothed my eyes;
listening to the pines soothed my ears.
I escaped from my duties and with this leisure time wandered free and easy here and there
without any worldly concerns to perplex the mind.
I can feel happy here and pass the entire day this way.”
If you like the outdoors and wish to enjoy psithurism every day, do as I have done and plant pines all around your home.
Source
Winson, Adam, Arboriculturist, Blog titled “Psithurism”, January 2013.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, Climber Specialist, or BCMA science or practice credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Edited by Len Phillips
We can't see wind, only the things that it moves. Likewise, we can't hear wind unless it's flowing past something that makes it vibrate. This causes it to adopt various sonic guises depending on what it interacts with. Taking a walk through a pine grove provides some of the most common and admired ways for wind to make itself heard. The sound of wind in the trees is a very restorative and mysterious voice from which the forest speaks to us, and that to lie or sit in the forest for an hour at a time listening to the wind is an experience worth going far to seek. The sound of wind in the trees and rustling of leaves has been termed psithurism (sith-err-iz-um). The sonic qualities of psithurism seem to smudge the border between music and noise. Psithurism has fascinated poets and writers for generations. What follows are some examples of the romantic side of psithurism.
The American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) described the sound in “A Day of Sunshine”:
“I hear the wind among the trees
Playing celestial symphonies;
I see the branches downward bent,
Like keys of some great instrument.”
The type of leaf, the season and the species of tree all work together to create a unique sound, or as John Muir put it: “Winds are advertisements of what they touch”. He describes how, in the wind, each tree expresses itself in its own way, “singing its own song, and making its own peculiar gestures”. Of all the tree species the sounds of the pine seems to have captured the imagination of naturalists more than any other. Muir suggests pines are the best interpreters of wind. “They are mighty waving golden-rods, ever in tune, singing and writing wind music all their long century lives." (A Wind Storm in the Forests of the Yuba, 1878)
Henry David Thoreau also had an affinity for the wind through the pines:
"The white pines in the horizon, either single trees or whole wood, are particularly interesting.
The wind is making passes over them, magnetizing and electrifying them…
This is the brightening and awakening of the pines…
As if in this wind-storm of March a certain electricity was passing from heaven to earth through the pines
and calling them to life”...
(Journal of Henry David Thoreau 1855-1861)
Eastern thinkers also noted the distinctiveness of pines. Shunryu Suzuki (1904-1971), a Zen monk and teacher, describes with typical equity, psithurism and the mind:
“When we hear the sound of the pine trees on a windy day,
perhaps the wind is just blowing,
and the pine tree is just standing in the wind.
That is all that they are doing.
But the people who listen to the wind in the tree will write a poem,
or will feel something unusual.
That is, I think,
the way everything is.”
Finally, perhaps the earliest and loveliest writing on this subject is by Liu Chi (1311-1375), an important scholar under the Yuan and the Ming Dynasties, who wrote that:
“Among plants and trees, those with large leaves have a muffled sound;
those with dry leaves have a sorrowful sound;
those with frail leaves have a weak and no melodic sound.
For this reason, nothing is better suited to wind than the pine.”
Liu Chi continues to say,
“Now, the pine as a species has a stiff trunk and curled branches,
its leaves are thin,
and its twigs are long.
It is gnarled yet noble,
unconstrained and overspreading,
entangled and intricate.
So when wind passes through it,
it is neither obstructed nor agitated.
Wind flows through smoothly with a natural sound.
Listening to it can relieve anxiety and humiliation,
wash away confusion and impurity,
expand the spirit and lighten the heart,
make one feel peaceful and contemplative,
cause one to wander free and easy through the skies
and travel along with the force of Creation.
It is well suited to gentlemen who seek pleasure in mountains and forests,
delighting in them and unable to abandon them....
Gazing at the pines soothed my eyes;
listening to the pines soothed my ears.
I escaped from my duties and with this leisure time wandered free and easy here and there
without any worldly concerns to perplex the mind.
I can feel happy here and pass the entire day this way.”
If you like the outdoors and wish to enjoy psithurism every day, do as I have done and plant pines all around your home.
Source
Winson, Adam, Arboriculturist, Blog titled “Psithurism”, January 2013.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, Climber Specialist, or BCMA science or practice credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Trees with Tales
By Len Phillips
The Tree
Double Dynamite® crapemyrtle, Lagerstroemia indica 'Whit X', is an upright, narrow-spreading, multi-stemmed, deciduous small tree in the loosestrife family. The tree-form Lagerstroemia typically grow 15 to 25-feet
(5 to 8 m) tall and almost as wide. There are also dwarfs and semi-dwarfs that get no more than 4-feet (1.2 m) high. Double Dynamite® is a semi-dwarf and can easily be grown as a single or multi-stem tree with many branches to a maximum size of 10-feet (3 m) tall and wide but it may require early spring pruning to retain the preferred shape.
The species is native from the Himalayas through southern China, southeast Asia and Japan, but it has naturalized in southern U.S. from coast to coast. Two main disease problems of crapemyrtles are Cercospora leaf spot and powdery mildew, but 'Whit X' reportedly has good disease resistance to both. It has some susceptibility to aphids and scale. Winter injury, particularly to top growth, often occurs in areas colder than USDA Hardiness Zones 5 and 6, otherwise this tree prefers warm conditions up to Zone 10 but will require supplemental watering and some shade in the very hottest areas.
This tree performs best in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils, and full sun. It will tolerate drought, clay soil, and air pollution. The roots should be watered deeply, particularly in dry spells to continue flowering, and wetting the foliage is not a problem. Foliage seldom turns yellow from chlorosis, even in alkaline soils. Crapemyrtles benefit from nitrogen fertilizer in the spring, but not in autumn. Overly fertile soils tend to produce lush foliage at the expense of flowering with somewhat increased susceptibility to winter injury. Plant the tree in summer when the soil is warm and water is available. Also, select protected locations and apply a winter mulch.
The leaves are alternate to sub-opposite and are thick and leathery, privet-like, in an elliptic to oblong shape to 3-inch (7 cm) long. Double Dynamite®'s new growth leaves emerge reddish-purple, darken to purple-green in summer, and turn orange to red in autumn. It has full lower leaf retention in summer. Smooth pale pinkish-gray bark on mature branches does not exfoliate with age.
The Tales
In 1986, Carl Whitcomb planted a bunch of seeds from a unique crapemyrtle tree growing in front of the Stillwater, OK City Hall. The seedlings all developed powdery mildew, but a few had much less disease than the others. Some seeds from these seedling trees, were saved for the next generation. The process was repeated for 16 generations over the next 31 years. Finally 500,000 or more seedlings later, a crapemyrtle with high resistance to Cercospora leaf spot disease and mildew was selected with the bonus that the flowers were a unique cherry red. (Scientists at the National Arboretum stated that it was unlikely that crapemyrtle flowers with true red petals could ever be developed.) On March 12, 2015 a U.S. Plant Patent PP 27,085 was issued to Double Dynamite® crepemyrtle.
Double Dynamite® features flowers on inflorescences (stems of flowers) that are 12-18 inches (30-50 cm) long, starting at the base of the plant and along the stem, The inflorescences of crimson buds open to crepe-papery, cherry red flowers, in full sun or light red flowers in shade or with a cloudy season. In the upper parts of the tree the inflorescences are 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) wide from mid-summer to early autumn and always on new wood even if a cold winter killed the top growth. Because the plant is sterile, old flowers stay showy for up to 20 days and there are no seed capsules like other crapemyrtles. Double Dynamite® re-blooms over and over on the same panicle with uninterrupted blooms for 100+ days in Oklahoma and flowering continues until frost. The asexually reproduced plants show all of the unique features that characterize this crapemyrtle including high disease resistance, thereby indicating that the unique features of this plant are stable through successive generations of asexual reproduction.
Crapemyrtle is sometimes called the “Lilac of the South” in reference to its popularity in southern gardens. The popularity comes from the long bloom period and superb leaf color. Double Dynamite® is good as a specimen small tree, but in groups of Double Dynamite®, it is spectacular. The trees can also be effectively planted as screens, informal hedges or trained as single trunk tree for use in the landscape or as a street tree. It will get large enough to avoid visibility issues, but not large enough to tangle with overhead utilities. The tree is also popular among nesting songbirds and wrens.
The genus name Lagerstroemia honors Magnus von Lagerstroem (1691-1759), a Swedish botanist, Director of the Swedish East Indies Company and a friend of Linnaeus. The specific epithet indica means of the Indies in reference to its native territory. The cultivar name, 'Whit X', honors Double Dyanmite®'s inventor, Dr. Carl E. Whitcomb. The common name of crapemyrtle is in reference to the crepe-papery inflorescence and the myrtle-like (Myrtus communis) features of the bark and foliage.
Appreciate crapemyrtle for its disease resistance, long bloom period of spectacular red flowers, nice size, and superb color.
Sources
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, Climber Specialist, or BCMA science credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
By Len Phillips
The Tree
Double Dynamite® crapemyrtle, Lagerstroemia indica 'Whit X', is an upright, narrow-spreading, multi-stemmed, deciduous small tree in the loosestrife family. The tree-form Lagerstroemia typically grow 15 to 25-feet
(5 to 8 m) tall and almost as wide. There are also dwarfs and semi-dwarfs that get no more than 4-feet (1.2 m) high. Double Dynamite® is a semi-dwarf and can easily be grown as a single or multi-stem tree with many branches to a maximum size of 10-feet (3 m) tall and wide but it may require early spring pruning to retain the preferred shape.
The species is native from the Himalayas through southern China, southeast Asia and Japan, but it has naturalized in southern U.S. from coast to coast. Two main disease problems of crapemyrtles are Cercospora leaf spot and powdery mildew, but 'Whit X' reportedly has good disease resistance to both. It has some susceptibility to aphids and scale. Winter injury, particularly to top growth, often occurs in areas colder than USDA Hardiness Zones 5 and 6, otherwise this tree prefers warm conditions up to Zone 10 but will require supplemental watering and some shade in the very hottest areas.
This tree performs best in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils, and full sun. It will tolerate drought, clay soil, and air pollution. The roots should be watered deeply, particularly in dry spells to continue flowering, and wetting the foliage is not a problem. Foliage seldom turns yellow from chlorosis, even in alkaline soils. Crapemyrtles benefit from nitrogen fertilizer in the spring, but not in autumn. Overly fertile soils tend to produce lush foliage at the expense of flowering with somewhat increased susceptibility to winter injury. Plant the tree in summer when the soil is warm and water is available. Also, select protected locations and apply a winter mulch.
The leaves are alternate to sub-opposite and are thick and leathery, privet-like, in an elliptic to oblong shape to 3-inch (7 cm) long. Double Dynamite®'s new growth leaves emerge reddish-purple, darken to purple-green in summer, and turn orange to red in autumn. It has full lower leaf retention in summer. Smooth pale pinkish-gray bark on mature branches does not exfoliate with age.
The Tales
In 1986, Carl Whitcomb planted a bunch of seeds from a unique crapemyrtle tree growing in front of the Stillwater, OK City Hall. The seedlings all developed powdery mildew, but a few had much less disease than the others. Some seeds from these seedling trees, were saved for the next generation. The process was repeated for 16 generations over the next 31 years. Finally 500,000 or more seedlings later, a crapemyrtle with high resistance to Cercospora leaf spot disease and mildew was selected with the bonus that the flowers were a unique cherry red. (Scientists at the National Arboretum stated that it was unlikely that crapemyrtle flowers with true red petals could ever be developed.) On March 12, 2015 a U.S. Plant Patent PP 27,085 was issued to Double Dynamite® crepemyrtle.
Double Dynamite® features flowers on inflorescences (stems of flowers) that are 12-18 inches (30-50 cm) long, starting at the base of the plant and along the stem, The inflorescences of crimson buds open to crepe-papery, cherry red flowers, in full sun or light red flowers in shade or with a cloudy season. In the upper parts of the tree the inflorescences are 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) wide from mid-summer to early autumn and always on new wood even if a cold winter killed the top growth. Because the plant is sterile, old flowers stay showy for up to 20 days and there are no seed capsules like other crapemyrtles. Double Dynamite® re-blooms over and over on the same panicle with uninterrupted blooms for 100+ days in Oklahoma and flowering continues until frost. The asexually reproduced plants show all of the unique features that characterize this crapemyrtle including high disease resistance, thereby indicating that the unique features of this plant are stable through successive generations of asexual reproduction.
Crapemyrtle is sometimes called the “Lilac of the South” in reference to its popularity in southern gardens. The popularity comes from the long bloom period and superb leaf color. Double Dynamite® is good as a specimen small tree, but in groups of Double Dynamite®, it is spectacular. The trees can also be effectively planted as screens, informal hedges or trained as single trunk tree for use in the landscape or as a street tree. It will get large enough to avoid visibility issues, but not large enough to tangle with overhead utilities. The tree is also popular among nesting songbirds and wrens.
The genus name Lagerstroemia honors Magnus von Lagerstroem (1691-1759), a Swedish botanist, Director of the Swedish East Indies Company and a friend of Linnaeus. The specific epithet indica means of the Indies in reference to its native territory. The cultivar name, 'Whit X', honors Double Dyanmite®'s inventor, Dr. Carl E. Whitcomb. The common name of crapemyrtle is in reference to the crepe-papery inflorescence and the myrtle-like (Myrtus communis) features of the bark and foliage.
Appreciate crapemyrtle for its disease resistance, long bloom period of spectacular red flowers, nice size, and superb color.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden, “Lagerstroemia indica”, Plant Finder 2018.
- Plant Patent PP27,085, Crapemyrtle plant named ‘WHIT X’, 2015.
- Whitcomb, Carl E., “Beyond Expectations”, 2010.
- Whitcomb, Carl E., “Know it and Grow it III, a Guide to the Identification and Use of Landscape Plants, 2018.
- Wikipedia, “Lagerstroemia indica”, November 15, 2018.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist, Climber Specialist, or BCMA science credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Jump-start Spring
By Nancy Buley
The crescendo of crocus and dawning of daffodils tell us that our city landscapes will soon light up with the bright blooms of spring flowering trees and shrubs. Arborists can be sure that residents and customers will be asking about the earliest blooms of spring when these cheerful and fragrant blossoms begin to appear on the streets. A healthy urban forest depends on a diversity of species, and flowering trees can contribute to diversity goals while spreading spring cheer. These early bloomers herald the advent of spring, add species diversity to our planting palettes, contribute to the overall beauty of our communities, and support pollinators and wildlife as well.
Cornelian Cherry Dogwood, Cornus mas leads the charge of springtime blossoms by blooming even earlier than forsythia. Winter-bare branches of this rounded tree explode to masses of small, sulfur yellow flowers in late winter or early spring. Glossy dark green foliage and bright red, edible fruits appear among the leaves of late summer that turn reddish orange in autumn. A cultivar, Golden Glory Cornelian Cherry, Cornus mas 'Golden Glory', offers a predictably upright oval form, glossier dark green leaves and brighter flowers.
New on the scene is Saffron Sentinel® Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas ‘JFS PN4Legacy’). Distinctly columnar in form, this Cornelian cherry reaches a height and spread of just 22’ x 8’ (8 x 2.5m), making it a good fit for tight spaces. Purple-tinged foliage emerges after the blooms fade, maturing to dark green in summer and deep crimson in autumn. Bountiful crops of tart, tasty fruits are appreciated by people and wildlife, but make this tough little tree a better choice for parks and open spaces rather than parking strips where fruit might litter sidewalks, streets or vehicles.
Flowering plums are a welcome antidote to winter, and well-suited to planting beneath utility lines. Old classics include Thundercloud Plum, Prunus cerasifera ‘Thundercloud’ and Krauter Vesuvius Plum, Prunus cerasifera ‘Krauter Vesuvius’. The latter is better suited to hotter climates such as Southern California, while Newport Plum is a tried and true performer in cold climates because of its USDA Zone 3 hardiness. Mt. St. Helens® Plum, Prunus 'Frankthrees', is a sport of Newport Plum that has proven to grow faster in the nursery and develop a stronger, sturdier trunk with better caliper. It also leafs out earlier, bearing larger leaves than Newport and retain their rich color longer into the heat of summer.
Big Cis® Plum, Prunus x cistena 'Schmidtcis', is a large, tree-like version of Cistena Plum, Prunus x cistena, from which it originated as a sport. Leaves are larger and the trunk is heavier than Cistena, but the light pink, fragrant flowers are the same. Foliage is purple and new growth is produced well into summer, giving the tree a fresh, clean appearance later into the season than many purple-leafed plums. Adaptable to varied soils and minimal care, we recommend it on our UtiliTrees™ list as a good tree to plant beneath utility lines. It tops out at about 14 feet (4meters) with a spread of about 12 feet (3.5 meters). Over the years, it’s become a popular choice for Midwest landscapes where temperature extremes are commonplace.
Jack® Pear, Pyrus calleryana ‘Jaczam’ is a welcome, pint-sized addition to the flowering pear family. Jack® is a unique dwarf form that greets spring with clouds of fragrant white blooms, has glossy green foliage and bright autumn color, and grows to less than half the size typical of the species. It reaches about 16 feet (5m) in height with a spread of about 10 feet (3m) at maturity. Ideal for planting along narrow streets and beneath utility wires, it combines branch density with upright growth habit to give the unusual combination of a formal appearance in a low maintenance tree.
Javelin® Pear (Pyrus ‘NCPX1’ PP 26539) is new flowering pear that’s a great fit for city streets. Not to be confused with Callery Pears that are considered to be invasive in some areas, this complex hybrid flowering pear is tightly columnar and remains narrow as it matures. Pink buds open to white flowers in early spring. Blooms are followed by unique foliage that leafs out purple, matures to glossy dark green in the heat of summer, and turns orange red in autumn. Developed at North Carolina State University, this fireblight resistant pear is a great fit for narrow streetscapes.
Spring Flurry® Serviceberry, Amelanchier laevis 'JFS-Arb', is a small tree, ideal for street tree use. Fragrant, fluffy clouds of white flowers appear on its bare branches in early spring. Blooms give way to clusters of small, tasty blue fruits that are quickly devoured by birds. Recommended in the Midwest as a replacement for the breakage-prone, Bradford Pear, it features open branch angles, a strong central leader, and more upright growth habit than is typical of serviceberry. The medium green, disease resistant foliage of this North American native tree becomes rich orange in autumn.
Pink Flair® Cherry, Prunus sargentii 'JFS-KW58', bears big clusters of bright pink, single flowers in spring. It avoids frost damage by flowering a week or two later than is typical of the species. Bold, orange-red autumn color is consistently bright. Its upright symmetry and smooth, reddish-brown, lenticel-studded bark gives winter appeal. Narrow and upright in form, this flowering cherry is well suited for urban landscapes. Years of trial at North Dakota State University have proven it to be the most cold tolerant of the pink flowering cherries, and earned the ultra-hardy cherry a Zone 3b hardiness rating. Its heat and drought resistance is also exceptional among the flowering cherries, as proven in long-term trials in the Southeast, where its autumn color is reliably bright.
New to the lineup of early-flowering trees is First Blush® Cherry (Prunus ‘JFS-KW14’ PP28248) Double pink flowers smother the branches of this very narrow, upright cherry in early spring. The breathtaking, fragrant floral display gives way to dark green, disease-resistant leaves that turn orange to orange red in autumn.
Eastern Redbuds, Cercis canadensis, will capture your fancy in early spring when their winter-bare branches and twigs explode with tiny, bright blooms. Reddish purple buds form and bloom before the leaves. Glossy green, heart-shaped foliage soon follow the blooms. Branches ascend in youth, then become horizontally spreading, giving mature trees a somewhat flat-topped look. Oklahoma Redbud, Cercis texensis 'Oklahoma' is a top choice for hotter climates, with glossier, thicker dark green leaves that are more heat and drought tolerant
than the species. White Redbud, Cercis canadensis ‘Alba’ sports a profusion of white flowers and has light yellow-green foliage that turns yellow in autumn. Appalachian Red Redbud, Cercis canadensis ‘Appalachian Red’ blooms are neon pink. Forest Pansy Redbud, Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy', is notable for its bright pink flowers, followed by deep purple foliage that becomes bronze-orange in autumn. Merlot Redbud, Cercis canadensis ‘Merlot’ PP 22297 is a new introduction that resembles Forest Pansy, but has glossier, more heat tolerant purple foliage. Newly introduced and true to its name, Pink Pom Poms Redbud (Cercis canadensis ‘Pink Pom Poms’) sports big, bright pink, double flowers along its bare branches. Vigor, symmetrical upright form and seedless character recommend it as a promising new street tree.
Mountain Silverbell, Halesia carolina monticola, brings spring flowers as well as species diversity to the urban forest. This native of higher elevations of the Southeast U.S. rings in spring with profuse clusters of snow-white bells borne on pendulous stalks. An understory tree that performs well in sun or shade, it proves to be quite adaptable through USDA Zone 5. Wedding Bells Silverbell, Halesia carolina 'Uconn Wedding Bells', is a cultivar that brings upright, oval form to a variable species and recommends it for use as a street tree. Springtime flowers are larger and showier than those of the native species. Shiny green leaves turn yellow in autumn.
Other early spring bloomers include various magnolias, cherries, and early-blooming crabapples, but that’s
another story!
Nancy Buley is the Director of Communications for J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. Nursery.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Climber Specialist, Municipal Specialist, Utility specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
By Nancy Buley
The crescendo of crocus and dawning of daffodils tell us that our city landscapes will soon light up with the bright blooms of spring flowering trees and shrubs. Arborists can be sure that residents and customers will be asking about the earliest blooms of spring when these cheerful and fragrant blossoms begin to appear on the streets. A healthy urban forest depends on a diversity of species, and flowering trees can contribute to diversity goals while spreading spring cheer. These early bloomers herald the advent of spring, add species diversity to our planting palettes, contribute to the overall beauty of our communities, and support pollinators and wildlife as well.
Cornelian Cherry Dogwood, Cornus mas leads the charge of springtime blossoms by blooming even earlier than forsythia. Winter-bare branches of this rounded tree explode to masses of small, sulfur yellow flowers in late winter or early spring. Glossy dark green foliage and bright red, edible fruits appear among the leaves of late summer that turn reddish orange in autumn. A cultivar, Golden Glory Cornelian Cherry, Cornus mas 'Golden Glory', offers a predictably upright oval form, glossier dark green leaves and brighter flowers.
New on the scene is Saffron Sentinel® Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas ‘JFS PN4Legacy’). Distinctly columnar in form, this Cornelian cherry reaches a height and spread of just 22’ x 8’ (8 x 2.5m), making it a good fit for tight spaces. Purple-tinged foliage emerges after the blooms fade, maturing to dark green in summer and deep crimson in autumn. Bountiful crops of tart, tasty fruits are appreciated by people and wildlife, but make this tough little tree a better choice for parks and open spaces rather than parking strips where fruit might litter sidewalks, streets or vehicles.
Flowering plums are a welcome antidote to winter, and well-suited to planting beneath utility lines. Old classics include Thundercloud Plum, Prunus cerasifera ‘Thundercloud’ and Krauter Vesuvius Plum, Prunus cerasifera ‘Krauter Vesuvius’. The latter is better suited to hotter climates such as Southern California, while Newport Plum is a tried and true performer in cold climates because of its USDA Zone 3 hardiness. Mt. St. Helens® Plum, Prunus 'Frankthrees', is a sport of Newport Plum that has proven to grow faster in the nursery and develop a stronger, sturdier trunk with better caliper. It also leafs out earlier, bearing larger leaves than Newport and retain their rich color longer into the heat of summer.
Big Cis® Plum, Prunus x cistena 'Schmidtcis', is a large, tree-like version of Cistena Plum, Prunus x cistena, from which it originated as a sport. Leaves are larger and the trunk is heavier than Cistena, but the light pink, fragrant flowers are the same. Foliage is purple and new growth is produced well into summer, giving the tree a fresh, clean appearance later into the season than many purple-leafed plums. Adaptable to varied soils and minimal care, we recommend it on our UtiliTrees™ list as a good tree to plant beneath utility lines. It tops out at about 14 feet (4meters) with a spread of about 12 feet (3.5 meters). Over the years, it’s become a popular choice for Midwest landscapes where temperature extremes are commonplace.
Jack® Pear, Pyrus calleryana ‘Jaczam’ is a welcome, pint-sized addition to the flowering pear family. Jack® is a unique dwarf form that greets spring with clouds of fragrant white blooms, has glossy green foliage and bright autumn color, and grows to less than half the size typical of the species. It reaches about 16 feet (5m) in height with a spread of about 10 feet (3m) at maturity. Ideal for planting along narrow streets and beneath utility wires, it combines branch density with upright growth habit to give the unusual combination of a formal appearance in a low maintenance tree.
Javelin® Pear (Pyrus ‘NCPX1’ PP 26539) is new flowering pear that’s a great fit for city streets. Not to be confused with Callery Pears that are considered to be invasive in some areas, this complex hybrid flowering pear is tightly columnar and remains narrow as it matures. Pink buds open to white flowers in early spring. Blooms are followed by unique foliage that leafs out purple, matures to glossy dark green in the heat of summer, and turns orange red in autumn. Developed at North Carolina State University, this fireblight resistant pear is a great fit for narrow streetscapes.
Spring Flurry® Serviceberry, Amelanchier laevis 'JFS-Arb', is a small tree, ideal for street tree use. Fragrant, fluffy clouds of white flowers appear on its bare branches in early spring. Blooms give way to clusters of small, tasty blue fruits that are quickly devoured by birds. Recommended in the Midwest as a replacement for the breakage-prone, Bradford Pear, it features open branch angles, a strong central leader, and more upright growth habit than is typical of serviceberry. The medium green, disease resistant foliage of this North American native tree becomes rich orange in autumn.
Pink Flair® Cherry, Prunus sargentii 'JFS-KW58', bears big clusters of bright pink, single flowers in spring. It avoids frost damage by flowering a week or two later than is typical of the species. Bold, orange-red autumn color is consistently bright. Its upright symmetry and smooth, reddish-brown, lenticel-studded bark gives winter appeal. Narrow and upright in form, this flowering cherry is well suited for urban landscapes. Years of trial at North Dakota State University have proven it to be the most cold tolerant of the pink flowering cherries, and earned the ultra-hardy cherry a Zone 3b hardiness rating. Its heat and drought resistance is also exceptional among the flowering cherries, as proven in long-term trials in the Southeast, where its autumn color is reliably bright.
New to the lineup of early-flowering trees is First Blush® Cherry (Prunus ‘JFS-KW14’ PP28248) Double pink flowers smother the branches of this very narrow, upright cherry in early spring. The breathtaking, fragrant floral display gives way to dark green, disease-resistant leaves that turn orange to orange red in autumn.
Eastern Redbuds, Cercis canadensis, will capture your fancy in early spring when their winter-bare branches and twigs explode with tiny, bright blooms. Reddish purple buds form and bloom before the leaves. Glossy green, heart-shaped foliage soon follow the blooms. Branches ascend in youth, then become horizontally spreading, giving mature trees a somewhat flat-topped look. Oklahoma Redbud, Cercis texensis 'Oklahoma' is a top choice for hotter climates, with glossier, thicker dark green leaves that are more heat and drought tolerant
than the species. White Redbud, Cercis canadensis ‘Alba’ sports a profusion of white flowers and has light yellow-green foliage that turns yellow in autumn. Appalachian Red Redbud, Cercis canadensis ‘Appalachian Red’ blooms are neon pink. Forest Pansy Redbud, Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy', is notable for its bright pink flowers, followed by deep purple foliage that becomes bronze-orange in autumn. Merlot Redbud, Cercis canadensis ‘Merlot’ PP 22297 is a new introduction that resembles Forest Pansy, but has glossier, more heat tolerant purple foliage. Newly introduced and true to its name, Pink Pom Poms Redbud (Cercis canadensis ‘Pink Pom Poms’) sports big, bright pink, double flowers along its bare branches. Vigor, symmetrical upright form and seedless character recommend it as a promising new street tree.
Mountain Silverbell, Halesia carolina monticola, brings spring flowers as well as species diversity to the urban forest. This native of higher elevations of the Southeast U.S. rings in spring with profuse clusters of snow-white bells borne on pendulous stalks. An understory tree that performs well in sun or shade, it proves to be quite adaptable through USDA Zone 5. Wedding Bells Silverbell, Halesia carolina 'Uconn Wedding Bells', is a cultivar that brings upright, oval form to a variable species and recommends it for use as a street tree. Springtime flowers are larger and showier than those of the native species. Shiny green leaves turn yellow in autumn.
Other early spring bloomers include various magnolias, cherries, and early-blooming crabapples, but that’s
another story!
Nancy Buley is the Director of Communications for J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. Nursery.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Climber Specialist, Municipal Specialist, Utility specialist, Aerial Lift Specialist.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.