Seminar #88 from Online Seminars for Municipal Arborists
October - December 2020
Sections Go directly to the section by clicking on the title below
October - December 2020
Sections Go directly to the section by clicking on the title below
- Change Your Tree Staking Detail
- Planting Trees at a Bargain Rate
- Forestry in Iceland
- Tree of the Seminar - Pink Flair® Cherry
- Managing Winter Injury
- Municipal Arboriculture History
- Trees with Tales - Weeping Willow
- Father David - Tree Collector
- Regulating Private Tree Removal
- A Study on Ash Resistance
Note: Click on green text in each section for more information and photos.
Change Your Tree Staking Detail By Len Phillips
Guy wires and above ground tree stakes are no longer considered appropriate for stabilizing a newly installed tree. Recent research has indicated that staking a tree from the first branch to the ground causes more harm to the tree than using root stabilizers. After guying, too many trees have been neglected, have broken tops or they are not stable when the guys are removed. There are other times when trees have become girdled because the wires were left on for too long or were too tight around the stem. When installing a bare root (BR) tree there was a concern that the lack of weight on the root ball might cause a bare root tree to blow over or be knocked down. This resulted in a preference for B&B or containerized trees instead of the better choice of a BR tree.
The recommendation for staking trees has changed as the result of recent studies that showed the effect of wind sway on trees resulting in the tree developing a flare at the tie instead of at ground level where the flare should be. In addition, the staked trees created a weak spot at the tie that researchers discovered caused the tree to break off at the point of weakness. Another reason for this practice was nursery grown trees with a trunk diameter of 1 to 2 in. (2.5 to 5 cm.) which have a relatively limited root-spread were vulnerable to wind-throw or vandalism when they were planted in cultivated soil. Staked trees also required someone to come back in 6 to 12 months to remove the stakes, if they remember and if they were getting paid. This practice that was once thought to discourage vandalism and support the tree is NOT the best solution.
Root Stabilization
So, something better to stabilize the tree was needed and researchers began to study root stabilization. This is basically a method by which the roots of a tree are firmly attached to the bottom of the installation pit with a device that is installed at the end of the planting process. The device is installed in a manner which prevents the tree roots from moving and the tree flare is allowed to develop in a normal manner.
There are now several root stabilizing options such as a tree staple or straps that are driven through the root system and into the soil below the tree. If you are into installing bare root trees (which you should consider since they cost half the price of B&B) any root stabilizer is perfect for holding the roots firmly in the backfill and to the bottom of the installation pit. See the below article 'Planting Trees at a Bargain Rate' for more information on bare root trees.
Researchers are now recommending that your details and specifications be changed to illustrate installing root stabilization systems below the finished grade to anchor the root ball firmly to the soil. These systems are the better option for the tree's recovery after the transplanting. They allow the tree to develop a strong natural taper up from the flare. Below-grade stabilization also meets all the safety, aesthetics and “what’s best for the tree” concerns. The big plus is that most do not require removal after the tree has become established.
The researchers went on to evaluate all of the known root stabilizing systems at the time of the start of the research. The evaluations were an unbiased report of their ability to stabilize a newly installed tree. The following report on the evaluation of the stabilizers is a statement of researcher's comments. It is not intended to indicate the preference of one product as being any better than the others.
Simple Stabilizers
2 x 2 Wood Staple
The 2 x 2 Wood Staple is homemade from 2 x 2 lumber with one long piece crossing over the root ball and screwed or nailed to two shorter pieces driven into solid ground on either side of the planting pit. They look like a wood staple and a pair of these staples are to be driven into opposite sides of the tree trunk so the roots are firmly held at the bottom of the planting pit. There is no need to remove this wood system after the tree is established because the wood will rot away. This system is also one of the least expensive to make and install.
Dowels
The dowel system consists of three long wooden dowels or 2 x 2 wood stakes or re-bars driven through the B&B or containerized root ball and the surplus at the top of the roots is cut off at the finish grade. The wood dowels and stakes will decompose in a couple of years, but the re-bars should probably be removed in a year if there is a chance the tree might die and the tree roots might be removed by stump grinding. The dowels prevent the twisting movements of the root ball during strong winds. However, the tree might not survive an attack of vandalism in the unlikelihood the vandals are able to lift the tree up and over the dowels.
No Stabilization
The stem diameter growth of a tree is stimulated when it sways in the wind. If a tree is left unstaked, the whole tree including the stem will sway stimulating maximum diameter growth at the flare. Over time this swaying will help form a stout and firm tree with a stem that tapers naturally from the flare and up into the crown. The unstaked tree will develop a structure that can flex under the force of wind. As roots also increase in diameter from the movement of the stem, the tree is gaining stability. This option can only be considered in a sheltered and protected location and on trees of less than 2 inch caliper.
Commercial Stabilizers
The researchers went on to evaluate the following which are, in no particular order, all of the commercially available products that meet the requirement of anchoring the root ball firmly to the soil at the bottom of the planting pit.
Tree Staple™
The Tree Staple™ is a below-grade stabilizer that consists of an inverted “U” shaped metal stake with a long prong that provides vertical support and serves as an anchor to the firm soil below the root ball. The shorter prong anchors the root ball and firmly locks the root ball in-place to the soil below and around the root ball. The cross member between the prongs stretches across a portion of the root ball applying downward pressure on the roots. This below-grade stabilibizing system is simple and inexpensive to install. One person using a hammer can install the one, two, or three staples, as necessary, in less than a minute. No adjusting, no removal, and no dangerous stakes or wires are required. The finished product is better looking than all stake and wire systems.
Tomahawk Tree Stabilization
The Tomahawk tree stabilizer system is similar to the Tree Staple except the horizontal bar extends beyond the prongs and the prongs are hollow tubes to permit watering and fertilizing directly near the roots as needed, through the metal tubes. The horizontal bars are also notched to permit extra conventional guying to the tree trunk in extremely windy sites. Observing a video of the installation, it appears that the total time for driving a Tomahawk into the root ball requires about a minute with a hammer. The extra stabilizing requires additional time.
UPI Manufacturing Tree Stabilizer Kits
The UPI stabilizer kit comes packaged with all the components necessary to stabilize the root ball. These kits fit any size caliper tree and come with instructions and three 1½ in x 20 in (4x50 cm) perforated tubes. The kit also includes three 2-year time release fertilizer tablets, a 6 feet (2 meters) long harness strap, as well as cam buckles and hooks that are used to connect the harness to the tubes. The perforated tubes are installed by inserting a steel rod inside each tube and driving the rod and tube 20 inches (50 cm) into the ground just beyond the root ball. Then the steel rod is removed while leaving the tube in the ground and the process is repeated until all three tubes are in the ground at an equal distance around the root ball. When the tubes are in the ground the tree is planted and harness straps are installed between the tubes and over the root system. Once established (or after 8 to 12 months), the harness straps may be removed for use elsewhere while the tubes remain in the ground and continue to provide a simple way to provide water, oxygen, and the dissolved fertilizer to the roots for years to come. This product installation requires two people about 20 minutes to install.
Options studied but not recommended by researchers
Other tree stabilizing systems that rely on stakes and/or guy wires require a considerable amount of time to install properly. They need to be adjusted and must be removed within 12 months after installation to prevent long-term tree damage. There are also some practical problems with some of these options.
Root Anchor™ Tree Staking
The Root Anchor™ stabilizer consists of underground tree stakes and involves centering a “cage” (or open metal ring) over the surface of the root ball after the tree is planted. Then the three flat-topped stakes are driven outside the root ball and through the cage deep into undisturbed earth below the root ball. The flat-topped stakes hold the cage tight between the root ball top and to the solid bottom of the planting pit. The stable root ball allows young roots to develop in a suitable environment while holding the transplanted tree upright during high winds. This product can be installed in the same amount of time it takes to lay the cage over the root ball and drive the stakes into the ground. This product is NOT recommended for staking bare root trees. The system is intended to remain for as long as it takes for the metal cage to decompose, although it may be removed when the tree is established or a year after installation.
Terra Toggle™
The Terra Toggle™ stabilizer consists of polypropylene strapping holding a piece of lumber and the root ball firmly to the ground with anchors. This system is similar to the 2 x 2 and like the other options, is installed after the tree is set in the tree pit but before any backfill is added. This system does not need to be removed after the tree becomes established. The Terra Toggle™ did not break any trees in half during the research testing but it did crack the trunk at the base on the compression side so this product was NOT recommended by the researchers. None of the Terra Toggle™ Earth Anchors came out of the ground during testing and they never broke. The strapping would usually slice into the lumber supports that prevented the cable from sliding into the root ball. Occasionally, as tension on the straps increased, a lumber support would become displaced and the strapping would cut into the root ball. This did not impact the strength of the system. The Terra Toggle™ was low cost but required a water source to drive the anchors. The 2 × 2’s could be made “in-house” and installation was the most labor intensive of all the options studied.
Duckbill® Anchors
The Duckbill® Anchors stabilizer can be used with all types of guy systems. The company has developed a “Root Ball Kit” that is specifically designed to hold the tree’s root ball firmly in the pit. The kit is based on driving three duckbill anchors below the root ball pit. The anchors are attached by cables that terminate in eyelets and are driven into the ground via a steel rod and hammer. Once anchored, the rod is removed and the cable pulled to set the duckbill firmly in the soil. The tree is then planted in the pit. Next, a strap is run through the first cable eyelet over the root ball to the next eyelet and after that to the third eyelet and back toward the first. The strap is pulled snug between the first and third eyelet with the ratchet supplied in the kit. This product takes two people several minutes to drive the 3 long stakes and duckbills into the ground and a few more minutes to install the strap through the three eyelets around the tree. There is no recommendation regarding removal of this system after the tree is established. It should be noted that this product failed in the wind resistance trials.
Brooks Tree Brace
The Brooks Tree stabilizer is a stiff metal system that performed well in the pulling test. It comes fully assembled with 3 adjustable legs including reflective labels along with re-usable welded steel stakes and all hardware. The product is similar to the traditional above ground anchor system that is no longer being recommended. Furthermore, this product is difficult to find and may no longer be manufactured.
Stapling Systems Review
Stapling systems are below-grade systems that secure trees by the roots to the bottom of the installation pit. If the aesthetics alone are not enough of an enticement, think in terms of safety for children or pets where the danger of exposed stakes and wires is eliminated. The benefits to this practice include faster installation with no maintenance or removal, better appearance, and reduced liability.
Note:
GTI Tree Stake
The GTI tree staking system is a very recently introduced design for a root ball stabilizer that looks very promising. However, it has not been tested nor compared to the products listed above.
When the Tree Staple™ concept was introduced in 2002, it captured the interest of American Hort, formerly the American Nursery and Landscape Association who encouraged all municipalities, landscape architects, state governments and landscape installers to consider this alternative to traditional staking and tie specifications. American Hort recommendations referred to research indicating that stake and tie systems were detrimental to a tree's growth and development. “Trees need natural movement to grow properly. Stapling secures trees by the root-ball while also providing notable cost savings through quick and easy installation and no need for removal. Plus, it results in a healthier and better looking tree. It does not present a weak appearance that might encourage vandalism.”
The Research behind this Change
This research project from a few years ago evaluated eight ways to stake trees including the methods described above. Each system was used on newly installed trees and then the trees were pulled over to see which system would provide the most resistance before tree failure during heavy winds. Most of these above ground systems resulted in tree breakage at the tie point or girdled the tree if they were not removed in a timely fashion because of these trunk failures none of these systems were recommended.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA 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.
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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.
Guy wires and above ground tree stakes are no longer considered appropriate for stabilizing a newly installed tree. Recent research has indicated that staking a tree from the first branch to the ground causes more harm to the tree than using root stabilizers. After guying, too many trees have been neglected, have broken tops or they are not stable when the guys are removed. There are other times when trees have become girdled because the wires were left on for too long or were too tight around the stem. When installing a bare root (BR) tree there was a concern that the lack of weight on the root ball might cause a bare root tree to blow over or be knocked down. This resulted in a preference for B&B or containerized trees instead of the better choice of a BR tree.
The recommendation for staking trees has changed as the result of recent studies that showed the effect of wind sway on trees resulting in the tree developing a flare at the tie instead of at ground level where the flare should be. In addition, the staked trees created a weak spot at the tie that researchers discovered caused the tree to break off at the point of weakness. Another reason for this practice was nursery grown trees with a trunk diameter of 1 to 2 in. (2.5 to 5 cm.) which have a relatively limited root-spread were vulnerable to wind-throw or vandalism when they were planted in cultivated soil. Staked trees also required someone to come back in 6 to 12 months to remove the stakes, if they remember and if they were getting paid. This practice that was once thought to discourage vandalism and support the tree is NOT the best solution.
Root Stabilization
So, something better to stabilize the tree was needed and researchers began to study root stabilization. This is basically a method by which the roots of a tree are firmly attached to the bottom of the installation pit with a device that is installed at the end of the planting process. The device is installed in a manner which prevents the tree roots from moving and the tree flare is allowed to develop in a normal manner.
There are now several root stabilizing options such as a tree staple or straps that are driven through the root system and into the soil below the tree. If you are into installing bare root trees (which you should consider since they cost half the price of B&B) any root stabilizer is perfect for holding the roots firmly in the backfill and to the bottom of the installation pit. See the below article 'Planting Trees at a Bargain Rate' for more information on bare root trees.
Researchers are now recommending that your details and specifications be changed to illustrate installing root stabilization systems below the finished grade to anchor the root ball firmly to the soil. These systems are the better option for the tree's recovery after the transplanting. They allow the tree to develop a strong natural taper up from the flare. Below-grade stabilization also meets all the safety, aesthetics and “what’s best for the tree” concerns. The big plus is that most do not require removal after the tree has become established.
The researchers went on to evaluate all of the known root stabilizing systems at the time of the start of the research. The evaluations were an unbiased report of their ability to stabilize a newly installed tree. The following report on the evaluation of the stabilizers is a statement of researcher's comments. It is not intended to indicate the preference of one product as being any better than the others.
Simple Stabilizers
2 x 2 Wood Staple
The 2 x 2 Wood Staple is homemade from 2 x 2 lumber with one long piece crossing over the root ball and screwed or nailed to two shorter pieces driven into solid ground on either side of the planting pit. They look like a wood staple and a pair of these staples are to be driven into opposite sides of the tree trunk so the roots are firmly held at the bottom of the planting pit. There is no need to remove this wood system after the tree is established because the wood will rot away. This system is also one of the least expensive to make and install.
Dowels
The dowel system consists of three long wooden dowels or 2 x 2 wood stakes or re-bars driven through the B&B or containerized root ball and the surplus at the top of the roots is cut off at the finish grade. The wood dowels and stakes will decompose in a couple of years, but the re-bars should probably be removed in a year if there is a chance the tree might die and the tree roots might be removed by stump grinding. The dowels prevent the twisting movements of the root ball during strong winds. However, the tree might not survive an attack of vandalism in the unlikelihood the vandals are able to lift the tree up and over the dowels.
No Stabilization
The stem diameter growth of a tree is stimulated when it sways in the wind. If a tree is left unstaked, the whole tree including the stem will sway stimulating maximum diameter growth at the flare. Over time this swaying will help form a stout and firm tree with a stem that tapers naturally from the flare and up into the crown. The unstaked tree will develop a structure that can flex under the force of wind. As roots also increase in diameter from the movement of the stem, the tree is gaining stability. This option can only be considered in a sheltered and protected location and on trees of less than 2 inch caliper.
Commercial Stabilizers
The researchers went on to evaluate the following which are, in no particular order, all of the commercially available products that meet the requirement of anchoring the root ball firmly to the soil at the bottom of the planting pit.
Tree Staple™
The Tree Staple™ is a below-grade stabilizer that consists of an inverted “U” shaped metal stake with a long prong that provides vertical support and serves as an anchor to the firm soil below the root ball. The shorter prong anchors the root ball and firmly locks the root ball in-place to the soil below and around the root ball. The cross member between the prongs stretches across a portion of the root ball applying downward pressure on the roots. This below-grade stabilibizing system is simple and inexpensive to install. One person using a hammer can install the one, two, or three staples, as necessary, in less than a minute. No adjusting, no removal, and no dangerous stakes or wires are required. The finished product is better looking than all stake and wire systems.
Tomahawk Tree Stabilization
The Tomahawk tree stabilizer system is similar to the Tree Staple except the horizontal bar extends beyond the prongs and the prongs are hollow tubes to permit watering and fertilizing directly near the roots as needed, through the metal tubes. The horizontal bars are also notched to permit extra conventional guying to the tree trunk in extremely windy sites. Observing a video of the installation, it appears that the total time for driving a Tomahawk into the root ball requires about a minute with a hammer. The extra stabilizing requires additional time.
UPI Manufacturing Tree Stabilizer Kits
The UPI stabilizer kit comes packaged with all the components necessary to stabilize the root ball. These kits fit any size caliper tree and come with instructions and three 1½ in x 20 in (4x50 cm) perforated tubes. The kit also includes three 2-year time release fertilizer tablets, a 6 feet (2 meters) long harness strap, as well as cam buckles and hooks that are used to connect the harness to the tubes. The perforated tubes are installed by inserting a steel rod inside each tube and driving the rod and tube 20 inches (50 cm) into the ground just beyond the root ball. Then the steel rod is removed while leaving the tube in the ground and the process is repeated until all three tubes are in the ground at an equal distance around the root ball. When the tubes are in the ground the tree is planted and harness straps are installed between the tubes and over the root system. Once established (or after 8 to 12 months), the harness straps may be removed for use elsewhere while the tubes remain in the ground and continue to provide a simple way to provide water, oxygen, and the dissolved fertilizer to the roots for years to come. This product installation requires two people about 20 minutes to install.
Options studied but not recommended by researchers
Other tree stabilizing systems that rely on stakes and/or guy wires require a considerable amount of time to install properly. They need to be adjusted and must be removed within 12 months after installation to prevent long-term tree damage. There are also some practical problems with some of these options.
Root Anchor™ Tree Staking
The Root Anchor™ stabilizer consists of underground tree stakes and involves centering a “cage” (or open metal ring) over the surface of the root ball after the tree is planted. Then the three flat-topped stakes are driven outside the root ball and through the cage deep into undisturbed earth below the root ball. The flat-topped stakes hold the cage tight between the root ball top and to the solid bottom of the planting pit. The stable root ball allows young roots to develop in a suitable environment while holding the transplanted tree upright during high winds. This product can be installed in the same amount of time it takes to lay the cage over the root ball and drive the stakes into the ground. This product is NOT recommended for staking bare root trees. The system is intended to remain for as long as it takes for the metal cage to decompose, although it may be removed when the tree is established or a year after installation.
Terra Toggle™
The Terra Toggle™ stabilizer consists of polypropylene strapping holding a piece of lumber and the root ball firmly to the ground with anchors. This system is similar to the 2 x 2 and like the other options, is installed after the tree is set in the tree pit but before any backfill is added. This system does not need to be removed after the tree becomes established. The Terra Toggle™ did not break any trees in half during the research testing but it did crack the trunk at the base on the compression side so this product was NOT recommended by the researchers. None of the Terra Toggle™ Earth Anchors came out of the ground during testing and they never broke. The strapping would usually slice into the lumber supports that prevented the cable from sliding into the root ball. Occasionally, as tension on the straps increased, a lumber support would become displaced and the strapping would cut into the root ball. This did not impact the strength of the system. The Terra Toggle™ was low cost but required a water source to drive the anchors. The 2 × 2’s could be made “in-house” and installation was the most labor intensive of all the options studied.
Duckbill® Anchors
The Duckbill® Anchors stabilizer can be used with all types of guy systems. The company has developed a “Root Ball Kit” that is specifically designed to hold the tree’s root ball firmly in the pit. The kit is based on driving three duckbill anchors below the root ball pit. The anchors are attached by cables that terminate in eyelets and are driven into the ground via a steel rod and hammer. Once anchored, the rod is removed and the cable pulled to set the duckbill firmly in the soil. The tree is then planted in the pit. Next, a strap is run through the first cable eyelet over the root ball to the next eyelet and after that to the third eyelet and back toward the first. The strap is pulled snug between the first and third eyelet with the ratchet supplied in the kit. This product takes two people several minutes to drive the 3 long stakes and duckbills into the ground and a few more minutes to install the strap through the three eyelets around the tree. There is no recommendation regarding removal of this system after the tree is established. It should be noted that this product failed in the wind resistance trials.
Brooks Tree Brace
The Brooks Tree stabilizer is a stiff metal system that performed well in the pulling test. It comes fully assembled with 3 adjustable legs including reflective labels along with re-usable welded steel stakes and all hardware. The product is similar to the traditional above ground anchor system that is no longer being recommended. Furthermore, this product is difficult to find and may no longer be manufactured.
Stapling Systems Review
Stapling systems are below-grade systems that secure trees by the roots to the bottom of the installation pit. If the aesthetics alone are not enough of an enticement, think in terms of safety for children or pets where the danger of exposed stakes and wires is eliminated. The benefits to this practice include faster installation with no maintenance or removal, better appearance, and reduced liability.
Note:
GTI Tree Stake
The GTI tree staking system is a very recently introduced design for a root ball stabilizer that looks very promising. However, it has not been tested nor compared to the products listed above.
When the Tree Staple™ concept was introduced in 2002, it captured the interest of American Hort, formerly the American Nursery and Landscape Association who encouraged all municipalities, landscape architects, state governments and landscape installers to consider this alternative to traditional staking and tie specifications. American Hort recommendations referred to research indicating that stake and tie systems were detrimental to a tree's growth and development. “Trees need natural movement to grow properly. Stapling secures trees by the root-ball while also providing notable cost savings through quick and easy installation and no need for removal. Plus, it results in a healthier and better looking tree. It does not present a weak appearance that might encourage vandalism.”
The Research behind this Change
This research project from a few years ago evaluated eight ways to stake trees including the methods described above. Each system was used on newly installed trees and then the trees were pulled over to see which system would provide the most resistance before tree failure during heavy winds. Most of these above ground systems resulted in tree breakage at the tie point or girdled the tree if they were not removed in a timely fashion because of these trunk failures none of these systems were recommended.
Sources
- Eckstein, Ryan and Edward F. Gilman, “Evaluation of Landscape Tree Stabilization Systems”, Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 34(4): July 2008.
- Focus Section, “Tree Staking Options”, Landscape Architect and Specifier News, April 2015.
- Manufacturer's websites.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA 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.
Planting Trees at a Bargain Rate
By Len Phillips
When you go to the nursery to purchase a tree, bare root (BR) trees are about as basic as a tree can be. They are affordable, simple to handle and a BR tree has a root spread twice the diameter of the same tree with its cut- off roots and soil wrapped in a burlap bag. It has also been demonstrated that a BR tree, once planted at a new location, will establish and grow at double the rate of a balled and burlapped (B&B) or containerized tree right next to it. This can be accomplished if the bare roots have been kept moist at ALL times from the moment it was dug at the nursery until it was installed in its new home, and as early in the spring as possible. This applies to professional tree planting contractors, municipal employees, as well as to homeowners.
I like to tell all the contractors in my city who are planting BR trees that “every thirty seconds the roots are exposed to sun and wind, cuts the fast transplant recovery and life expectancy in half.” While this may not be completely true, they get the message and keep the tree roots always in the shade and soaking wet, while the hole is being dug. The truth is that if the fine roots become dried out, they die and the tree will need a full growing season to replace them before normal growth can continue.
I just did a review of catalog prices in July 2020 of the cost comparison between the purchase of BR trees and the same size B&B tree. The cost to you, the buyer of a BR tree is still half the cost of the exact same size and species B&B tree. In addition, because they are so much lighter in weight and many more can fit on the bed of a truck, they are also much less expensive to ship. Planting BR trees by contract is also less expensive because there is less labor required. A young tree without soil weighs little, so it is easy for a 2-person crew to dig a shallow hole and install this tree in less than an hour.
A few years ago, I sent out a bid to plant trees in my city. The price that came back was $10 to plant a BR tree and $60 to plant the same size and species B&B tree. Plus, planting a BR tree costs virtually nothing when done by trained volunteers with shovels. Planting trees with volunteers is an excellent way to plant many more trees within the budget while also letting people feel a part of a global warming solution. Many cities have an agreeable population who, with professional supervision, want to plant the trees themselves. A nursery spokesperson told me that you can plant three BR trees for the same cost as one B&B, but set aside 10% for some replacements next year unless you are a fanatic about keeping the bare roots wet at all times prior to the installation. It is the tiny root hairs that are susceptible to death by the sun or a dry wind. And it is these tiny root hairs that are what every tree needs to quickly become established in its new home. The more tiny root hairs, the more quickly the tree begins to grow.
One other major consideration when selecting a new tree is the tree size and growth rate. B&B trees take at least a full season for the roots to recover from transplant shock and another year to start to grow. This is because so many roots were chopped off at the nursery during the digging process and when the tree was planted, there is usually a problem of compatibility between the soil in the root ball and the soil at the planting site. This often results in the tree taking a lot of time to recover because the roots do not seem to easily grow from one soil type to a different soil type. The BR tree has no soil with it, so it immediately adapts to the soil at its new home. However the fine root hairs on a bare root tree can easily dry out and die unless special care is provided. These root hairs do survive in a B&B rootball, it is just far fewer roots came from the nursery. The solution to this problem is to keep the tree roots wet as much as possible, while in storage, and especially during the installation process. Timing is also more critical on BR than B&B and certainly much more than container grown. The earlier in the planting season, the better for a BR tree to recover and begin to grow.
From my personal experience, I witnessed a bare root maple with a one inch trunk diameter planted right next to a four inch B&B maple of the same species planted the previous year. Four years later the BR tree had grown larger than the four inch B&B tree. However, replicating this growth is highly dependent on the soil, the handling, the water, the climate, and the species.
Now that you can see the advantages of purchasing a BR tree, here is a list of trees from my favorite nursery that are available bare root, containerized, or B&B. So give your budget and your globally warming city a break and plant twice as many trees in the coming spring as you did with the same budget as this year.
The following is a list of trees that tolerate being installed as bare root trees:
Acer species
Aesculus species
Amelanchier canadensis
Amelanchier grandiflora
Carpinus betulus
Carpinus caroliniana
Catalpa speciosa
Cercidiphyllum japonicum
Cercis canadensis
Cercis texensis
Chionanthus virginicus
Cladrastis kentukea
Corylus colurna
Crataegus species
Elaeagnus angustifolia
Eucommia ulmoides
Fraxinus species
Ginkgo species
Gleditsia species
Gymnocladus dioicus
Halesia carolina
Maackia amurensis
Malus species
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Ostrya virginiana
Platanus × acerifolia
Populus cultivars
Prunus species
Pyrus calleryana
Robinia pseudoacacia
Salix hybrids
Sorbus aucuparia
Syringa species
Taxodium distichum
Tilia species
Ulmus species
Zelkova serrata
Once you have established a good practice and high survival rates with bare root installations, you could expand your plant list to include the more challenging Betula, Celtis, Cornus, Liriodendron, Maclura, Oxydendrum, Quercus, and Styrax bare root trees.
To summarize, do everything correctly, using your best professional skills...install into the finest soil possible and at a well prepared site. Then plant early and handle the trees quickly. Finally, irrigate regularly until the tree is established. If the city is especially hot in the summer, consider growing bare root trees that are more tolerant of the heat.
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, or 0.25 toward BCMA practice and 0.25 toward 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
When you go to the nursery to purchase a tree, bare root (BR) trees are about as basic as a tree can be. They are affordable, simple to handle and a BR tree has a root spread twice the diameter of the same tree with its cut- off roots and soil wrapped in a burlap bag. It has also been demonstrated that a BR tree, once planted at a new location, will establish and grow at double the rate of a balled and burlapped (B&B) or containerized tree right next to it. This can be accomplished if the bare roots have been kept moist at ALL times from the moment it was dug at the nursery until it was installed in its new home, and as early in the spring as possible. This applies to professional tree planting contractors, municipal employees, as well as to homeowners.
I like to tell all the contractors in my city who are planting BR trees that “every thirty seconds the roots are exposed to sun and wind, cuts the fast transplant recovery and life expectancy in half.” While this may not be completely true, they get the message and keep the tree roots always in the shade and soaking wet, while the hole is being dug. The truth is that if the fine roots become dried out, they die and the tree will need a full growing season to replace them before normal growth can continue.
I just did a review of catalog prices in July 2020 of the cost comparison between the purchase of BR trees and the same size B&B tree. The cost to you, the buyer of a BR tree is still half the cost of the exact same size and species B&B tree. In addition, because they are so much lighter in weight and many more can fit on the bed of a truck, they are also much less expensive to ship. Planting BR trees by contract is also less expensive because there is less labor required. A young tree without soil weighs little, so it is easy for a 2-person crew to dig a shallow hole and install this tree in less than an hour.
A few years ago, I sent out a bid to plant trees in my city. The price that came back was $10 to plant a BR tree and $60 to plant the same size and species B&B tree. Plus, planting a BR tree costs virtually nothing when done by trained volunteers with shovels. Planting trees with volunteers is an excellent way to plant many more trees within the budget while also letting people feel a part of a global warming solution. Many cities have an agreeable population who, with professional supervision, want to plant the trees themselves. A nursery spokesperson told me that you can plant three BR trees for the same cost as one B&B, but set aside 10% for some replacements next year unless you are a fanatic about keeping the bare roots wet at all times prior to the installation. It is the tiny root hairs that are susceptible to death by the sun or a dry wind. And it is these tiny root hairs that are what every tree needs to quickly become established in its new home. The more tiny root hairs, the more quickly the tree begins to grow.
One other major consideration when selecting a new tree is the tree size and growth rate. B&B trees take at least a full season for the roots to recover from transplant shock and another year to start to grow. This is because so many roots were chopped off at the nursery during the digging process and when the tree was planted, there is usually a problem of compatibility between the soil in the root ball and the soil at the planting site. This often results in the tree taking a lot of time to recover because the roots do not seem to easily grow from one soil type to a different soil type. The BR tree has no soil with it, so it immediately adapts to the soil at its new home. However the fine root hairs on a bare root tree can easily dry out and die unless special care is provided. These root hairs do survive in a B&B rootball, it is just far fewer roots came from the nursery. The solution to this problem is to keep the tree roots wet as much as possible, while in storage, and especially during the installation process. Timing is also more critical on BR than B&B and certainly much more than container grown. The earlier in the planting season, the better for a BR tree to recover and begin to grow.
From my personal experience, I witnessed a bare root maple with a one inch trunk diameter planted right next to a four inch B&B maple of the same species planted the previous year. Four years later the BR tree had grown larger than the four inch B&B tree. However, replicating this growth is highly dependent on the soil, the handling, the water, the climate, and the species.
Now that you can see the advantages of purchasing a BR tree, here is a list of trees from my favorite nursery that are available bare root, containerized, or B&B. So give your budget and your globally warming city a break and plant twice as many trees in the coming spring as you did with the same budget as this year.
The following is a list of trees that tolerate being installed as bare root trees:
Acer species
Aesculus species
Amelanchier canadensis
Amelanchier grandiflora
Carpinus betulus
Carpinus caroliniana
Catalpa speciosa
Cercidiphyllum japonicum
Cercis canadensis
Cercis texensis
Chionanthus virginicus
Cladrastis kentukea
Corylus colurna
Crataegus species
Elaeagnus angustifolia
Eucommia ulmoides
Fraxinus species
Ginkgo species
Gleditsia species
Gymnocladus dioicus
Halesia carolina
Maackia amurensis
Malus species
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Ostrya virginiana
Platanus × acerifolia
Populus cultivars
Prunus species
Pyrus calleryana
Robinia pseudoacacia
Salix hybrids
Sorbus aucuparia
Syringa species
Taxodium distichum
Tilia species
Ulmus species
Zelkova serrata
Once you have established a good practice and high survival rates with bare root installations, you could expand your plant list to include the more challenging Betula, Celtis, Cornus, Liriodendron, Maclura, Oxydendrum, Quercus, and Styrax bare root trees.
To summarize, do everything correctly, using your best professional skills...install into the finest soil possible and at a well prepared site. Then plant early and handle the trees quickly. Finally, irrigate regularly until the tree is established. If the city is especially hot in the summer, consider growing bare root trees that are more tolerant of the heat.
Sources
- Special thanks to Keith Warren, retired from J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.
- J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. 2020-2021 Price Guide.
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, or 0.25 toward BCMA practice and 0.25 toward 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.
Forestry in Iceland
By Len Phillips
Forestry has a very serious problem in the world. Despite an impressive number of tree planting projects around the globe, the total area of forest lands in the world are still declining due to the faster number of wild fires and deforestation efforts going on in the tropics.
Iceland is a country where global warming is actually considered a good thing. The glaciers are melting and land is thawing and becoming suitable for new forests and habitation. The first inhabitants found an almost treeless land made of ice covered volcanic rock, so developing a forest resource would obviously require a lot of effort but that effort would be beneficial. Please note that there are almost no urban trees in Iceland either. Any vegetation in a residential front yard might be the occasional shrub. Landscaping consists of flowers here and there and some patches of grass. Because of this lack of city trees, the focus of this article will be on the forests that have been planted as seedlings and what the country is doing to promote the growing of trees.
Beginnings and Protection
At the time of settlement, most Icelanders had never even seen a tree and knew that trees could not grow in Iceland. There was very little soil on the surface of the volcanic rock. There were just a few Icelandic birch trees (Betula pubescens) scattered around the island. A hundred years ago, only a few Icelanders believed that trees might grow in Iceland. Planting trees was the harmless hobby of a few eccentrics and forests for timber production were out of the question. Today however, forestry for timber production and land reclamation projects are being carried out by thousands of people all over country. Growing forests are both an outcome of and cause for optimism.
Back in 1899, three men perceived a problem in having no forest resources in Iceland so they contacted a forestry professor who provided expertise and a young forester who provided most of the labor. From this simple beginning, organized forestry started with the planting of the Pine Stand at Thingvellir National Park. The group went even further and lobbied the parliament to adopt a forestry and soil conservation act. It was adopted in 1907 and the Icelandic Forest Service (IFS) was established in 1908.
After an early phase of experiments with exotic tree species, forestry efforts eventually focused on protecting the birch woodland remnants during the first half of the 20th century with several forest areas being protected by the IFS for that purpose. Protection entailed enclosing the woodland areas in a fence to exclude sheep which is a practice still necessary today to protect all afforestation areas from uncontrolled summer grazing.
Planting Trees
Since about 1950, emphasis has been on planting thousands of tree seedlings. Planting by forestry societies and the IFS increased greatly during the 1950's, reaching over 1.5 million seedlings per year. The principal species planted were exotic spruces, pines and larch: Picea abies, Picea sitchensis, Pinus sylvestris, Pinus contorta and Larix sibirica. Planting declined after 1963 and remained at 500,000 to 1 million seedlings annually until 2008.
Breeding and testing programs are ongoing with European x Siberian hybrid larch, black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) and Sitka spruce, as well as Icelandic birch, Iceland's only native tree and sub-alpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) that are being grown for Christmas tree production. Tree improvement programs are essential in dealing with climate change so there has been a great deal of research, breeding, and testing throughout Iceland.
Because of a financial crisis in 2008-2009, funding for forestry was cut drastically. Among the consequences were tree nurseries going out of business and educated foresters moving abroad to find work. Thinning and timber sales by the IFS increased greatly in 2009 and continued to increase during the following years. Since that time, the timber production from thinning has become a new major activity within the Icelandic forestry sector.
Climate Change
There are many connections between forestry and climate change. Among them are questions regarding how afforestation, forest management, and wood utilization can help to mitigate global warming. Another group of questions are concerned with how trees and forests will react to climate change. These have to do with genetic adaptation of trees, changes in forest ecosystems, and adaptive management in the Icelandic climate with its difficult soils.
In the past 20 years, the IFS has maintained that afforestation of treeless land can be effective in sequestering carbon. Using afforestation, Icelanders are sequestering a significant part of the carbon dioxide released by Icelanders.
Adaptation of existing forests to new insects and pathogens is another dificult challenge for IFS to deal with. As elsewhere, new forest pathogens and damaging insects regularly become established in Iceland, aided by global warming and global trade. The way to deal with them is through selection and breeding of tolerant trees. That way, damaged forests can theoretically be replaced with better trees.
On the other hand, a warming climate is not all bad. One of the effects will be to increase the potential forest areas in Iceland. Already the maximum elevation for productive forestry has increased since the 1980s and this is creating the potential for afforestation of large areas on mountainsides and the periphery of the central highlands. Conditions for forestry are more complex than simply looking at annual temperatures. Wind exposure increases with elevation and frost during the summer. In addition, the increases of distance from the coast also makes forest establishment more difficult. Nevertheless, it seems likely that large areas in the lower parts of the central highlands will become potential forest land within this century.
Hallormsstaður is one of Iceland's biggest forests which was saved from eradication at the turn of the 20th century. It has over 90 species of trees and many are just over one hundred years old. In the tree collection at Hallormsstaður, snow is plowed off the forest paths to help people access the trees and engage in outdoor activities in the forest year-round. Iceland's forestry service is encouraging people to take walks in Hallormsstaour to hug trees and beat the Covid-19 blues. Because of the risk of infection, people are asked to avoid person to person contact and intimacy, and instead spread their arms around the trees.
How to Hug a Tree
Hugging trees is a major activity in Iceland. Here is the proper way to hug a tree. Press your cheek against the trunk and wrap your arms around the tree to feel the warmth and currents flowing from the tree into yourself. It starts in your toes and runs up your legs and through your body into your brain. It is also good to close your eyes while hugging the tree. You get such a good relaxing feeling and realize that you are ready for a new day and new challenges. You can do it daily. Do not rush a tree hug. Holding a tree in your arms five minutes a day should be enough. Trees give out the most energy during the summer. Be careful not to just hug for a moment. Take hold of the tree and wait until you begin to feel how life starts flowing into you from the tree.
The tree does not have to be big and black to be suitable for hugging. It can be a neighborhood tree but it is more likely a forest tree. It can be any size but the main thing is to crush it a bit with your arms as you give your tree a big hug.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA 0.25 toward science and 0.25 toward 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
Forestry has a very serious problem in the world. Despite an impressive number of tree planting projects around the globe, the total area of forest lands in the world are still declining due to the faster number of wild fires and deforestation efforts going on in the tropics.
Iceland is a country where global warming is actually considered a good thing. The glaciers are melting and land is thawing and becoming suitable for new forests and habitation. The first inhabitants found an almost treeless land made of ice covered volcanic rock, so developing a forest resource would obviously require a lot of effort but that effort would be beneficial. Please note that there are almost no urban trees in Iceland either. Any vegetation in a residential front yard might be the occasional shrub. Landscaping consists of flowers here and there and some patches of grass. Because of this lack of city trees, the focus of this article will be on the forests that have been planted as seedlings and what the country is doing to promote the growing of trees.
Beginnings and Protection
At the time of settlement, most Icelanders had never even seen a tree and knew that trees could not grow in Iceland. There was very little soil on the surface of the volcanic rock. There were just a few Icelandic birch trees (Betula pubescens) scattered around the island. A hundred years ago, only a few Icelanders believed that trees might grow in Iceland. Planting trees was the harmless hobby of a few eccentrics and forests for timber production were out of the question. Today however, forestry for timber production and land reclamation projects are being carried out by thousands of people all over country. Growing forests are both an outcome of and cause for optimism.
Back in 1899, three men perceived a problem in having no forest resources in Iceland so they contacted a forestry professor who provided expertise and a young forester who provided most of the labor. From this simple beginning, organized forestry started with the planting of the Pine Stand at Thingvellir National Park. The group went even further and lobbied the parliament to adopt a forestry and soil conservation act. It was adopted in 1907 and the Icelandic Forest Service (IFS) was established in 1908.
After an early phase of experiments with exotic tree species, forestry efforts eventually focused on protecting the birch woodland remnants during the first half of the 20th century with several forest areas being protected by the IFS for that purpose. Protection entailed enclosing the woodland areas in a fence to exclude sheep which is a practice still necessary today to protect all afforestation areas from uncontrolled summer grazing.
Planting Trees
Since about 1950, emphasis has been on planting thousands of tree seedlings. Planting by forestry societies and the IFS increased greatly during the 1950's, reaching over 1.5 million seedlings per year. The principal species planted were exotic spruces, pines and larch: Picea abies, Picea sitchensis, Pinus sylvestris, Pinus contorta and Larix sibirica. Planting declined after 1963 and remained at 500,000 to 1 million seedlings annually until 2008.
Breeding and testing programs are ongoing with European x Siberian hybrid larch, black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) and Sitka spruce, as well as Icelandic birch, Iceland's only native tree and sub-alpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) that are being grown for Christmas tree production. Tree improvement programs are essential in dealing with climate change so there has been a great deal of research, breeding, and testing throughout Iceland.
Because of a financial crisis in 2008-2009, funding for forestry was cut drastically. Among the consequences were tree nurseries going out of business and educated foresters moving abroad to find work. Thinning and timber sales by the IFS increased greatly in 2009 and continued to increase during the following years. Since that time, the timber production from thinning has become a new major activity within the Icelandic forestry sector.
Climate Change
There are many connections between forestry and climate change. Among them are questions regarding how afforestation, forest management, and wood utilization can help to mitigate global warming. Another group of questions are concerned with how trees and forests will react to climate change. These have to do with genetic adaptation of trees, changes in forest ecosystems, and adaptive management in the Icelandic climate with its difficult soils.
In the past 20 years, the IFS has maintained that afforestation of treeless land can be effective in sequestering carbon. Using afforestation, Icelanders are sequestering a significant part of the carbon dioxide released by Icelanders.
Adaptation of existing forests to new insects and pathogens is another dificult challenge for IFS to deal with. As elsewhere, new forest pathogens and damaging insects regularly become established in Iceland, aided by global warming and global trade. The way to deal with them is through selection and breeding of tolerant trees. That way, damaged forests can theoretically be replaced with better trees.
On the other hand, a warming climate is not all bad. One of the effects will be to increase the potential forest areas in Iceland. Already the maximum elevation for productive forestry has increased since the 1980s and this is creating the potential for afforestation of large areas on mountainsides and the periphery of the central highlands. Conditions for forestry are more complex than simply looking at annual temperatures. Wind exposure increases with elevation and frost during the summer. In addition, the increases of distance from the coast also makes forest establishment more difficult. Nevertheless, it seems likely that large areas in the lower parts of the central highlands will become potential forest land within this century.
Hallormsstaður is one of Iceland's biggest forests which was saved from eradication at the turn of the 20th century. It has over 90 species of trees and many are just over one hundred years old. In the tree collection at Hallormsstaður, snow is plowed off the forest paths to help people access the trees and engage in outdoor activities in the forest year-round. Iceland's forestry service is encouraging people to take walks in Hallormsstaour to hug trees and beat the Covid-19 blues. Because of the risk of infection, people are asked to avoid person to person contact and intimacy, and instead spread their arms around the trees.
How to Hug a Tree
Hugging trees is a major activity in Iceland. Here is the proper way to hug a tree. Press your cheek against the trunk and wrap your arms around the tree to feel the warmth and currents flowing from the tree into yourself. It starts in your toes and runs up your legs and through your body into your brain. It is also good to close your eyes while hugging the tree. You get such a good relaxing feeling and realize that you are ready for a new day and new challenges. You can do it daily. Do not rush a tree hug. Holding a tree in your arms five minutes a day should be enough. Trees give out the most energy during the summer. Be careful not to just hug for a moment. Take hold of the tree and wait until you begin to feel how life starts flowing into you from the tree.
The tree does not have to be big and black to be suitable for hugging. It can be a neighborhood tree but it is more likely a forest tree. It can be any size but the main thing is to crush it a bit with your arms as you give your tree a big hug.
Sources
- News from Elsewhere, “Icelanders urged to hug trees to overcome isolation”, April 15, 2020
- Iceland Forest Service, “Forestry and Climate Change”
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA 0.25 toward science and 0.25 toward 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.
Tree of the Seminar
By Len Phillips
Prunus sargentii ‘JFS-KW58’, commonly known as Pink Flair® Cherry has an upright symmetrical form that provides winter appeal along with distinctive and polished purplish brown bark accented by tan and cream colored lenticels. But the color may change somewhat as the trees age. The trunk of this tree is stout and strong enough to resist winter and storm damage.
This tree has “flair” and is noted for its big clusters of bright pink, single flowers that are larger and brighter than other pink flowering cherries. The flowers burst from the upright branches of this compact and narrow vase-shaped tree that grows 25 ft. tall and 15 ft. wide. The blooms avoid frost damage by appearing a week or two later than is typical of the species.
Flowers are followed by leaves that emerge bright red and gradually become semi-glossy and dark green by early summer. The exceptionally healthy leaves withstand the heat of summer and periods of drought. Superior drought tolerance has been proven by more than 10 years of performance trials in Southeastern United States. The leaves cast cool shade throughout the season. Prunus sargentii ‘JFS-KW58’ is ready to stand up to summer’s challenges. Selected for being the most exceptionally healthy and disease resistant cherry, its leaves stay clean and fresh even in the wettest and coolest springs. Autumn color has varied from an attractive red-purple to orange-red. The leaves are consistently bright and long lasting regardless of geography.
Prunus sargentii ‘JFS-KW58’ develops small fruit, 1/3 inch long, ovoid, purple-black drupes that ripen to a dark purple in summer. Lustrous bark is an attractive reddish brown. The narrow and upright form is excellent for urban settings.
From its origin as a seed picked up from a tree in the northernmost range of the species in Japan, it was introduced in 2004 by Keith Warren at J. Frank Schmidt & Son, Nursery. Pink Flair has proven to be exceptionally adaptable to extremes of heat and cold via plantings in North Dakota, New England, California and the Midwest and Southeast. This tree is in the Rosaceae family of trees and thrives over a wide range of the U.S. from the muggy Southeast to the fierce cold of Zone 3b in North Dakota. This makes Prunus sargentii ‘JFS-KW58’ one of the hardiest of the flowering cherries.
There is a Pink Flair® Cherry growing at the courtyard entrance to the Seattle Japanese Garden just southeast of the front gate. The cherry is in a line of trees surrounding the lawn. The plaque underneath the trees informs Garden visitors that:
“The Pink Flair® Cherry trees are a gift from the people of Japan
in recognition of the lasting ties of friendship and
enterprise that bind the State of Washington
with its neighbor across the Pacific.
Dated May 20, 2014.”
Pink Flair® Cherry Photo
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA 0.25 toward science and 0.25 toward 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
Prunus sargentii ‘JFS-KW58’, commonly known as Pink Flair® Cherry has an upright symmetrical form that provides winter appeal along with distinctive and polished purplish brown bark accented by tan and cream colored lenticels. But the color may change somewhat as the trees age. The trunk of this tree is stout and strong enough to resist winter and storm damage.
This tree has “flair” and is noted for its big clusters of bright pink, single flowers that are larger and brighter than other pink flowering cherries. The flowers burst from the upright branches of this compact and narrow vase-shaped tree that grows 25 ft. tall and 15 ft. wide. The blooms avoid frost damage by appearing a week or two later than is typical of the species.
Flowers are followed by leaves that emerge bright red and gradually become semi-glossy and dark green by early summer. The exceptionally healthy leaves withstand the heat of summer and periods of drought. Superior drought tolerance has been proven by more than 10 years of performance trials in Southeastern United States. The leaves cast cool shade throughout the season. Prunus sargentii ‘JFS-KW58’ is ready to stand up to summer’s challenges. Selected for being the most exceptionally healthy and disease resistant cherry, its leaves stay clean and fresh even in the wettest and coolest springs. Autumn color has varied from an attractive red-purple to orange-red. The leaves are consistently bright and long lasting regardless of geography.
Prunus sargentii ‘JFS-KW58’ develops small fruit, 1/3 inch long, ovoid, purple-black drupes that ripen to a dark purple in summer. Lustrous bark is an attractive reddish brown. The narrow and upright form is excellent for urban settings.
From its origin as a seed picked up from a tree in the northernmost range of the species in Japan, it was introduced in 2004 by Keith Warren at J. Frank Schmidt & Son, Nursery. Pink Flair has proven to be exceptionally adaptable to extremes of heat and cold via plantings in North Dakota, New England, California and the Midwest and Southeast. This tree is in the Rosaceae family of trees and thrives over a wide range of the U.S. from the muggy Southeast to the fierce cold of Zone 3b in North Dakota. This makes Prunus sargentii ‘JFS-KW58’ one of the hardiest of the flowering cherries.
There is a Pink Flair® Cherry growing at the courtyard entrance to the Seattle Japanese Garden just southeast of the front gate. The cherry is in a line of trees surrounding the lawn. The plaque underneath the trees informs Garden visitors that:
“The Pink Flair® Cherry trees are a gift from the people of Japan
in recognition of the lasting ties of friendship and
enterprise that bind the State of Washington
with its neighbor across the Pacific.
Dated May 20, 2014.”
Pink Flair® Cherry Photo
Sources
- Dirr, Michael A. and Keith S. Warren, “The Tree Book”, Timber Press, 2019.
- Herman, Dale, “Small Prunus show promise for Northern Plains landscapes”, Nursery Management, July 2008.
- J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., Prunus sargentii ‘JFS-KW58’, 2020 Catalog.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA 0.25 toward science and 0.25 toward 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.
Managing Winter Injury
Edited By Len Phillips
In the autumn, it is often necessary to provide extra attention to newly installed trees to help them over-winter and start growth in the spring in peak condition. Potential winter damage can be divided into three categories:
- Desiccation
- Freezing
- Breakage
1. Desiccation
Several environmental factors can influence desiccation. Desiccation is a significant cause of damage, particularly on evergreens when water transpires from the tree leaves or needles faster than it is taken up by the roots in frozen soil. If the autumn has been particularly dry or the soil is frozen, there may be insufficient ground moisture to supply the roots with adequate water.
Management
Proper watering is a critical factor in winterizing trees especially those that were recently installed. Give trees a deep soaking in autumn just before the soil freezes that will provide water to the entire root system during the winter. This practice is especially important for evergreens. Watering during warm days during the winter months is also important, along with mulching for erosion control and preventing the loss of water near the soil surface. A two-inch (5 cm) layer of mulch will help maintain uniform soil moisture around the roots. It also reduces the amount of alternate freezing and thawing of the soil which may cause frost heaving if the roots on a B&B tree have not grown into the soil next to the planting pit.
Anti-desiccant compounds typically sprayed onto leaves are sold in many garden centers and supply catalogs for the purpose of slowing the rate of transpiration. However, research has shown that these compounds degrade rapidly and are of little value toward preventing desiccation.
2. Freezing
Frost heaving occurs when alternate freezing and thawing of the soil pushes small, shallow-rooted trees out of the ground. This prevents the trees from having firm contact with the soil and exposes the roots to wind desiccation. If a tree has been heaved from the ground, dig it up, wrap the roots in wet newspaper and reinstall the tree as soon as the soil thaws. Bare root trees are much less likely to heave from the ground.
New growth that has been stimulated in early autumn by a late summer fertilization or an autumn pruning that may not have had time to harden off sufficiently, may not survive sudden temperature drops to below freezing. In these situations, ice crystals will rupture cell walls and result in dead branches and branch tips.
Management: Avoid late summer and early autumn fertilization while trees are still actively growing because this stimulates growth which is easily killed by cold temperatures. A sharp temperature change between day and night may freeze the water within the trunk of a tree causing it to explode or split open in a symptom called bark split or frost cracking. If not severe, these cracks seem to close when warm weather arrives although the wood fibers within the tree may not grow back together. This is sometimes called southwest injury because it is most commonly found on the southwest side of trees where warm afternoon sun enhances the extremes between the day and night temperatures. In most cases, summer tree growth closes the cracks adequately, with no other treatment necessary.
Wrapping trunks with burlap strips or commercial tree wrap, painting the trunk with white latex paint, or even shading with a board standing up next to the trunk, may prevent bark splitting on thin barked and newly installed trees. All of these methods reflect sunlight and reduce the buildup of heat during the day, thus reducing the temperature fluctuations that cause the splitting. All wraps should be removed, after the winter season, to prevent insect and moisture damage.
The sun can also prematurely stimulate the opening of flowers or leaf buds in the spring. Freezing night temperatures might kill the flower buds, although the leaf buds usually survive. Even with good management, injury to young growth may still occur as a result of unusual weather patterns.
Root injury may occur in containers and planters, or balled and burlapped (B&B) stock that has been left exposed during the winter. Lethal root temperatures can start at 28°F (– 2°C) on some species. Tender trees should be placed in protected areas or sunk into the ground. Trees grouped together should be heavily mulched especially between the root balls to avoid rodent damage to tender bark and low temperature injury to the roots.
3. Breakage
Breakage of branches in winter is usually related to damage by the weight of snow and ice and by careless snow removal. High winds can compound the damage to ice-covered trees. Damage may take the form of misshapen trees, broken branches and split trunks.
Management: Proper pruning at an appropriate time throughout the year is effective in reducing potential damage by ice and snow. Particularly important is pruning to encourage a central leader. Avoid late-summer pruning that stimulates new, tender growth that reduces the supply of nutrients available to the tree through the winter.
Snow that has collected on newly installed or weak branched shrubs should be removed with a broom. Always sweep upward with the broom to lift snow off. When the branches are frozen and brittle, avoid disturbing them until a warm day or until the ice naturally melts away.
Planning Ahead to Avoid Damage
Much of the disappointment and frustration of winter-damaged trees can be avoided by planning ahead.
- Select Hardy Trees – Install trees that are native or are known to be winter hardy in your area.
- Select an Appropriate Site – When installing trees that are known to be easily injured, select a location where they will be protected from prevailing winds and intense winter sun. These exposures will also delay spring growth, thus preventing late spring frost injury to new flower growth.
- Avoid Low Spots and Roof Overhangs – Avoid sites that are likely to experience rapid fluctuations in temperature and heavy snow or ice loads.
- Promote Healthy Trees – Do not install trees that are diseased or deficient in nutrients.
- Treating Winter Injury – Many trees have protective mechanisms such as shedding leaves, positioning their leaves flat against their stems, rolling their leaves downward or the margins inward; and wilted-looking leaves. The red, purple, bronze, and brown winter color of some evergreens should not be confused with winter injury.
Dealing with Winter Injury
After a particularly severe winter, many trees may show substantial injury such as discolored, burned evergreen needles or leaves, heaved root systems, and dead or broken branch tips and branches. The extent of winter damage can best be determined after new growth starts in the spring. At that time, prune all dead twigs or branches back to within one quarter of an inch above a live bud, or to the branch collar of the nearest live branch. There is no need to remove branches if scraping the outer bark reveals a green layer underneath.
If discoloration on narrow-leafed evergreen needles is not too severe, they may regain their color or develop new foliage in spring. Broad-leaved evergreens showing leaf damage will usually produce new leaves if the leaf buds have not been too severely injured. Prune to remove badly damaged or broken branches, to shape the tree and to stimulate new growth.
An application of fertilizer in the spring to the soil around winter-damaged trees, accompanied by adequate watering, will usually induce new growth to compensate for winter injuries.
Special care should be given to trees injured by the cold. The dry summer months can be particularly damaging, as the trees are weak and often unable to survive the stress of drought.
Rodent Damage
In winter, mice may chew off the bark at ground level or below and can completely girdle a tree, causing it to die. Since most of this damage takes place during winter, keep the mulch pulled away from the base of the tree and examine it frequently for the presence of mice. In many situations placing poison bait in their runways and according to directions, controls mice. Mice may also be controlled by trapping.
Rabbits can also chew the bark off young trees each year. Where rabbits are a common problem, a satisfactory method of preventing damage is the use of a mechanical guard around the tree trunk. Tree wraps can also be used, but must be removed in the early spring to prevent damage to the tree. Rabbit and deer repellents under various trade names are also available but may wash off during winter rains and snow melts. So, select a repellent that is easily reapplied in winter.
Road Salt Damage to Trees
Road salt contains dissolved salts that injure the trees by dehydration but also can change the structure of the soil, causing it to become compacted. Although the salt is applied throughout the winter, most damage occurs when trees are beginning active growth in spring. The primary symptom of salt damage is marginal scorch on leaf edges. (see Salt Tolerant and Salt Sensitive Species below)
Management: During the winter, the goal is to prevent salt from reaching the trees, and to wash it off the trees with copious amounts of water. Do not pile snow containing salt around trees or put it where runoff will flow over root zones. Where runoff is unavoidable, flush the area around the trees in early spring by applying 2" of water over a 2-3 hour period and repeat 3 days later. This will leach much of the salt from the soil.
During the summer, incorporate large quantities of organic materials into salt damaged soil to enhance its texture and to increase its water and nutrient holding capacity. Trees that are already stressed by salt will do better if no other stresses are added to them.
Salt Tolerant Species
White oak Quercus alba
Honey locust Gleditsia sp.
Scots pine Pinus sylvestris
Red oak Quercus rubra
Junipers Juniperus sp.
Roses Rosa sp.
Salt Sensitive Species
Red pine Pinus resinosa
White pine Pinus strobus
Black walnut Juglans nigra
Red maple Acer rubrum
Sugar maple Acer saccharum
Source
- Relf, Diane, and Bonnie Appleton, “Managing Winter Injury to Trees and Shrubs”, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, and Virginia State University, May 1, 2009.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA 0.5 toward 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.
Municipal Arboriculture History
By Len Phillips - Boxford, MA Tree Warden 2001 - 2009
The growing of trees by humans was first recorded four thousand years ago on Egyptian tombs and later in the Assyrian’s parks in 700 B.C. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon in 600 B.C. provided vegetation within an urban setting. Greek cities in 500 B.C. were planted with plane trees and poplars. These trees were irrigated with runoff carried in stone channels. Spanish, Islamic, and Muslim gardens contained figs and plane trees for cooling and shade. Before 700 A.D. bonsai originated in China and then spread eastward to Korea, and finally to Japan.
Urban forestry, as we know it today, probably began in the 1200’s when elms were installed adjacent to English cathedrals and yews were grown in cemeteries to absorb the vapors produced by putrefaction. Later, in the 1600’s, trees in Paris were planted specifically to create a network of tree lined boulevards and avenues. During the early 1700’s in England, major efforts were undertaken to install trees for ornamental reasons in urban parks and along London’s streets to improve the city’s environment.
In America’s colonial times, east coast village greens in the center of every town provided a meeting place, a pasture for cows and horses, and some aesthetic relief. The use of trees in the urban landscape copied the techniques used in Europe. William Penn declared one acre out of five should be spared of clearing in Philadelphia. In 1635, Boston ordered all the trees removed from the neck connecting the city to the mainland. The wood was used for building lumber and fuel. This also eliminated the forest trees that provided cover for robbers who ambushed travelers. By 1646 however, Bostonians realized that the loss of the forest caused floods, erosion, and no shelter from the intense summer heat. “The first public shade tree installation project in the New World occurred the spring of 1646 when a large number of men planted American elm trees along the road to the center of Boston. The children carried water to the trees while the women and maidens prepared food for everyone.”
In the 1800’s, more cities began to plant and protect city trees. The 1791 plan for Washington D.C. contained trees as major design elements. The planting of tree species from Europe was quite popular until the mid-1800s. Soon after the Lewis and Clark expeditions (1804 - 1806), new plant material from the west coast led to the introduction of western evergreens into the eastern landscapes. Native species gained popularity in the 1850’s along with fruit trees that were popular according to the nursery trade. Beginning in the 1860’s, China and Japan opened their doors to the world and a flood of new species were introduced, many of them becoming excellent urban trees.
The rise of horticulture as a science also occurred in the 1800’s. Massachusetts and Pennsylvania Horticultural Societies are generally credited with having a major influence on the selection and installation of trees in the urban environment. The planting of elms on Boston Common in the 1810’s was followed by Lynn, Massachusetts, when that city first installed street trees according to modern principals in the 1830’s.
During the 1850’s, landscape architecture was born. Some of the leaders in this movement were Andrew Jackson Downing, Calvert Vaux, and Frederick Law Olmsted. In 1872, J. Sterling Morton, a farmer-legislator, then living in a relatively treeless Nebraska, proposed that an annual Arbor Day be observed for the purpose of planting trees, a practice that is now observed in most of North America. The holiday grew out of a local campaign conducted by Morton’s hometown newspaper to plant trees on Nebraska’s treeless prairie. Morton bought 160 acres of barren land and immediately began creating a grove. Today, his home is transformed into a park known as Arbor Lodge. It contains 150 different varieties of trees and shrubs. His son, Joy, in 1922 founded the 1500 acre Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois with about 4,800 different types of plants, making it one of the largest arboretums of its kind.
One of the early textbooks dealing with street tree maintenance and arboriculture practice was issued by forester B. E. Fernow, in 1911. This was the beginning of forestry education and arboriculture in Canada. Fernow preferred that the term “tree warden” be applied to the care of street and lawn trees. Cities and towns in the Northeastern states had tree wardens appointed as early as the 1700’s. Professor Solartoroff, in New Jersey also published an early book on urban shade trees that is considered one of the first and best textbooks on this subject.
In 1899, the office of Tree Warden was established in every city and town in Massachusetts. Three years later, the first professional forestry organization, the Massachusetts Forestry Association, was formed to provide training and technical assistance to the tree wardens. Although this organization was first dominated by foresters, urban foresters later became predominant and today the utility arborists dominate the organization.
From 1893 to 1916, Dr. George E. Stone served as professor of Botany at the University of Massachusetts. His scientific discoveries in arboriculture evolved into modern day tree surgery. He was deeply concerned with the urbanization of America and what the impact the expansion of utilities above ground and below, was having on street trees. Dr. Stone also served from 1900 to 1915 as Tree Warden of Amherst, MA, and spent many years dealing with legislation to license Arborists and the valuation of shade trees. One of Dr. Stone’s pupils was John Davey. John wrote an excellent book which separated forestry from arboriculture. John also founded the Davey Tree Company.
With so many new insects and plant diseases, new pesticides were being developed that required expertise in their application. New tree and shrub varieties from all over the world were also being introduced. A short course for tree workers was established in 1913 at the Massachusetts Agricultural College. At the close of this first short course, through the efforts of Dr. Stone, 25 classmates formed the Massachusetts Tree Wardens and Foresters Association.
Colleges in Michigan in the 1920’s and Ohio in the 1930’s, began to offer forestry programs and in 1947, the first degree in Arboriculture was issued. University courses to study urban forestry as an integrated urban forest ecosystem were first introduced at the University of Toronto in 1965.
In 1869, gypsy moths were accidentally released from an entomology professor's home in Malden, MA and as the moth populations grew, problems began about 20 years later. The devastation brought about by gypsy moths was probably the most important factor which led to the creation of laws dealing with arboriculture and the need to educate and hire municipal arborists. With the advance of the 1940’s phloem necrosis and oak wilt problem, came recognition for the need of knowledge about how to deal with insects and diseases. Research was directed to many universities and the need for experience in shade tree management was recognized in many cities. The individual who needed the research in which to cope with the tree problems became the city forester, city arborist, or the tree warden.
In 1936, the Shade Tree Laboratory at the Massachusetts Agricultural College was established in response to the threat from Dutch Elm Disease (DED). This was soon followed by the Waltham (MA) Field laboratory which became a special focal point to save and promote municipal arboriculture. The loss of urban elms to DED in the 1950’s, caused another public awareness of the bleak environment that resulted from the loss of trees. This encouraged an interest in tree installation programs everywhere. Although most cities in the first half of the twentieth century, began urban forestry programs, it was not until the 1960’s and 70’s that urban forestry became a separate profession. Foresters began communicating with environmentalists and a specialty of environmental forestry developed in leading communities. This was coupled with the trend to install trees in the suburbs where there was a higher value placed on trees.
Street Tree Master Plans
The first indication of the need for information pertaining to urban tree management began back in the 1920’s. It wasn’t until the 1970’s however, that a nationwide interest in street tree inventories developed, and approximately one third of the large American cities had, or considered making one. This coincided with a desire to organize pruning efforts to a city-wide scheduled program instead of on-demand which was recognized as being very inefficient. The late 70’s and 80’s brought a trend of using arboricultural consultants to prepare the inventory, analyze the data, and prepare a street tree master plan.
The street tree master plan was largely an unknown until the late 1970’s when a few consulting firms and municipal arborists from around the US experimented with writing them. It was remarkable that all of these independent actions achieved similar results in approach and format of a plan. They all contained an evaluated inventory, an evaluation of the community, local regulations, and a planting plan or tree list. Later plans became more elaborate and comprehensive.
During the 1980’s, as computerization became affordable and widespread, the need for accurate, up-to-date inventories and carefully designed street tree master plans became apparent in cities everywhere. The consulting firms and universities which designed these programs were able to customize each plan to the specific needs of each community. In 1993, the book “Urban Trees, A Guide for Selection, Maintenance and Master Planning”, by Leonard Phillips, brought the whole concept of the urban forestry program together.
Federal Regulations
In 1967, a citizen’s committee recommended to the President of the United States that the US Forest Service should develop an urban forestry program that would provide technical assistance to US cities. By 1971 the Urban Forestry Act was passed to provide technical assistance to cities and states for local urban forestry programs. The 1978 Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act expanded the commitment to urban forestry with cost sharing support for tree installation programs.
Urban Forestry Associations
There are a wide variety of associations that deal with urban forestry. The National Shade Tree Conference (NSTC) began in 1924. The NSTC became the International Shade Tree Conference in 1968 and the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) in 1976. The ISA now deals with the entire spectrum of arboriculture with the exception of forest care and tree care businesses, and it contains several professional affiliate or special interest groups.
In the early 1960’s many of the urban foresters sought better representation and more time at the NSTC annual meeting. When nothing happened, the group started the Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA) in 1964. The goal was to form a society devoted to research and educational subjects in municipal arboriculture. Today the SMA sponsors a Municipal Forestry Institute training program, publishes City Trees magazine as its journal, and provides many other services to its members.
With the departure of municipal members, the NSTC established the Municipal Arborists and Urban Foresters Society (MAUFS) in 1969 to meet the needs of their municipal arborists. A major association battle for members occurred in the early 1970’s as the SMA and MAUFS struggled for growth. By 1978 MAUFS membership had grown from 26 to 64 members that peaked in 1989 at 245. The SMA started with 21 members and grew to almost 200 members in the mid 90’s. There were several attempts at merging these two organizations into one. Finally, in 1996 the two became the SMA as a professional affiliate of the ISA and the combined membership was 377. Today the membership is 1000+ members from around the world.
The National Arborist Association (NAA) formed in 1938 as a special interest group in the NSTC until leaving in the mid 1950’s and eventually became today’s Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), with a focus on safety and training programs for commercial tree care companies.
Since 1900, the Society of American Foresters (SAF) has provided access to information and networking opportunities to prepare members for the challenges and the changes that face natural resource professionals. In 1972, the SAF created an urban forestry working group. This group developed a comprehensive definition for urban forestry and continues to provide some support for urban forestry programs.
The American Forestry Association (AFA) has been publishing information about general forestry since 1875 and developed the National Urban Forest Council in 1981 to promote an appreciation of the benefits of the urban forest. Since 1992 it has been called American Forests. This group is refocused on conservation and replanting forests after disasters.
The National Arbor Day Foundation (NADF) was founded in 1972, 100 years after the first Arbor Day celebration in Nebraska. This group, now numbering over a million members serves an educational function by passing technical information and over 350 million seedling trees to its lay members. The NADF also sponsors the very popular Tree City USA program and it’s Arbor Day Institute which provides training programs for the layman and professional arborists. The popularity of the Tree City USA program has resulted in 22 other programs such as Tree Cities of the World, three Tree Campus programs, and Tree Line USA for utility companies. They have also developed programs for corporations and researchers, and partnerships with various special interest groups.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, 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 - Boxford, MA Tree Warden 2001 - 2009
The growing of trees by humans was first recorded four thousand years ago on Egyptian tombs and later in the Assyrian’s parks in 700 B.C. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon in 600 B.C. provided vegetation within an urban setting. Greek cities in 500 B.C. were planted with plane trees and poplars. These trees were irrigated with runoff carried in stone channels. Spanish, Islamic, and Muslim gardens contained figs and plane trees for cooling and shade. Before 700 A.D. bonsai originated in China and then spread eastward to Korea, and finally to Japan.
Urban forestry, as we know it today, probably began in the 1200’s when elms were installed adjacent to English cathedrals and yews were grown in cemeteries to absorb the vapors produced by putrefaction. Later, in the 1600’s, trees in Paris were planted specifically to create a network of tree lined boulevards and avenues. During the early 1700’s in England, major efforts were undertaken to install trees for ornamental reasons in urban parks and along London’s streets to improve the city’s environment.
In America’s colonial times, east coast village greens in the center of every town provided a meeting place, a pasture for cows and horses, and some aesthetic relief. The use of trees in the urban landscape copied the techniques used in Europe. William Penn declared one acre out of five should be spared of clearing in Philadelphia. In 1635, Boston ordered all the trees removed from the neck connecting the city to the mainland. The wood was used for building lumber and fuel. This also eliminated the forest trees that provided cover for robbers who ambushed travelers. By 1646 however, Bostonians realized that the loss of the forest caused floods, erosion, and no shelter from the intense summer heat. “The first public shade tree installation project in the New World occurred the spring of 1646 when a large number of men planted American elm trees along the road to the center of Boston. The children carried water to the trees while the women and maidens prepared food for everyone.”
In the 1800’s, more cities began to plant and protect city trees. The 1791 plan for Washington D.C. contained trees as major design elements. The planting of tree species from Europe was quite popular until the mid-1800s. Soon after the Lewis and Clark expeditions (1804 - 1806), new plant material from the west coast led to the introduction of western evergreens into the eastern landscapes. Native species gained popularity in the 1850’s along with fruit trees that were popular according to the nursery trade. Beginning in the 1860’s, China and Japan opened their doors to the world and a flood of new species were introduced, many of them becoming excellent urban trees.
The rise of horticulture as a science also occurred in the 1800’s. Massachusetts and Pennsylvania Horticultural Societies are generally credited with having a major influence on the selection and installation of trees in the urban environment. The planting of elms on Boston Common in the 1810’s was followed by Lynn, Massachusetts, when that city first installed street trees according to modern principals in the 1830’s.
During the 1850’s, landscape architecture was born. Some of the leaders in this movement were Andrew Jackson Downing, Calvert Vaux, and Frederick Law Olmsted. In 1872, J. Sterling Morton, a farmer-legislator, then living in a relatively treeless Nebraska, proposed that an annual Arbor Day be observed for the purpose of planting trees, a practice that is now observed in most of North America. The holiday grew out of a local campaign conducted by Morton’s hometown newspaper to plant trees on Nebraska’s treeless prairie. Morton bought 160 acres of barren land and immediately began creating a grove. Today, his home is transformed into a park known as Arbor Lodge. It contains 150 different varieties of trees and shrubs. His son, Joy, in 1922 founded the 1500 acre Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois with about 4,800 different types of plants, making it one of the largest arboretums of its kind.
One of the early textbooks dealing with street tree maintenance and arboriculture practice was issued by forester B. E. Fernow, in 1911. This was the beginning of forestry education and arboriculture in Canada. Fernow preferred that the term “tree warden” be applied to the care of street and lawn trees. Cities and towns in the Northeastern states had tree wardens appointed as early as the 1700’s. Professor Solartoroff, in New Jersey also published an early book on urban shade trees that is considered one of the first and best textbooks on this subject.
In 1899, the office of Tree Warden was established in every city and town in Massachusetts. Three years later, the first professional forestry organization, the Massachusetts Forestry Association, was formed to provide training and technical assistance to the tree wardens. Although this organization was first dominated by foresters, urban foresters later became predominant and today the utility arborists dominate the organization.
From 1893 to 1916, Dr. George E. Stone served as professor of Botany at the University of Massachusetts. His scientific discoveries in arboriculture evolved into modern day tree surgery. He was deeply concerned with the urbanization of America and what the impact the expansion of utilities above ground and below, was having on street trees. Dr. Stone also served from 1900 to 1915 as Tree Warden of Amherst, MA, and spent many years dealing with legislation to license Arborists and the valuation of shade trees. One of Dr. Stone’s pupils was John Davey. John wrote an excellent book which separated forestry from arboriculture. John also founded the Davey Tree Company.
With so many new insects and plant diseases, new pesticides were being developed that required expertise in their application. New tree and shrub varieties from all over the world were also being introduced. A short course for tree workers was established in 1913 at the Massachusetts Agricultural College. At the close of this first short course, through the efforts of Dr. Stone, 25 classmates formed the Massachusetts Tree Wardens and Foresters Association.
Colleges in Michigan in the 1920’s and Ohio in the 1930’s, began to offer forestry programs and in 1947, the first degree in Arboriculture was issued. University courses to study urban forestry as an integrated urban forest ecosystem were first introduced at the University of Toronto in 1965.
In 1869, gypsy moths were accidentally released from an entomology professor's home in Malden, MA and as the moth populations grew, problems began about 20 years later. The devastation brought about by gypsy moths was probably the most important factor which led to the creation of laws dealing with arboriculture and the need to educate and hire municipal arborists. With the advance of the 1940’s phloem necrosis and oak wilt problem, came recognition for the need of knowledge about how to deal with insects and diseases. Research was directed to many universities and the need for experience in shade tree management was recognized in many cities. The individual who needed the research in which to cope with the tree problems became the city forester, city arborist, or the tree warden.
In 1936, the Shade Tree Laboratory at the Massachusetts Agricultural College was established in response to the threat from Dutch Elm Disease (DED). This was soon followed by the Waltham (MA) Field laboratory which became a special focal point to save and promote municipal arboriculture. The loss of urban elms to DED in the 1950’s, caused another public awareness of the bleak environment that resulted from the loss of trees. This encouraged an interest in tree installation programs everywhere. Although most cities in the first half of the twentieth century, began urban forestry programs, it was not until the 1960’s and 70’s that urban forestry became a separate profession. Foresters began communicating with environmentalists and a specialty of environmental forestry developed in leading communities. This was coupled with the trend to install trees in the suburbs where there was a higher value placed on trees.
Street Tree Master Plans
The first indication of the need for information pertaining to urban tree management began back in the 1920’s. It wasn’t until the 1970’s however, that a nationwide interest in street tree inventories developed, and approximately one third of the large American cities had, or considered making one. This coincided with a desire to organize pruning efforts to a city-wide scheduled program instead of on-demand which was recognized as being very inefficient. The late 70’s and 80’s brought a trend of using arboricultural consultants to prepare the inventory, analyze the data, and prepare a street tree master plan.
The street tree master plan was largely an unknown until the late 1970’s when a few consulting firms and municipal arborists from around the US experimented with writing them. It was remarkable that all of these independent actions achieved similar results in approach and format of a plan. They all contained an evaluated inventory, an evaluation of the community, local regulations, and a planting plan or tree list. Later plans became more elaborate and comprehensive.
During the 1980’s, as computerization became affordable and widespread, the need for accurate, up-to-date inventories and carefully designed street tree master plans became apparent in cities everywhere. The consulting firms and universities which designed these programs were able to customize each plan to the specific needs of each community. In 1993, the book “Urban Trees, A Guide for Selection, Maintenance and Master Planning”, by Leonard Phillips, brought the whole concept of the urban forestry program together.
Federal Regulations
In 1967, a citizen’s committee recommended to the President of the United States that the US Forest Service should develop an urban forestry program that would provide technical assistance to US cities. By 1971 the Urban Forestry Act was passed to provide technical assistance to cities and states for local urban forestry programs. The 1978 Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act expanded the commitment to urban forestry with cost sharing support for tree installation programs.
Urban Forestry Associations
There are a wide variety of associations that deal with urban forestry. The National Shade Tree Conference (NSTC) began in 1924. The NSTC became the International Shade Tree Conference in 1968 and the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) in 1976. The ISA now deals with the entire spectrum of arboriculture with the exception of forest care and tree care businesses, and it contains several professional affiliate or special interest groups.
In the early 1960’s many of the urban foresters sought better representation and more time at the NSTC annual meeting. When nothing happened, the group started the Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA) in 1964. The goal was to form a society devoted to research and educational subjects in municipal arboriculture. Today the SMA sponsors a Municipal Forestry Institute training program, publishes City Trees magazine as its journal, and provides many other services to its members.
With the departure of municipal members, the NSTC established the Municipal Arborists and Urban Foresters Society (MAUFS) in 1969 to meet the needs of their municipal arborists. A major association battle for members occurred in the early 1970’s as the SMA and MAUFS struggled for growth. By 1978 MAUFS membership had grown from 26 to 64 members that peaked in 1989 at 245. The SMA started with 21 members and grew to almost 200 members in the mid 90’s. There were several attempts at merging these two organizations into one. Finally, in 1996 the two became the SMA as a professional affiliate of the ISA and the combined membership was 377. Today the membership is 1000+ members from around the world.
The National Arborist Association (NAA) formed in 1938 as a special interest group in the NSTC until leaving in the mid 1950’s and eventually became today’s Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), with a focus on safety and training programs for commercial tree care companies.
Since 1900, the Society of American Foresters (SAF) has provided access to information and networking opportunities to prepare members for the challenges and the changes that face natural resource professionals. In 1972, the SAF created an urban forestry working group. This group developed a comprehensive definition for urban forestry and continues to provide some support for urban forestry programs.
The American Forestry Association (AFA) has been publishing information about general forestry since 1875 and developed the National Urban Forest Council in 1981 to promote an appreciation of the benefits of the urban forest. Since 1992 it has been called American Forests. This group is refocused on conservation and replanting forests after disasters.
The National Arbor Day Foundation (NADF) was founded in 1972, 100 years after the first Arbor Day celebration in Nebraska. This group, now numbering over a million members serves an educational function by passing technical information and over 350 million seedling trees to its lay members. The NADF also sponsors the very popular Tree City USA program and it’s Arbor Day Institute which provides training programs for the layman and professional arborists. The popularity of the Tree City USA program has resulted in 22 other programs such as Tree Cities of the World, three Tree Campus programs, and Tree Line USA for utility companies. They have also developed programs for corporations and researchers, and partnerships with various special interest groups.
Sources
- Basile, Fred C., “The Golden Year Edition”, Massachusetts Tree Wardens and Foresters Association, 1962.
- Campana, R.J., “A History of Arboriculture in North America, University of Maine, 1992.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, 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.
Trees with Tales
By Len Phillips
The Tree
Salix babylonica is commonly called Weeping Willow. An early Chinese cultivar was Salix babylonica 'Pendula' or Babylon Weeping Willow. The branches and twigs of this weeping willow are strongly pendulous and were presumably growing along ancient trade routes. Synonymous names for Salix babylonica are Salix matsudana and S. babylonica var. pekinensis.
The elegant Salix babylonica is a lowland or shoreline tree that prefers to have ample moisture nearby. It grows best in full sun and medium to wet organic-rich soil that is well drained. To thrive, it also must be grown within the USDA Hardiness Zone 6 – 9 and the AHS Heat Zone 9 – 1.
The Tales
Weeping willow is a medium to large deciduous tree that grows up to 65 – 80 feet (20 – 25 m) tall and wide. It grows rapidly but has a short lifespan of between 40 and 75 years. The Champion Salix babylonica is located in Tazewell County, VA and has a height of 95 feet (29 m) and spread of 93 feet (28 m).
Salix babylonica has a stout trunk topped by a graceful rounded crown of branches that sweep downward toward the ground. The branches are typically green or brown, while the trunk bark becomes gray to black. The branches are long and pendulous with small buds. In April to May, they bear soft, inconspicuous yellow-green catkin flowers that are not individually showy. The tree in total, takes on a yellowish glow in the landscape which is very noticeable because there are no other trees in leaf when this tree begins a new growing season. Just after flowering, the long slender green leaves appear. The leaves are alternate and are arranged in light green spirals 1 – 6 inches (4–16 cm) long and 1/4 – 3/4 inch (0.5–2 cm) wide with finely serrate margins and long acuminate tips. The leaves turn a golden yellow in autumn. The leaf undersides are waxy and pale green.
In more humid climates, Salix babylonica is susceptible to a canker disease called willow anthracnose (Marssonina salicicola), which makes infected trees very short-lived and unsightly. Also of concern are blights, powdery mildew, and leaf spots. It also is visited by many insect pests including aphids, scale, borers, lacebugs and caterpillars. Branches may be damaged by ice and heavy wet snow. Litter from leaves, twigs and branches may be a problem if the tree is growing in a maintained landscape. The shallow roots have also been known to clog sewers or drains and make gardening underneath the trees difficult.
Pruning, if needed should be done in late winter to early spring. The wood is weak and tends to crack. Tree climbers should be very careful when climbing this tree.
Two cultivated hybrids between pendulous Salix babylonica and other species of Salix which have pendulous branches are more commonly grown than S. babylonica itself. These distinctive hybrid trees were subsequently also called weeping willows when they were introduced into England from Aleppo in northern Syria in 1730. Salix babylonica is dioecious, which means the male and female catkins are on separate trees. The S. babylonica hybrid trees are all females, readily propagated vegetatively, and capable of hybridizing with various other species of willows. They do not breed true from seed. S. babylonica especially its pendulous-branched or weeping form, has been introduced into many other areas around the globe including Europe and the southeastern United States. But beyond China, the species has not generally been as successfully cultivated as some of its hybrid derivatives. This means that most of the weeping willows in the US today are hybrid females.
While Salix babylonica is not recommended for being a “city tree”, it can be a spectacular specimen on a hillside meadow or at the edge of a pond or moist lowlands with its branches gracefully weeping down to touch the soil or water. However, it is often very difficult to find the right spot to grow this tree in a residential landscape because of its susceptibility to breakage, potential insect/disease problems, invasive roots which seek out cracks in sewer lines and water pipes, litter potential, and overall mature size. Despite the problems, it is a beautiful tree year-round because of its elegant weeping branches that are pretty and interesting with leaves or without.
My favorite memory of Salix occurred on a willow-lined trail going around a small lake. It was interesting to walk the trail as it led you toward the lake before it disappeared under the hanging willow branches. The trail was near the trunk and it felt like walking into a cool tunnel on a hot summer day. It was so peaceful I just had to sit down beside the lake and dangle my feet in the cool water.
Despite all the problems with this tree it does have a couple of very redeeming qualities. More than a century ago the major ingredient in aspirin was discovered in the bark of this species. It was named salicylic acid. Recently a potential drug that can kill cancer cells has also been discovered in the bark of willow trees, sparking hope for a new treatment of childhood cancers. Scientists working with cancer biologists have discovered the chemical, miyabeacin, which has been found to kill various cancer cells, including those resistant to other drugs, is found in willow bark. The researchers are particularly excited about the chemical’s success against neuroblastoma, a hard to treat and common childhood cancer where the overall survival rate is below 50 percent. The next steps are to scale up production of miyabeacin from farmed willows and provide more material for further medical testing.
The use of willow bark in medicine was recorded by ancient Greek, Assyrian, and Egyptian civilizations, but the first scientifically reported investigation of willow as a remedy for fever was in 1763. In 1897 the Bayer Company produced the synthetic analogue, aspirin (acetylsalicylate), one of the earliest and most successful nature-inspired drugs. Today, aspirin is widely recognized as a very effective treatment for a tension headache.
Rothamsted Research is home to the UK’s National Willow Collection and, in conjunction with the Institute’s established expertise in analytical chemistry, researchers put the cancer breakthrough down to having 1,500 willow species and hybrids available to screen with state-of-the-art techniques. Possibly because of the success of aspirin, medicinal assessment of other salicinoids in willow has been mostly neglected by modern science and the National Willow Collection has proven to be a gold-mine of exciting new chemistry that perhaps underlies its position in ancient therapies.
Salix babylonica is also used in phytoremediation processes. Trees such as weeping willow have been identified as significant accumulators of pollutants. Willows provide an uptake of heavy metals collected in their leaves with concentrations at their highest in autumn. Willows are also able to absorb high metal concentrations in their biomass through the use of sulfur-rich proteins. Willows will absorb Cr, Hg, Se, petroleum hydrocarbons, organic solvents, MTBE, TCE, and by-products; Cd, Pb, U, Zn, and Potassium ferrocyanide. As a result of this phytoremediation characteristic, weeping willows are being installed at contaminated sites as well as at locations where airborne pollutants are a problem. They alone will not fix the planet but they will certainly help mankind to cleanup some of his mistakes.
Appreciate the Weeping Willow for its beautiful weeping form as well as for
its ability to absorb pollutants in the air and at contaminated sites.
Weeping Willow Photo (In the nursery trade Salix alba 'Tristis' mostly resembles Salix babylonica and is referred to as a Golden Weeping Willow)
Sources
- Dirr, Michael A. and Keith S. Warren, “The Tree Book”, Timber Press, 2019.
- Learn 2 Grow, “Salix babylonica”, Plant Search, 2017.
- McNamara, Alexander, “Potential childhood cancer treatment found in willow trees”, PA Science, April 16, 2020.
- Missouri Botanical Garden, “Salix babylonica“, Plant Finder
- Wikipedia, Salix babylonica, 28 June 2017
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, 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.
Father Armand David
By Len Phillips
Father Armand David was a tree collector born as Jean Pierre David on September 7, 1826 in Espelette, France near Bayonne in the French Pyrenees. He is also known by the French name Père David. Jean Pierre David was one of three boys in a successful local family. Younger sons of established families would often seek a career in the clergy and this is where young Père went and became Father Armand David. His father, Fructueux, was a magistrate and doctor who had a strong love of nature and an inquisitive mind, traits that Jean Pierre inherited and embraced.
This was a good thing since his older brother inherited everything else from his very rich parents. Father Armand David, a French Vincentian missionary and keen naturalist, moved to China in the mid-19th century.
David was ordained in 1851 and shortly afterwards was sent to Beijing. While there he began a collection of material for a museum of natural history, mainly zoological, but in which botany, geology, and paleontology were discovered and were also well represented. At the request of the French government, important specimens from his collection were sent to Paris and aroused great interest.
David became a superb naturalist, with extensive knowledge in geology, mineralogy, ornithology, zoology, and botany. He also had in his character an innate respect for people and their culture no matter how foreign they may have seemed to him. It was this and his gentle and priestly manner that allowed him to travel to regions of China where strangers, let alone foreigners, were rarely made to feel welcome.
His early collections were so much more than expected. The quality and number of specimens was overwhelming, but it was the careful documentation that made his contributions to the Museum so valuable. Word came back from France that such a fine contributor should be freed from his teaching duties and allowed to pursue his collections full time.
His travels in Mongolia produced few botanical specimens but his later expeditions throughout China, including the north, central and western provinces, would yield collections of astounding size and scope. His second collecting expedition was to Mupim, on the Tibetan frontier where he found the flora to be so richly varied that he decided to collect in a careful and methodical way, lest he miss some tiny treasure.
The Jardin des Plantes commissioned him to undertake scientific journeys through China to make further collections. Father David discovered and described a tree in 1869 found high up a mountain in central China and he sent dried specimens to Paris for identification. It was several years later when Davidia involucrata, commonly known as dove tree, was named for Father Armand David and identified in fossils from over 60 million years ago when the dinosaurs were roaming the earth.
He also succeeded in obtaining many specimens of hitherto unknown animals and plants. He was recognized for the value of his comprehensive collections and the advancement of systematic zoology. But especially for the advancement of animal geography which received universal recognition from the scientific world in Paris in April of 1888.
In addition to bringing knowledge of dove tree to the West, Father David also introduced the West to the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). He found 200 species of other wild animals in China, of which 63 were hitherto unknown to zoologists, and 807 species of birds, 65 of which had not been described before. He made a large collection of reptiles, amphibians, and fishes, and handed it over to specialists for further study. Père David's Rat Snake (Elaphe davidi) was named in his honor by Henri Émile Sauvage in 1884.
The most notable of the animals 'found' by David that were hitherto unknown to Europeans were the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in Baoxing County and Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus). The deer had disappeared with the exception of a few preserved in the gardens of the emperor of China but David succeeded in securing a specimen and sent it to Europe. David also sent back the first emerald ash borer specimen (Agrilus planipennis).
Father David also created a large collection of moths and insects, many of them hitherto unknown. They were brought to the museum of the Jardin des Plantes. What Father David's scientific journeys meant for botany may be inferred from the fact that he collected no less than fifty-two new species of rhododendrons. He also found many Primulae, a genus of mainly herbaceous flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. They include the familiar primrose wildflowers found along stream banks and along the edge of roads. The Western Mountains of China furnished about 40 species of Gentiana, the herb, gentian.
Davidia involucrata was introduced from China to Europe and North America in 1904 by Ernst Wilson and today it is a popular ornamental tree in parks and larger gardens even though dove tree is not well known in the general garden world of the United States. The tree was relatively unknown even in China until Chinese leaders saw the tree growing in some gardens in Switzerland and in Washington, D.C. Most trees in cultivation are D. involucrata var. vilmoriniana that has proven to be much better able to adapt to the climatic conditions in the west. In the United Kingdom, D. involucrata can be seen in many gardens and estates including the Kew Gardens in London.
Father Armand David died on November 10, 1900 in Paris.
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, 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
Father Armand David was a tree collector born as Jean Pierre David on September 7, 1826 in Espelette, France near Bayonne in the French Pyrenees. He is also known by the French name Père David. Jean Pierre David was one of three boys in a successful local family. Younger sons of established families would often seek a career in the clergy and this is where young Père went and became Father Armand David. His father, Fructueux, was a magistrate and doctor who had a strong love of nature and an inquisitive mind, traits that Jean Pierre inherited and embraced.
This was a good thing since his older brother inherited everything else from his very rich parents. Father Armand David, a French Vincentian missionary and keen naturalist, moved to China in the mid-19th century.
David was ordained in 1851 and shortly afterwards was sent to Beijing. While there he began a collection of material for a museum of natural history, mainly zoological, but in which botany, geology, and paleontology were discovered and were also well represented. At the request of the French government, important specimens from his collection were sent to Paris and aroused great interest.
David became a superb naturalist, with extensive knowledge in geology, mineralogy, ornithology, zoology, and botany. He also had in his character an innate respect for people and their culture no matter how foreign they may have seemed to him. It was this and his gentle and priestly manner that allowed him to travel to regions of China where strangers, let alone foreigners, were rarely made to feel welcome.
His early collections were so much more than expected. The quality and number of specimens was overwhelming, but it was the careful documentation that made his contributions to the Museum so valuable. Word came back from France that such a fine contributor should be freed from his teaching duties and allowed to pursue his collections full time.
His travels in Mongolia produced few botanical specimens but his later expeditions throughout China, including the north, central and western provinces, would yield collections of astounding size and scope. His second collecting expedition was to Mupim, on the Tibetan frontier where he found the flora to be so richly varied that he decided to collect in a careful and methodical way, lest he miss some tiny treasure.
The Jardin des Plantes commissioned him to undertake scientific journeys through China to make further collections. Father David discovered and described a tree in 1869 found high up a mountain in central China and he sent dried specimens to Paris for identification. It was several years later when Davidia involucrata, commonly known as dove tree, was named for Father Armand David and identified in fossils from over 60 million years ago when the dinosaurs were roaming the earth.
He also succeeded in obtaining many specimens of hitherto unknown animals and plants. He was recognized for the value of his comprehensive collections and the advancement of systematic zoology. But especially for the advancement of animal geography which received universal recognition from the scientific world in Paris in April of 1888.
In addition to bringing knowledge of dove tree to the West, Father David also introduced the West to the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). He found 200 species of other wild animals in China, of which 63 were hitherto unknown to zoologists, and 807 species of birds, 65 of which had not been described before. He made a large collection of reptiles, amphibians, and fishes, and handed it over to specialists for further study. Père David's Rat Snake (Elaphe davidi) was named in his honor by Henri Émile Sauvage in 1884.
The most notable of the animals 'found' by David that were hitherto unknown to Europeans were the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in Baoxing County and Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus). The deer had disappeared with the exception of a few preserved in the gardens of the emperor of China but David succeeded in securing a specimen and sent it to Europe. David also sent back the first emerald ash borer specimen (Agrilus planipennis).
Father David also created a large collection of moths and insects, many of them hitherto unknown. They were brought to the museum of the Jardin des Plantes. What Father David's scientific journeys meant for botany may be inferred from the fact that he collected no less than fifty-two new species of rhododendrons. He also found many Primulae, a genus of mainly herbaceous flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. They include the familiar primrose wildflowers found along stream banks and along the edge of roads. The Western Mountains of China furnished about 40 species of Gentiana, the herb, gentian.
Davidia involucrata was introduced from China to Europe and North America in 1904 by Ernst Wilson and today it is a popular ornamental tree in parks and larger gardens even though dove tree is not well known in the general garden world of the United States. The tree was relatively unknown even in China until Chinese leaders saw the tree growing in some gardens in Switzerland and in Washington, D.C. Most trees in cultivation are D. involucrata var. vilmoriniana that has proven to be much better able to adapt to the climatic conditions in the west. In the United Kingdom, D. involucrata can be seen in many gardens and estates including the Kew Gardens in London.
Father Armand David died on November 10, 1900 in Paris.
Sources
- Plant Explorers.com, “Father Armand David”, 2020
- Wikipedia, Armand_David, May 3, 2020.
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, 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.
Regulating Removal of Private Trees
Edited by Len Phillips
Commonly called a private tree bylaw, this regulation is intended to encourage awareness of trees, best practices for regulating removals, and encouraging replacement trees with cultivars of native species approximating the size and character of the trees being removed. This draft regulation has taken the essence from many community regulations and combined them into a single document that indicates the minimum requirements a private tree regulation should contain. Users of this regulation must modify it to reflect their individual community and its attitude toward private trees.
Pros and Cons
For the regulation to pass through all the various municipal agencies before it becomes a bylaw, the community must have a robust desire to regulate public as well as privately owned trees. In addition, the effort to develop and approve this bylaw, must be done in cooperation with other municipal regulations and departments in order to obtain a community-wide vote of approval. A decision must also be made to determine if this bylaw should be placed in the general laws of the municipality or whether it should be part of the zoning bylaw.
SAMPLE REGULATION
What follows is a sample regulation that provides the most important features to consider in a permit to remove trees on private property. It is suggested that the sources to this article, listed at the end be reviewed for additional information and items that might be useful to include in a proposed regulation.
Permit Requirement
A permit is required to remove, cut down, or in any other way injure a tree with a diameter of __ inches (suggest 8 in.) (20 cm) or the approximate thickness of a telephone pole) or larger on private property. The tree diameter measurement must be taken at 4.5 feet (1.4 m) (approximately at chest height) above ground level. It applies to trees on all land use types including single family and other residential, commercial, industrial, and public properties. Up to __ number of trees per year may be removed from a property with an approved permit. (Note: tree size and blank spaces __ may vary according to local preference).
Permit applications and instructions are available at the __ (Arborist’s) office and on the community's website.
Permit Exemptions
A tree that is dead, downed, terminally diseased or imminently hazardous does not require a permit. However, the applicant must send a detailed report and receive approval from the community's arborist before proceeding with the actual tree removal work. A permit is not required for routine pruning or trimming of a tree to maintain its health and natural habit.
Application for a Permit
The following items must be submitted with all permit applications:
1. a completed and dated Permit Application form that describes each tree.
2. a completed Owner's Authorization form - if the owner has not signed the Permit Application
3. a detailed Arborist Report that may include parts of item #1.
4. provide a map of the property with tree(s) clearly indicated and numbered on the map.
5. a Landscape/Replanting Plan may be prepared by the homeowner or a professional arborist or a landscape
architect.
6. Tree Protection Plan must be prepared (as applicable) to show protection for trees that are not being removed.
7. Site Plans – for applications which involve building construction, all existing and replacement trees must be
accurately plotted on the Site Plan.
8. The Permit Application Fee is $__ per tree to be removed.
9. The application and fees must be presented at the __ office.
10. You may not proceed with the removal of the tree(s) until you have received a permit of approval to proceed.
Permit Process
Once an application has been filed, the Arborist will perform a site visit to inspect the tree(s). If the Arborist determines that the tree is healthy, there will be a public hearing date set up for comments about the proposed tree removal. There is an additional requirement for the applicant to post a sign on each tree being removed for a two-week period prior to the public hearing on the removal. This sign is intended to notify the neighborhood and invite comments and attendance at a public hearing to be held for the discussion about the tree removals. Some communities will require newspaper legal notices of the public hearing. In these cases, the applicant is required to pay the advertising costs.
Any and all comments are collected for the purpose of providing them to the Arborist. In the event of a permit denial, these comments shall be submitted by the arborist to the community's council, who will oversee the appeal. The applicant, along with interested parties are allowed to address the community's council when the appeal is being considered.
Permits of approval for the tree removal should be posted on the property in plain sight for up to 3 days before cutting occurs. Permits are valid for 90 days.
Appeal of Permit Denial
Appeal requests are lodged with the Arborist's office. The Arborist makes the arrangements for appeal, including preparing a report for community's council and informing the applicant of the meeting schedule.
Fines for illegal tree removal
A person convicted of illegal tree removal is subject to a minimum fine of $__ and a maximum fine of $__ per tree involved in an offense.
Fees
The following fees will be determined by the local community:
1. Non-Construction-related permit applications: fee per tree (with no maximum). $__
2. Construction-related permit applications: fee per tree (with no maximum and usually higher than the non-
construction permit). $__
3. Permit application fees are non-refundable and payable at the time of initial application. Costs for advertising
an appeal, if necessary, is to be paid by the applicant.
4. Completing and submitting a permit application for tree injury or destruction does not guarantee that a permit
will be granted.
Note: Payment must be in the form of a certified check, bank draft, or a debit or credit card.
Street Trees
Some trees typically within 10 feet of a roadway, may actually be on public property and shall not be removed except by the community arborist. However, homeowners may request the tree in question be “condemned” by the arborist who will perform a site inspection to determine if it is a public shade tree or not, and whether removal is needed.
Emergency Removals
There are several ways to deal with emergency situations. An emergency permit request can be filed with the arborist. The arborist will have 24 hours (one working day) to perform a site inspection. If approved, the Arborist will contact the land owner directly to determine a course of action.
Alternatively, if a private tree has fallen or is in immediate danger of falling onto a building or utility line or onto the ground, it may be removed without waiting for a permit approval. In this case, the homeowner must still file for a permit post-fact, within 5 days of the emergency tree removal. There is still a $___fee per tree when applying, and please indicate on the application that it was an emergency removal. The applicant must provide photo documentation of the tree. An arborist report will also be required if the tree has not fallen but was removed in order to determination whether or not the tree is considered a "danger tree."
SAMPLE APPLICATION
1. Date
2. Property Address
3. Is this property part of any historic or other special district?
4. Has this property been purchased or the title transferred in the past 18 months?
5. Is this property for sale now?
6. Contact information of property owner: Phone number, Email
7. Reason for tree removal:
a. Tree is dead, per qualified professional assessment.
b. Tree is diseased, per qualified professional assessment.
c. Tree has been determined to be hazardous by a qualified professional.
8. Qualified tree care professional's information:
Name
Phone Number
Email
Certification Number
Description of tree(s) by homeowner or qualified professional: DBH, Species, Location of Tree on
Property, Reason for Removal
9. Planting __ new trees to meet the no net loss canopy requirement
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, 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
Commonly called a private tree bylaw, this regulation is intended to encourage awareness of trees, best practices for regulating removals, and encouraging replacement trees with cultivars of native species approximating the size and character of the trees being removed. This draft regulation has taken the essence from many community regulations and combined them into a single document that indicates the minimum requirements a private tree regulation should contain. Users of this regulation must modify it to reflect their individual community and its attitude toward private trees.
Pros and Cons
For the regulation to pass through all the various municipal agencies before it becomes a bylaw, the community must have a robust desire to regulate public as well as privately owned trees. In addition, the effort to develop and approve this bylaw, must be done in cooperation with other municipal regulations and departments in order to obtain a community-wide vote of approval. A decision must also be made to determine if this bylaw should be placed in the general laws of the municipality or whether it should be part of the zoning bylaw.
SAMPLE REGULATION
What follows is a sample regulation that provides the most important features to consider in a permit to remove trees on private property. It is suggested that the sources to this article, listed at the end be reviewed for additional information and items that might be useful to include in a proposed regulation.
Permit Requirement
A permit is required to remove, cut down, or in any other way injure a tree with a diameter of __ inches (suggest 8 in.) (20 cm) or the approximate thickness of a telephone pole) or larger on private property. The tree diameter measurement must be taken at 4.5 feet (1.4 m) (approximately at chest height) above ground level. It applies to trees on all land use types including single family and other residential, commercial, industrial, and public properties. Up to __ number of trees per year may be removed from a property with an approved permit. (Note: tree size and blank spaces __ may vary according to local preference).
Permit applications and instructions are available at the __ (Arborist’s) office and on the community's website.
Permit Exemptions
A tree that is dead, downed, terminally diseased or imminently hazardous does not require a permit. However, the applicant must send a detailed report and receive approval from the community's arborist before proceeding with the actual tree removal work. A permit is not required for routine pruning or trimming of a tree to maintain its health and natural habit.
Application for a Permit
The following items must be submitted with all permit applications:
1. a completed and dated Permit Application form that describes each tree.
2. a completed Owner's Authorization form - if the owner has not signed the Permit Application
3. a detailed Arborist Report that may include parts of item #1.
4. provide a map of the property with tree(s) clearly indicated and numbered on the map.
5. a Landscape/Replanting Plan may be prepared by the homeowner or a professional arborist or a landscape
architect.
6. Tree Protection Plan must be prepared (as applicable) to show protection for trees that are not being removed.
7. Site Plans – for applications which involve building construction, all existing and replacement trees must be
accurately plotted on the Site Plan.
8. The Permit Application Fee is $__ per tree to be removed.
9. The application and fees must be presented at the __ office.
10. You may not proceed with the removal of the tree(s) until you have received a permit of approval to proceed.
Permit Process
Once an application has been filed, the Arborist will perform a site visit to inspect the tree(s). If the Arborist determines that the tree is healthy, there will be a public hearing date set up for comments about the proposed tree removal. There is an additional requirement for the applicant to post a sign on each tree being removed for a two-week period prior to the public hearing on the removal. This sign is intended to notify the neighborhood and invite comments and attendance at a public hearing to be held for the discussion about the tree removals. Some communities will require newspaper legal notices of the public hearing. In these cases, the applicant is required to pay the advertising costs.
Any and all comments are collected for the purpose of providing them to the Arborist. In the event of a permit denial, these comments shall be submitted by the arborist to the community's council, who will oversee the appeal. The applicant, along with interested parties are allowed to address the community's council when the appeal is being considered.
Permits of approval for the tree removal should be posted on the property in plain sight for up to 3 days before cutting occurs. Permits are valid for 90 days.
Appeal of Permit Denial
Appeal requests are lodged with the Arborist's office. The Arborist makes the arrangements for appeal, including preparing a report for community's council and informing the applicant of the meeting schedule.
Fines for illegal tree removal
A person convicted of illegal tree removal is subject to a minimum fine of $__ and a maximum fine of $__ per tree involved in an offense.
Fees
The following fees will be determined by the local community:
1. Non-Construction-related permit applications: fee per tree (with no maximum). $__
2. Construction-related permit applications: fee per tree (with no maximum and usually higher than the non-
construction permit). $__
3. Permit application fees are non-refundable and payable at the time of initial application. Costs for advertising
an appeal, if necessary, is to be paid by the applicant.
4. Completing and submitting a permit application for tree injury or destruction does not guarantee that a permit
will be granted.
Note: Payment must be in the form of a certified check, bank draft, or a debit or credit card.
Street Trees
Some trees typically within 10 feet of a roadway, may actually be on public property and shall not be removed except by the community arborist. However, homeowners may request the tree in question be “condemned” by the arborist who will perform a site inspection to determine if it is a public shade tree or not, and whether removal is needed.
Emergency Removals
There are several ways to deal with emergency situations. An emergency permit request can be filed with the arborist. The arborist will have 24 hours (one working day) to perform a site inspection. If approved, the Arborist will contact the land owner directly to determine a course of action.
Alternatively, if a private tree has fallen or is in immediate danger of falling onto a building or utility line or onto the ground, it may be removed without waiting for a permit approval. In this case, the homeowner must still file for a permit post-fact, within 5 days of the emergency tree removal. There is still a $___fee per tree when applying, and please indicate on the application that it was an emergency removal. The applicant must provide photo documentation of the tree. An arborist report will also be required if the tree has not fallen but was removed in order to determination whether or not the tree is considered a "danger tree."
SAMPLE APPLICATION
1. Date
2. Property Address
3. Is this property part of any historic or other special district?
4. Has this property been purchased or the title transferred in the past 18 months?
5. Is this property for sale now?
6. Contact information of property owner: Phone number, Email
7. Reason for tree removal:
a. Tree is dead, per qualified professional assessment.
b. Tree is diseased, per qualified professional assessment.
c. Tree has been determined to be hazardous by a qualified professional.
8. Qualified tree care professional's information:
Name
Phone Number
Certification Number
Description of tree(s) by homeowner or qualified professional: DBH, Species, Location of Tree on
Property, Reason for Removal
9. Planting __ new trees to meet the no net loss canopy requirement
Sources
- City of Decatur, GA has a 15 page ordinance
- Irvington, NY tree Commission; For the entire 10-page Irvington by law click here
- City of Toronto, ON Municipal Code
- Tree Preservation Ordinance click here
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, 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.
A Study on Ash Resistance
Edited by Len Phillips
Agrilus planipennis, commonly known as Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has killed tens of millions of ash trees in North America since it was accidentally imported to the Detroit area from Asia in wooden packaging about 20 years ago. The borer attacks green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), white ash (Fraxinus americana), black ash (Fraxinus nigra) and blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata) and is also a threat to European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) populations.
French priest and naturalist Armand David collected a specimen of the EAB during one of his trips to Beijing, China in the 1860s and 1870s. He sent the specimen to France, where the first brief description of Agrilus planipennis was published in 1888. In its native range, it is typically found at low densities and does not cause significant damage to trees that are native to the area. Outside its native range however, the borer is an invasive species and is highly destructive to ash trees native to Europe and North America. It was discovered near Moscow around 15 years ago and has now completed its spread around the globe.
Researchers in the US recently assembled a list of the small number of trees (less than 1 percent) that have survived the borer assault. Tests show that these surviving ash trees are less receptive to EAB than other ash trees that died. Breeding these select trees may produce trees with an ability to survive borer infestations and will provide seedlings to restore ash in areas destroyed by the borers. When the USDA Forest Service scientists grafted branches of some of these surviving trees and tested them by placing EAB eggs on them or by releasing adult borers into cages containing leaves from the different trees, they found that there may be more than one mechanism responsible for the increased resistance to the EAB. Some ash trees weaken or kill larvae feeding on inner bark tissues, while others have leaves that are less preferred by adult borers. Careful selection and breeding of these trees may lead to even larger increases in EAB resistance by combining the different defense responses. The researchers are propagating and planting clones, or copies of more than 40 surviving ash trees to continue to test their borer resistance and preserve them as a resource for further breeding.
Meanwhile an international team of genetic scientists from the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service in Ohio, the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, went to the Teagasc Forestry Development Department, in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, and met with Senior Research Leaders in Plant Health at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. They have identified ash genes resistant to the EAB that could protect all ash trees from the deadly pest. They sequenced the genomes of 22 species of ash trees from around the world and used this information to analyze how the different species are related to each other and how they might be resistant to the pest.
They tested resistance by hatching eggs that were attached to the bark of various ash trees and followed the fate of the borer larvae. Resistant ash trees generally killed the larvae when they burrowed into their stems while susceptible ash trees died.
The research team observed that several of the resistant species were genetically more closely related to susceptible species than to other resistant species. This meant the scientists were able to find resistant genes by looking for places within the DNA where the resistant species were similar but showed differences from their susceptible relatives.
Using this novel approach, the scientists revealed 53 candidate resistant genes, several of which are involved in making chemicals that are likely to be harmful to the insects. The findings suggest that breeding or gene editing could be used to place these resistant genes into ash species currently affected by EAB. While individual ash trees can be protected by using insecticides, the only long-term solution for saving American ash populations is to breed trees with resistance to EAB.
In the study, the research team found that European ash was more resistant to EAB than the North American species. However, European ash trees are already affected by an epidemic of the fungal disease and ash dieback. Experts have yet to understand how the two threats might interact.
These candidate resistant genes, once validated, have the potential to greatly expedite the breeding process and the production of improved planting stock for restoration of forests and landscapes decimated by EAB.
These significant research findings demonstrate the importance of international collaboration to further fundamental knowledge of pathogen biology. By having a better understanding of the implications of tree diseases globally we are able to ensure appropriate approaches to their management. Hopefully it will not be long before the ash will again be shading our streets and cities.
Late Note: The USDA just announced that they are continuing to release parasitoid wasps that target the Emerald Ash Borer and as of 2018, the wasps have been released in 26 states. This effort began in 2007 and is completely independent of the genetic research going on in other USDA departments.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA 0.25 science and practice 0.25 credits.
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*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
Agrilus planipennis, commonly known as Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has killed tens of millions of ash trees in North America since it was accidentally imported to the Detroit area from Asia in wooden packaging about 20 years ago. The borer attacks green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), white ash (Fraxinus americana), black ash (Fraxinus nigra) and blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata) and is also a threat to European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) populations.
French priest and naturalist Armand David collected a specimen of the EAB during one of his trips to Beijing, China in the 1860s and 1870s. He sent the specimen to France, where the first brief description of Agrilus planipennis was published in 1888. In its native range, it is typically found at low densities and does not cause significant damage to trees that are native to the area. Outside its native range however, the borer is an invasive species and is highly destructive to ash trees native to Europe and North America. It was discovered near Moscow around 15 years ago and has now completed its spread around the globe.
Researchers in the US recently assembled a list of the small number of trees (less than 1 percent) that have survived the borer assault. Tests show that these surviving ash trees are less receptive to EAB than other ash trees that died. Breeding these select trees may produce trees with an ability to survive borer infestations and will provide seedlings to restore ash in areas destroyed by the borers. When the USDA Forest Service scientists grafted branches of some of these surviving trees and tested them by placing EAB eggs on them or by releasing adult borers into cages containing leaves from the different trees, they found that there may be more than one mechanism responsible for the increased resistance to the EAB. Some ash trees weaken or kill larvae feeding on inner bark tissues, while others have leaves that are less preferred by adult borers. Careful selection and breeding of these trees may lead to even larger increases in EAB resistance by combining the different defense responses. The researchers are propagating and planting clones, or copies of more than 40 surviving ash trees to continue to test their borer resistance and preserve them as a resource for further breeding.
Meanwhile an international team of genetic scientists from the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service in Ohio, the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, went to the Teagasc Forestry Development Department, in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, and met with Senior Research Leaders in Plant Health at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. They have identified ash genes resistant to the EAB that could protect all ash trees from the deadly pest. They sequenced the genomes of 22 species of ash trees from around the world and used this information to analyze how the different species are related to each other and how they might be resistant to the pest.
They tested resistance by hatching eggs that were attached to the bark of various ash trees and followed the fate of the borer larvae. Resistant ash trees generally killed the larvae when they burrowed into their stems while susceptible ash trees died.
The research team observed that several of the resistant species were genetically more closely related to susceptible species than to other resistant species. This meant the scientists were able to find resistant genes by looking for places within the DNA where the resistant species were similar but showed differences from their susceptible relatives.
Using this novel approach, the scientists revealed 53 candidate resistant genes, several of which are involved in making chemicals that are likely to be harmful to the insects. The findings suggest that breeding or gene editing could be used to place these resistant genes into ash species currently affected by EAB. While individual ash trees can be protected by using insecticides, the only long-term solution for saving American ash populations is to breed trees with resistance to EAB.
In the study, the research team found that European ash was more resistant to EAB than the North American species. However, European ash trees are already affected by an epidemic of the fungal disease and ash dieback. Experts have yet to understand how the two threats might interact.
These candidate resistant genes, once validated, have the potential to greatly expedite the breeding process and the production of improved planting stock for restoration of forests and landscapes decimated by EAB.
These significant research findings demonstrate the importance of international collaboration to further fundamental knowledge of pathogen biology. By having a better understanding of the implications of tree diseases globally we are able to ensure appropriate approaches to their management. Hopefully it will not be long before the ash will again be shading our streets and cities.
Late Note: The USDA just announced that they are continuing to release parasitoid wasps that target the Emerald Ash Borer and as of 2018, the wasps have been released in 26 states. This effort began in 2007 and is completely independent of the genetic research going on in other USDA departments.
Sources
- Queen Mary, University of London, "Scientists find genes to save ash from deadly beetle" May 25, 2020.
- USDA Forest Service, “Research Highlights”, December 15, 2016.
- Wikipedia, Emerald Ash Borer, 9 July 2020
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA 0.25 science and practice 0.25 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.