Seminar #89 from Online Seminars for Municipal Arborists
January - March 2021
Sections Go directly to the section by clicking on the title below
January - March 2021
Sections Go directly to the section by clicking on the title below
- CU-Structural Soil
- Preventing Disease in Our City Trees
- West Palm Beach Street Project
- Tree of the Seminar - Ailanthus
- William Hamilton
- The Street Trees of Baltimore
- Pollination vs. Pesticide Treatment
- Trees with Tales - Chanticleer Pear
- Design for Wildfire Prevention
- The Arborist's Five-Step Tree Felling Plan
Note: Click on green text in each section for more information and photos.
CU-Structural Soil®
by Len Phillips
'CU-Structural Soil® ' also known as CU-Soil®, is a moderately priced, crushed stone and soil mix intended for growing trees in an urban environment. CU-Soil® can achieve 95% Proctor Density compaction and still allow the growth of healthy tree roots. CU-Soil® consists of a mix of crushed, angular stone for structural support and a thin layer of soil coating the stone for encouraging root growth. Voids in the compacted structural soil provide air and water sources for root development that allow the roots to grow freely, deeper, and farther away from paved surfaces that are being supported by the crushed stone.
Developed and patented by Cornell University's Research Foundation, CU-Structural Soil® must be made by licensed, trained producers in order to be successful. Success requires skilled material selection, mixing, and the correct placement by the installing contractor. Proportions must be exactly right, and the soil portion must contain at least 20% clay so as to help it adhere to the crushed stones, provide the most water and nutrient holding capacity and cation exchange capacity. The adherence of the soil to the crushed stones is also aided by the Gelscape® Hydrogel Tackifier.
CU-Soil® can and should be used under pedestrian mall paving, city sidewalks, parking lots, and low-use access roads. Any time trees are to be completely surrounded by pavement and adequate soil volumes are not available, CU-Soil® should be considered. By using CU-Soil®, planting islands in parking lots can accommodate more trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants, without taking up a parking space.
CU-Structural Soil® is marketed by Amereq Inc., a developer of innovative and environmentally compatible hydrogels for horticulture applications, plant nutrients, and bio-stimulants. CU-Soil® is produced by companies across the US, Canada, the UK, and Israel. They are licensed by Amereq to use the tested and approved local material which meets the Cornell University specifications. Using local producers and materials helps to keep the costs down and reduces the carbon footprint.
CU-Soil® is an 80% mix of narrowly graded 0.75 to 1.5 inch (1.9 to 3.8 cm) crushed stone blended with 20% loam/clay loam, measured by dry weight) and a small amount of a poly-acrylamide hydrogel tackifier poured over the stone to coat each stone. Then it can then be compacted to create a load-bearing base for pavement while simultaneously providing a growing medium for adjacent trees. CU-Soil® is engineered to support tree growth, resulting in better stormwater abatement since trees slow runoff through canopy interception and the up-take of water with their roots.
The soil coated stone is then placed in the installation area where it can be compacted in 6” lifts to meet all relevant pavement load requirements. The new pavement is installed directly over the compacted CU-Structural Soil® which provides the voids and soil for tree root growth. The tree roots follow the voids, seeking nutrients from the soil, and water and air from the voids. Water can enter the soil through pervious paving on the surface of the installation area, or from storm drains, catch basins, and irrigation systems. If the tree needs to be replaced or utilities need placement or repair, the structural soil can be excavated and replaced using conventional construction equipment.
CU-Soil® can safely support pavements and sidewalks and is designed to provide an ample rooting area for street trees, thereby decreasing tree mortality and sidewalk failure. CU-Structural Soil® provides an excellent rooting environment with ample air and water movement, nutrient exchange and beneficial biological activity to promote a vigorous life for street trees. CU-Structural Soil® will aid in water filtration, due to its extremely porous nature (approximately 26% when fully compacted). It also can act as a stormwater reservoir, slowing the flow of water into the storm drainage system. CU-Structural Soil® is rarely shipped over 100 miles (160 k.) to the installation site, thereby reducing the carbon dioxide emissions released during the product delivery to the job site.
Soil Cells
There are several competing companies that offer “soil cells” which are plastic structures that transfer the surface load to a firm base, usually three feet below the surface. The soil cells are then filled with quality topsoil that encourage tree growth to its mature size. A pavement is installed on top of the cell which also has a layer of gravel or crushed stone, a fabric barrier, and the final pavement.
However, there is a disadvantage. Depending on the soil cell product manufacturer, the cost is between two and three times the cost of CU-Soil® installed.
CU-Soil® is an extremely effective tool, but it needs to be used properly just like any other growing medium. The correct volume should be provided, the right trees should be planted in it, and proper watering should be provided. These are all factors that are appropriate for in any new tree planting, not just those in CU-Soil®.
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 science or practice credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
by Len Phillips
'CU-Structural Soil® ' also known as CU-Soil®, is a moderately priced, crushed stone and soil mix intended for growing trees in an urban environment. CU-Soil® can achieve 95% Proctor Density compaction and still allow the growth of healthy tree roots. CU-Soil® consists of a mix of crushed, angular stone for structural support and a thin layer of soil coating the stone for encouraging root growth. Voids in the compacted structural soil provide air and water sources for root development that allow the roots to grow freely, deeper, and farther away from paved surfaces that are being supported by the crushed stone.
Developed and patented by Cornell University's Research Foundation, CU-Structural Soil® must be made by licensed, trained producers in order to be successful. Success requires skilled material selection, mixing, and the correct placement by the installing contractor. Proportions must be exactly right, and the soil portion must contain at least 20% clay so as to help it adhere to the crushed stones, provide the most water and nutrient holding capacity and cation exchange capacity. The adherence of the soil to the crushed stones is also aided by the Gelscape® Hydrogel Tackifier.
CU-Soil® can and should be used under pedestrian mall paving, city sidewalks, parking lots, and low-use access roads. Any time trees are to be completely surrounded by pavement and adequate soil volumes are not available, CU-Soil® should be considered. By using CU-Soil®, planting islands in parking lots can accommodate more trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants, without taking up a parking space.
CU-Structural Soil® is marketed by Amereq Inc., a developer of innovative and environmentally compatible hydrogels for horticulture applications, plant nutrients, and bio-stimulants. CU-Soil® is produced by companies across the US, Canada, the UK, and Israel. They are licensed by Amereq to use the tested and approved local material which meets the Cornell University specifications. Using local producers and materials helps to keep the costs down and reduces the carbon footprint.
CU-Soil® is an 80% mix of narrowly graded 0.75 to 1.5 inch (1.9 to 3.8 cm) crushed stone blended with 20% loam/clay loam, measured by dry weight) and a small amount of a poly-acrylamide hydrogel tackifier poured over the stone to coat each stone. Then it can then be compacted to create a load-bearing base for pavement while simultaneously providing a growing medium for adjacent trees. CU-Soil® is engineered to support tree growth, resulting in better stormwater abatement since trees slow runoff through canopy interception and the up-take of water with their roots.
The soil coated stone is then placed in the installation area where it can be compacted in 6” lifts to meet all relevant pavement load requirements. The new pavement is installed directly over the compacted CU-Structural Soil® which provides the voids and soil for tree root growth. The tree roots follow the voids, seeking nutrients from the soil, and water and air from the voids. Water can enter the soil through pervious paving on the surface of the installation area, or from storm drains, catch basins, and irrigation systems. If the tree needs to be replaced or utilities need placement or repair, the structural soil can be excavated and replaced using conventional construction equipment.
CU-Soil® can safely support pavements and sidewalks and is designed to provide an ample rooting area for street trees, thereby decreasing tree mortality and sidewalk failure. CU-Structural Soil® provides an excellent rooting environment with ample air and water movement, nutrient exchange and beneficial biological activity to promote a vigorous life for street trees. CU-Structural Soil® will aid in water filtration, due to its extremely porous nature (approximately 26% when fully compacted). It also can act as a stormwater reservoir, slowing the flow of water into the storm drainage system. CU-Structural Soil® is rarely shipped over 100 miles (160 k.) to the installation site, thereby reducing the carbon dioxide emissions released during the product delivery to the job site.
Soil Cells
There are several competing companies that offer “soil cells” which are plastic structures that transfer the surface load to a firm base, usually three feet below the surface. The soil cells are then filled with quality topsoil that encourage tree growth to its mature size. A pavement is installed on top of the cell which also has a layer of gravel or crushed stone, a fabric barrier, and the final pavement.
However, there is a disadvantage. Depending on the soil cell product manufacturer, the cost is between two and three times the cost of CU-Soil® installed.
CU-Soil® is an extremely effective tool, but it needs to be used properly just like any other growing medium. The correct volume should be provided, the right trees should be planted in it, and proper watering should be provided. These are all factors that are appropriate for in any new tree planting, not just those in CU-Soil®.
Sources
- Bassuk, Nina, Gary Raffel, and Miles Schwartz Sax, “Root Growth of Accolade™ Elm in Structural Soil”, Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 2019. 45(6):297–302
- Brian Kalter is Operations Manager at Amereq Inc.
- Online Seminars, Topic 5 "Read about Urban Tree Installation”
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 science or practice credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Preventing Disease in Our City Trees
Edited by Len Phillips
The second go-around of the COVID 19 virus pandemic is a good reason to redesign urban green spaces and plant trees, because the bio-diversity of natural environments helps people prevent illnesses like allergies and asthma. Bio-diversity also helps people to improve mental and physical health. Installing trees helps people as well as to generate work opportunities for the currently unemployed.
A new study from Adelaide University in Australia, has found that reintroducing a diverse array of native plants to public spaces can help strengthen a person's immune systems by exposing them to beneficial microbes, including bacteria. Microbes living in the soil provides support to the human body's disease defenses by training and regulating immune systems, among many other bodily functions. Human immune systems evolved with these microbes over millennia but now they are largely absent from urban environments and this lack of microbe diversity contributes to the prevalence of non-communicable diseases among city-dwellers around the world.
Given that most of human evolution has occurred in bio-diverse and wild environments, it is not surprising that non-communicable disease rates are disproportionately rising in industrialized urban populations more than in rural populations.
Green spaces in urban areas today typically lack naturally functioning ecosystems. They often have a severely limited range of plant species, for example, in lawns or a row of trees. Urban environments do not challenge the immune system which can lead to a rise in auto-immune diseases.
Up through the Stone Age people were hunters and gatherers living on dirt floors and naturally exposed to a lot of different microbes in their gardens. But as people started living in the city, they moved toward sterile environments and do not get that exposure any more. However, several recent research documents are in support of the fact that city residents that are typically exposed to natural and bio-diverse environments where their immune systems are bolstered by a greater array of soil microbes, are healthier and live longer.
The microbial make-up of soil is determined by trees and plants growing in the soil and the best way for urban residents to get exposure to safe microbes is for people to work, play, and get their hands dirty in more complex habitats with native species. Not only trees but shrubs, flowering plants and herbs, and gardens from the local environment should create a very diverse understory like that found in the forest.
Green spaces also generate measurable mental health benefits to people who just like being in nature and people tend to have more incentive to exercise when they can access green spaces.
In most cities, there are under-utilized green spaces everywhere. They are often forgotten, weedy places, down back alleys, or in the scraps of nature along train tracks or on vacant lots. Government programs should improve the existing green spaces or build new ones during lock-down restrictions which would put people into new, unskilled jobs by getting them on the job of planting and weeding and getting their hands covered with healthy microbes.
We must create places for people to enjoy gardening or working in the soil more often. These places should provide a beneficial ecosystem with locally native species including understory plants and 30% to 50% tree canopy cover. They would also become a shady refuge so people could get out of their house on hot summer days.
Source
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Edited by Len Phillips
The second go-around of the COVID 19 virus pandemic is a good reason to redesign urban green spaces and plant trees, because the bio-diversity of natural environments helps people prevent illnesses like allergies and asthma. Bio-diversity also helps people to improve mental and physical health. Installing trees helps people as well as to generate work opportunities for the currently unemployed.
A new study from Adelaide University in Australia, has found that reintroducing a diverse array of native plants to public spaces can help strengthen a person's immune systems by exposing them to beneficial microbes, including bacteria. Microbes living in the soil provides support to the human body's disease defenses by training and regulating immune systems, among many other bodily functions. Human immune systems evolved with these microbes over millennia but now they are largely absent from urban environments and this lack of microbe diversity contributes to the prevalence of non-communicable diseases among city-dwellers around the world.
Given that most of human evolution has occurred in bio-diverse and wild environments, it is not surprising that non-communicable disease rates are disproportionately rising in industrialized urban populations more than in rural populations.
Green spaces in urban areas today typically lack naturally functioning ecosystems. They often have a severely limited range of plant species, for example, in lawns or a row of trees. Urban environments do not challenge the immune system which can lead to a rise in auto-immune diseases.
Up through the Stone Age people were hunters and gatherers living on dirt floors and naturally exposed to a lot of different microbes in their gardens. But as people started living in the city, they moved toward sterile environments and do not get that exposure any more. However, several recent research documents are in support of the fact that city residents that are typically exposed to natural and bio-diverse environments where their immune systems are bolstered by a greater array of soil microbes, are healthier and live longer.
The microbial make-up of soil is determined by trees and plants growing in the soil and the best way for urban residents to get exposure to safe microbes is for people to work, play, and get their hands dirty in more complex habitats with native species. Not only trees but shrubs, flowering plants and herbs, and gardens from the local environment should create a very diverse understory like that found in the forest.
Green spaces also generate measurable mental health benefits to people who just like being in nature and people tend to have more incentive to exercise when they can access green spaces.
In most cities, there are under-utilized green spaces everywhere. They are often forgotten, weedy places, down back alleys, or in the scraps of nature along train tracks or on vacant lots. Government programs should improve the existing green spaces or build new ones during lock-down restrictions which would put people into new, unskilled jobs by getting them on the job of planting and weeding and getting their hands covered with healthy microbes.
We must create places for people to enjoy gardening or working in the soil more often. These places should provide a beneficial ecosystem with locally native species including understory plants and 30% to 50% tree canopy cover. They would also become a shady refuge so people could get out of their house on hot summer days.
Source
- Foley, Mike, “Rejuvenate green spaces to fight rise of immune diseases”, The Sydney Morning Herald, May 27, 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.
West Palm Beach Street Project
Edited by Len Phillips
Clematis Street has been the hub and the main downtown street of West Palm Beach, Florida since 1894. Evolving for over a century, the street embraces nearly every significant architectural era since that time. Clematis Street and City Place districts are filled with restaurants, shops, bars and clubs that line the ground floor of historic buildings for the length of the street providing abundant dining and entertainment options. Businesses range from some 100-year-old retailers, to modern dance clubs, to health food stores, and to a variety of culinary options from American fare to sushi, Mexican, and Italian. But the narrow sidewalks and lack of shade had been dampening the success of retail, restaurants, and commercial tenants.
In an effort to correct the lack of shade and narrow sidewalks, the city undertook a Clematis Streetscape Project. The objective was to improve the historic Clematis Street with a desire to better connect the community by creating a more enjoyable downtown hub for locals and the visitors who flock to the street every week. The project was planned to use modern infrastructure as well as vibrant design elements to create a more enjoyable user experience. Improvements were to include wider sidewalks, more shade trees, and narrowed traffic lanes that would induce traffic calming. The aim was to better connect the community by creating easier to walk sidewalks and a healthier and more enjoyable downtown core.
Initiated in 2018, the project was intended to use the now-iconic oaks, but after the contractor for the project, suggested a change, the decision was made to completely rebuild the street, sidewalks, and establish a completely new landscape through the use soil cells. A design team was set up to create a project that provided a space that welcomed people in and made the street more walkable, more beautiful, and more popular.
The soil cells selected for this project were designed to achieve major reductions in installation costs, with the units simply snapping together. Changes also had to be made to deal with stormwater effectively. In addition, the city decided to convert the street from a curbed, asphalt street to a curb-less street with an extensive use of pavers. This meant changes had to be made to deal with stormwater effectively. Stormwater, because it was to become a curb-less street, needed more inlets in the street and the parking strip had to be surfaced with permeable pavers that sit on top of portions of the soil cell system. All of this effort was necessary to get surface water down toward the roots and into the trees.
The trees selected for this project were Southern live oaks (Quercus virginiana) which were around 25 to 30 feet tall. With extensive paving usage, the risk of tree failure due to insufficient soil volume, aeration, or poor drainage ordinarily present in urban projects, was mitigated by the soil cell system.
The large oak trees have already proven their importance as West Palm Beach responded to COVID-19 related restrictions by moving their restaurant dining outdoors and onto the streets.
Everyone is happy with the project. The fact that there is more pedestrian space has been very beneficial to the commercial interests as well. The fact that in these days with the Corona virus affecting a lot of Florida, outdoor dining has become more common. Unfortunately, the city had to eliminate some parking spaces in order to add the nice shade tree cover. The curb-less street has made the street uses more flexible and pedestrian friendly as well.
With the soil cells giving the shade trees the best conditions to thrive, the shady, pedestrian-focused face lift has already improved customer foot traffic and patronage, making the most of the beautiful outdoor lifestyle Florida offers. With the project completion in 2020, the historic Clematis Street is ready to be part of the next century of West Palm Beach history.
This Project became the People’s Choice Award Winner at the 2019 Safe Streets Summit. Now, the “living room” of West Palm Beach has a future every bit as incredible as its rich history.
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, Utility Specialist, Municipal Specialist, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA science or management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Edited by Len Phillips
Clematis Street has been the hub and the main downtown street of West Palm Beach, Florida since 1894. Evolving for over a century, the street embraces nearly every significant architectural era since that time. Clematis Street and City Place districts are filled with restaurants, shops, bars and clubs that line the ground floor of historic buildings for the length of the street providing abundant dining and entertainment options. Businesses range from some 100-year-old retailers, to modern dance clubs, to health food stores, and to a variety of culinary options from American fare to sushi, Mexican, and Italian. But the narrow sidewalks and lack of shade had been dampening the success of retail, restaurants, and commercial tenants.
In an effort to correct the lack of shade and narrow sidewalks, the city undertook a Clematis Streetscape Project. The objective was to improve the historic Clematis Street with a desire to better connect the community by creating a more enjoyable downtown hub for locals and the visitors who flock to the street every week. The project was planned to use modern infrastructure as well as vibrant design elements to create a more enjoyable user experience. Improvements were to include wider sidewalks, more shade trees, and narrowed traffic lanes that would induce traffic calming. The aim was to better connect the community by creating easier to walk sidewalks and a healthier and more enjoyable downtown core.
Initiated in 2018, the project was intended to use the now-iconic oaks, but after the contractor for the project, suggested a change, the decision was made to completely rebuild the street, sidewalks, and establish a completely new landscape through the use soil cells. A design team was set up to create a project that provided a space that welcomed people in and made the street more walkable, more beautiful, and more popular.
The soil cells selected for this project were designed to achieve major reductions in installation costs, with the units simply snapping together. Changes also had to be made to deal with stormwater effectively. In addition, the city decided to convert the street from a curbed, asphalt street to a curb-less street with an extensive use of pavers. This meant changes had to be made to deal with stormwater effectively. Stormwater, because it was to become a curb-less street, needed more inlets in the street and the parking strip had to be surfaced with permeable pavers that sit on top of portions of the soil cell system. All of this effort was necessary to get surface water down toward the roots and into the trees.
The trees selected for this project were Southern live oaks (Quercus virginiana) which were around 25 to 30 feet tall. With extensive paving usage, the risk of tree failure due to insufficient soil volume, aeration, or poor drainage ordinarily present in urban projects, was mitigated by the soil cell system.
The large oak trees have already proven their importance as West Palm Beach responded to COVID-19 related restrictions by moving their restaurant dining outdoors and onto the streets.
Everyone is happy with the project. The fact that there is more pedestrian space has been very beneficial to the commercial interests as well. The fact that in these days with the Corona virus affecting a lot of Florida, outdoor dining has become more common. Unfortunately, the city had to eliminate some parking spaces in order to add the nice shade tree cover. The curb-less street has made the street uses more flexible and pedestrian friendly as well.
With the soil cells giving the shade trees the best conditions to thrive, the shady, pedestrian-focused face lift has already improved customer foot traffic and patronage, making the most of the beautiful outdoor lifestyle Florida offers. With the project completion in 2020, the historic Clematis Street is ready to be part of the next century of West Palm Beach history.
This Project became the People’s Choice Award Winner at the 2019 Safe Streets Summit. Now, the “living room” of West Palm Beach has a future every bit as incredible as its rich history.
Sources
- Citygreen Systems, Clematis Streetscape Project
- West Palm Beach Community Development report
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, Utility Specialist, Municipal Specialist, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA science or management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Tree of the Seminar
by Len Phillips
Ailanthus altissima, commonly called Tree of Heaven, is a species that arrived in Europe from China. It does best in Hardiness Zone 4 to 8 and AHS Heat Zone 8 to 1.
When the compound leaves emerge in the spring, they contain 11-25 leaflets that are bronze, but then quickly turn to medium and then to dark green in color. The individual flowers are yellowish green to reddish in color. Ailanthus is dioecious with male and female flowers on separate trees. The small flowers are in 6 - 12in (15-30 cm) clusters. The male flowers have a disagreeable odor and appear in late spring to early summer. The fruit on a female flower is an oblong, twisted samara, 1 to 1.5 in (2.5 to 3.8 cm) long with the seed in the center. The fruits hang in long clusters and ripen in late summer but disperse the fruits throughout the winter.
In 1784, Ailanthus was brought to the United States by the plant and tree collector, William Hamilton, of Philadelphia (see his bio in the next article of this Seminar), who also introduced ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), Lombardy poplar (Populus nigra ‘Italica’), and Norway maple (Acer platanoides). Hamilton had claimed that the tree was the hightly valued Chinese varnish tree until the Ailanthus started growing 4 to 6 feet (10 – 15 cm) a year and sending out suckers.
At one time Ailanthus rivaled the plane tree (Platanus) with its excellent tolerance to air pollution. The Tree of Heaven was introduced into New York City in 1820 as a street tree and food source for silkworm caterpillars.
That Ailanthus could thrive with minimal attention and in poor soil, made the tree attractive and, as a result, it was commonly planted in cities, where it could withstand urban pollution and the harsh conditions of city life. Tree of Heaven was extensively planted in New York City as immortalized in the 1943 novel, “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”.
Tree of Heaven has become an invasive species due to its ability both to colonize disturbed areas quickly and to suppress competition with allelopathic chemicals. While often growing in clumps, single specimens of this tree will eventually grow 40 to 80 feet (12 – 24 m) tall and have a 30 to 60 feet (9 – 18 m) wide spread with a trunk diameter of about 3 feet (1m). The lower branches on larger trees tend to droop. The Champion Tree is located in Philadelphia, PA and has a height of 58 feet (18 m) and spread of 66 feet (50 m) and a trunk circumference of 194 inches (485 cm) or a diameter of 62 inches (160 cm).
It is considered a noxious weed in Australia, the United States, New Zealand, and many other countries but it has no serious insect or disease problems. Although recntly the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) pest is particularly attracted to Ailanthus altissima. This pest is slowly creeping across the U.S.
Ailanthus prefers moist and loamy soils, but is adaptable to a very wide range of soil conditions and pH values. It is drought-hardy, but not tolerant of flooding or deep shade. However, the wood is weak and tall trees in exposed areas may easily lose their tops in strong winds. The Tree of Heaven will be found within a wide range of soils and climates. In China it is often found in limestone-rich areas.
The Tree of Heaven is frequently found in areas where few trees can survive. Along highways, the Tree of Heaven often forms dense thickets in which few other tree species are present, largely due to the toxins it produces to prevent competition as well as pollution from the vehicles on the highway. Often however, the lack of competition from other trees does result in Ailanthus developing into excellent specimen trees. In the city where I spent most of my career as the Park and Tree Superintendent, I became very familiar with the Tree of Heaven growing beside the highway that ran through the center of our city. These trees had all reached their mature size and were straight trunked and beautiful specimens, nicely spaced apart. Despite all the road salt dumped on the street and washed into the soil where these trees were growing, they continue to thrive and amaze everyone who says the Tree of Heaven is a weed tree and should never be grown near the street. Ailanthus proves that the right tree in the right spot can become a magnificent specimen.
Ailanthus rarely lives more than 50 years, though its suckering ability makes it possible for this tree to clone itself and live considerably longer. Since all the sprouts are linked to the mother tree and thus partly fed by her, the aggressive suckers are less vulnerable than seedlings and can grow faster.
The roots, leaves and bark are used in traditional Chinese medicine. The roots are ground up to create an elixir for treating mental illness. Chinese pharmacists make a pulverized mixture of ailanthus, peach and catalpa leaves to spread on men's bald spots. Ailanthus has also been used successfully to re-vegetate areas where acid rain occurs and where mining has contaminated the soil, because the tree has been shown to tolerate pH levels as low as 4.1.
In addition to its use as an ornamental plant, the Tree of Heaven is also used for its wood, medicinal properties, and as a host plant to feed silkworms of the moth Samia cynthia, which produces silk that is stronger and cheaper than mulberry silk, although with inferior gloss and texture. The pale yellow, close-grained and satiny wood of Ailanthus is used in the finest cabinets and in kitchens around the world.
The generic epithet “Ailanthus” comes from the Maluku islands, part of an archipelago of Indonesia. The word in a local language was ‘ailanto,’ meaning ‘Tree of Heaven,’ and described a different species. The French botanist R.L. Desfontaines used the genus Ailanthus in 1785 and this became accepted. Wikipedia notes that the Chinese name for the tree, chouchun, literally means ‘foul smelling tree.’
The Ailanthus tree continues to spread in urban areas, with its fast growth and its windblown seeds and root suckers. The seeds can germinate in poor soil and even in partial shade.
Post Script
Jill Jonnes, in her book “Urban Forests”, shared an entirely different opinion on Ailanthus. She wrote: “Andrew Jackson Downing, a renown nurseryman, published a book “A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening” in 1841. In this book he condemned the once favored tree of heaven as a foreign invader that respected no boundaries, smelled horribly, both in leaf and flower. It suckers abominably and thereby over runs all the soil of every open piece of ground. This tree has drawn away our attention from our own more noble native American trees, to waste it on this miserable pigtail of an Indiaman. Take refuge in the American maples. Clean, sweet, and cool are the maples and the Tulip Tree.”
Appreciate the Tree of Heaven for its ability to tolerate air pollution and rapid growth in the city and usefulness along busy city streets, despite its faults.
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, 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.
by Len Phillips
Ailanthus altissima, commonly called Tree of Heaven, is a species that arrived in Europe from China. It does best in Hardiness Zone 4 to 8 and AHS Heat Zone 8 to 1.
When the compound leaves emerge in the spring, they contain 11-25 leaflets that are bronze, but then quickly turn to medium and then to dark green in color. The individual flowers are yellowish green to reddish in color. Ailanthus is dioecious with male and female flowers on separate trees. The small flowers are in 6 - 12in (15-30 cm) clusters. The male flowers have a disagreeable odor and appear in late spring to early summer. The fruit on a female flower is an oblong, twisted samara, 1 to 1.5 in (2.5 to 3.8 cm) long with the seed in the center. The fruits hang in long clusters and ripen in late summer but disperse the fruits throughout the winter.
In 1784, Ailanthus was brought to the United States by the plant and tree collector, William Hamilton, of Philadelphia (see his bio in the next article of this Seminar), who also introduced ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), Lombardy poplar (Populus nigra ‘Italica’), and Norway maple (Acer platanoides). Hamilton had claimed that the tree was the hightly valued Chinese varnish tree until the Ailanthus started growing 4 to 6 feet (10 – 15 cm) a year and sending out suckers.
At one time Ailanthus rivaled the plane tree (Platanus) with its excellent tolerance to air pollution. The Tree of Heaven was introduced into New York City in 1820 as a street tree and food source for silkworm caterpillars.
That Ailanthus could thrive with minimal attention and in poor soil, made the tree attractive and, as a result, it was commonly planted in cities, where it could withstand urban pollution and the harsh conditions of city life. Tree of Heaven was extensively planted in New York City as immortalized in the 1943 novel, “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”.
Tree of Heaven has become an invasive species due to its ability both to colonize disturbed areas quickly and to suppress competition with allelopathic chemicals. While often growing in clumps, single specimens of this tree will eventually grow 40 to 80 feet (12 – 24 m) tall and have a 30 to 60 feet (9 – 18 m) wide spread with a trunk diameter of about 3 feet (1m). The lower branches on larger trees tend to droop. The Champion Tree is located in Philadelphia, PA and has a height of 58 feet (18 m) and spread of 66 feet (50 m) and a trunk circumference of 194 inches (485 cm) or a diameter of 62 inches (160 cm).
It is considered a noxious weed in Australia, the United States, New Zealand, and many other countries but it has no serious insect or disease problems. Although recntly the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) pest is particularly attracted to Ailanthus altissima. This pest is slowly creeping across the U.S.
Ailanthus prefers moist and loamy soils, but is adaptable to a very wide range of soil conditions and pH values. It is drought-hardy, but not tolerant of flooding or deep shade. However, the wood is weak and tall trees in exposed areas may easily lose their tops in strong winds. The Tree of Heaven will be found within a wide range of soils and climates. In China it is often found in limestone-rich areas.
The Tree of Heaven is frequently found in areas where few trees can survive. Along highways, the Tree of Heaven often forms dense thickets in which few other tree species are present, largely due to the toxins it produces to prevent competition as well as pollution from the vehicles on the highway. Often however, the lack of competition from other trees does result in Ailanthus developing into excellent specimen trees. In the city where I spent most of my career as the Park and Tree Superintendent, I became very familiar with the Tree of Heaven growing beside the highway that ran through the center of our city. These trees had all reached their mature size and were straight trunked and beautiful specimens, nicely spaced apart. Despite all the road salt dumped on the street and washed into the soil where these trees were growing, they continue to thrive and amaze everyone who says the Tree of Heaven is a weed tree and should never be grown near the street. Ailanthus proves that the right tree in the right spot can become a magnificent specimen.
Ailanthus rarely lives more than 50 years, though its suckering ability makes it possible for this tree to clone itself and live considerably longer. Since all the sprouts are linked to the mother tree and thus partly fed by her, the aggressive suckers are less vulnerable than seedlings and can grow faster.
The roots, leaves and bark are used in traditional Chinese medicine. The roots are ground up to create an elixir for treating mental illness. Chinese pharmacists make a pulverized mixture of ailanthus, peach and catalpa leaves to spread on men's bald spots. Ailanthus has also been used successfully to re-vegetate areas where acid rain occurs and where mining has contaminated the soil, because the tree has been shown to tolerate pH levels as low as 4.1.
In addition to its use as an ornamental plant, the Tree of Heaven is also used for its wood, medicinal properties, and as a host plant to feed silkworms of the moth Samia cynthia, which produces silk that is stronger and cheaper than mulberry silk, although with inferior gloss and texture. The pale yellow, close-grained and satiny wood of Ailanthus is used in the finest cabinets and in kitchens around the world.
The generic epithet “Ailanthus” comes from the Maluku islands, part of an archipelago of Indonesia. The word in a local language was ‘ailanto,’ meaning ‘Tree of Heaven,’ and described a different species. The French botanist R.L. Desfontaines used the genus Ailanthus in 1785 and this became accepted. Wikipedia notes that the Chinese name for the tree, chouchun, literally means ‘foul smelling tree.’
The Ailanthus tree continues to spread in urban areas, with its fast growth and its windblown seeds and root suckers. The seeds can germinate in poor soil and even in partial shade.
Post Script
Jill Jonnes, in her book “Urban Forests”, shared an entirely different opinion on Ailanthus. She wrote: “Andrew Jackson Downing, a renown nurseryman, published a book “A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening” in 1841. In this book he condemned the once favored tree of heaven as a foreign invader that respected no boundaries, smelled horribly, both in leaf and flower. It suckers abominably and thereby over runs all the soil of every open piece of ground. This tree has drawn away our attention from our own more noble native American trees, to waste it on this miserable pigtail of an Indiaman. Take refuge in the American maples. Clean, sweet, and cool are the maples and the Tulip Tree.”
Appreciate the Tree of Heaven for its ability to tolerate air pollution and rapid growth in the city and usefulness along busy city streets, despite its faults.
Sources
- Dirr, Michael A. and Keith S. Warren, “The Tree Book”, Timber Press, 2019.
- Freilicher, Mollie, Species Spotlight—Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus altissima, The Citizen Forester, June 2019.
- Jonnes, Jill, “Urban Forests”, Penguin Books, 2016.
- Learn 2 Grow, “Ailanthus altissima”, Plant Search, 2017.
- Missouri Botanical Garden, “Ailanthus altissima”, Plant Finder, 2017.
- Wikipedia, “Ailanthus altissima”, 24 May 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, 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.
William Hamilton
By Len Phillips
William Hamilton (1745-1813) was an eminent tree and plant collector and made his home, named “The Woodlands”, into a New World model of contemporary English landscape gardening techniques. In 1766, at the age of 21, he inherited over six hundred acres of land on the west side of the Schuylkill River and just west of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where in the next 25 years, he transformed a woodland into a classical Victorian villa and a showcase for exotic plants and trees from all over the world. He also owned an additional five hundred acres that he sold off after the Revolutionary War. It developed into the City of Lancaster, PA and this became the source of William's great wealth.
“The Woodlands” was an icon in its time, one of the first American landscape gardens in the "natural" English design style. The Schuylkill River site, originally located just beyond the western edge of Philadelphia, was reshaped by William Hamilton to reflect the contemporary English picturesque landscape and horticultural ideals. Thomas Jefferson called the Woodlands "the only rival which I have known in America to what may be seen in England."
After the American Revolution, William Hamilton traveled to England and visited many of these grand country estates. The trip heavily influenced his approach to landscape design. Upon his return in 1786 he decided to rebuild his house to become the earliest example of the Federal style architecture, which would reign over the design of American buildings for the next few decades. The landscape around the house was reshaped by Hamilton to reflect contemporary English picturesque landscape and horticultural ideals. The landscape consisted of curving green contours and majestic trees, lawns, and ten thousand exotic plants, all part of a landscape that was sloping down to the river.
The favorites in Hamilton's collection consisted of white flowering locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), sweet birch (Betula lenta), chestnut oak (Quercus montana), tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), chinquapin (Castanea pumila), Judas tree (Cercis siliquastrum), dogwood (Cornus florida), magnolia (Magnolia sp.), elms (Ulmus sp.), linden (Tilia sp.), locust (Robinia sp), white pine (Pinus strobus), ash leaved maple (Acer negundo), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), aspen (Populus tremuloides), and zantoxylon or tooth ache tree (Zanthoxylum anadenium). Many nut trees were also growing at the Woodlands. These included horse-chestnuts (Aesculus hippocastanum), Spanish chestnuts (Castanea saliva) and pistachio (Pistacia vera).
William Hamilton became a fanatic tree collector and propagator extraordinaire. Hamilton’s tree collection was vast, and he boasted that “there was not a rare tree or plant in Europe, Asia, Africa, China and the islands in the South Sea, which he had not procured”. He was referring to a collection that could only have been amassed through access to a large network of botanists, nurserymen and friends. For example, in 1806, William Hamilton was in contact with President Thomas Jefferson, trying to exchange some trees from Jefferson's Monticello to add to his collection.
The Woodlands also contain many trees that were new introductions to the US, such as Lombardy poplar (Populus nigra 'Italica'), and Norway maple (Acer platanoides). Also, there was laurel (Laurus nobilis) and silver firs (Abies alba) that were shipped from England. He also planted the first Ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba) in the US which survived on the property for over 200 years until it died just a few years ago. During William Hamilton's time no one knew that the ginkgo had completely dominated the prehistoric forest cover all over the world. Today it has recolonized the New World but not as a part of the forest, but as a cultivated urban tree.
The effort to procure trees for the Woodlands lay in the endeavors of James Logan, John Bartram, and Bartram’s English collaborator Peter Collinson, who also procured trees for genteel neighbors like John Penn, Jr. While abroad, and communicating with an international array of botanists at home, Hamilton commanded intellectual and natural resources on a staggering scale. William Hamilton employed the principles of design advanced by such landscape and garden notables as Lancelot Brown, Thomas Whately, and the nurseryman Nathaniel Swinden.
Numerous plant and tree species were introduced to North America for the first time by William Hamilton at The Woodlands. The collection contains nearly ten thousand trees and plants, procured at much trouble and expense, from many remote parts of the globe, including South America, the Cape of Good Hope, The Brazils (now known as Brazil), Botany Bay, Japan, the East and West Indies, and many other places. This collection, for the beauty and rich variety of its exotics, surpasses anything of the kind in the US. Among many other rare productions to be seen, are the bread-fruit tree (Artocarpus altilis), cinnamon (Cinnamomum camphora), allspice (Pimenta dioica), and Peruvian pepper tree (Schinus molle). There were different sorts of mangoes (Mangifera indica), mimosa (mimosa floridana), sago palm tree (Cycas revoluta), and coffee trees (Coffee arabica) from Bengal, Arabia, and the West-Indies. In addition, tea, green and bohea red tea (Thea chinensis var. beta), mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni), magnolias (Magnolia sieboldii), Japan rose (Rosa multiflora), rose apple (Syzygium species), cherimolia (Anona cherimoli), one of the most esteemed fruits of Mexico, Bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens), Indian god tree (Ficus benghalensis), iron tree of China (Toxicodendron vernicifluum), ginger (Zingiber officinale), fragrant olive (olea frangrans), and several varieties of the sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum), five species of which are from Otaheite, now called Tahiti.
The Woodlands was named a National Historic Landmark District in 2006 and it still provides an oasis of nature amid the bustling city neighborhood. Today, the former country home of William Hamilton, offers public tours of one of the nation's most architecturally sophisticated neoclassical houses from the years following the American Revolution. The house is located at 4000 Woodland Avenue, Philadelphia, PA and is open to the public. The house is just west of downtown Philadelphia and is situated in the middle of a large cemetery, which exists today on the entire property of the former Woodlands estate.
William Hamilton’s connections to the new nation’s top political leaders such as George Washington, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, among others in similar socio-economic positions, and their mutual interests in botany and estate development, resulted in his successful ability to receive seeds sent by Lewis and Clark to the government during their exploratory trip to the Pacific in 1804-1806.
William Hamilton’s interest in and knowledge of botany was well-enough embedded in his popular persona that his 1813 obituary noted: “The study of botany was the principal amusement of his life.”
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
William Hamilton (1745-1813) was an eminent tree and plant collector and made his home, named “The Woodlands”, into a New World model of contemporary English landscape gardening techniques. In 1766, at the age of 21, he inherited over six hundred acres of land on the west side of the Schuylkill River and just west of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where in the next 25 years, he transformed a woodland into a classical Victorian villa and a showcase for exotic plants and trees from all over the world. He also owned an additional five hundred acres that he sold off after the Revolutionary War. It developed into the City of Lancaster, PA and this became the source of William's great wealth.
“The Woodlands” was an icon in its time, one of the first American landscape gardens in the "natural" English design style. The Schuylkill River site, originally located just beyond the western edge of Philadelphia, was reshaped by William Hamilton to reflect the contemporary English picturesque landscape and horticultural ideals. Thomas Jefferson called the Woodlands "the only rival which I have known in America to what may be seen in England."
After the American Revolution, William Hamilton traveled to England and visited many of these grand country estates. The trip heavily influenced his approach to landscape design. Upon his return in 1786 he decided to rebuild his house to become the earliest example of the Federal style architecture, which would reign over the design of American buildings for the next few decades. The landscape around the house was reshaped by Hamilton to reflect contemporary English picturesque landscape and horticultural ideals. The landscape consisted of curving green contours and majestic trees, lawns, and ten thousand exotic plants, all part of a landscape that was sloping down to the river.
The favorites in Hamilton's collection consisted of white flowering locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), sweet birch (Betula lenta), chestnut oak (Quercus montana), tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), chinquapin (Castanea pumila), Judas tree (Cercis siliquastrum), dogwood (Cornus florida), magnolia (Magnolia sp.), elms (Ulmus sp.), linden (Tilia sp.), locust (Robinia sp), white pine (Pinus strobus), ash leaved maple (Acer negundo), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), aspen (Populus tremuloides), and zantoxylon or tooth ache tree (Zanthoxylum anadenium). Many nut trees were also growing at the Woodlands. These included horse-chestnuts (Aesculus hippocastanum), Spanish chestnuts (Castanea saliva) and pistachio (Pistacia vera).
William Hamilton became a fanatic tree collector and propagator extraordinaire. Hamilton’s tree collection was vast, and he boasted that “there was not a rare tree or plant in Europe, Asia, Africa, China and the islands in the South Sea, which he had not procured”. He was referring to a collection that could only have been amassed through access to a large network of botanists, nurserymen and friends. For example, in 1806, William Hamilton was in contact with President Thomas Jefferson, trying to exchange some trees from Jefferson's Monticello to add to his collection.
The Woodlands also contain many trees that were new introductions to the US, such as Lombardy poplar (Populus nigra 'Italica'), and Norway maple (Acer platanoides). Also, there was laurel (Laurus nobilis) and silver firs (Abies alba) that were shipped from England. He also planted the first Ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba) in the US which survived on the property for over 200 years until it died just a few years ago. During William Hamilton's time no one knew that the ginkgo had completely dominated the prehistoric forest cover all over the world. Today it has recolonized the New World but not as a part of the forest, but as a cultivated urban tree.
The effort to procure trees for the Woodlands lay in the endeavors of James Logan, John Bartram, and Bartram’s English collaborator Peter Collinson, who also procured trees for genteel neighbors like John Penn, Jr. While abroad, and communicating with an international array of botanists at home, Hamilton commanded intellectual and natural resources on a staggering scale. William Hamilton employed the principles of design advanced by such landscape and garden notables as Lancelot Brown, Thomas Whately, and the nurseryman Nathaniel Swinden.
Numerous plant and tree species were introduced to North America for the first time by William Hamilton at The Woodlands. The collection contains nearly ten thousand trees and plants, procured at much trouble and expense, from many remote parts of the globe, including South America, the Cape of Good Hope, The Brazils (now known as Brazil), Botany Bay, Japan, the East and West Indies, and many other places. This collection, for the beauty and rich variety of its exotics, surpasses anything of the kind in the US. Among many other rare productions to be seen, are the bread-fruit tree (Artocarpus altilis), cinnamon (Cinnamomum camphora), allspice (Pimenta dioica), and Peruvian pepper tree (Schinus molle). There were different sorts of mangoes (Mangifera indica), mimosa (mimosa floridana), sago palm tree (Cycas revoluta), and coffee trees (Coffee arabica) from Bengal, Arabia, and the West-Indies. In addition, tea, green and bohea red tea (Thea chinensis var. beta), mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni), magnolias (Magnolia sieboldii), Japan rose (Rosa multiflora), rose apple (Syzygium species), cherimolia (Anona cherimoli), one of the most esteemed fruits of Mexico, Bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens), Indian god tree (Ficus benghalensis), iron tree of China (Toxicodendron vernicifluum), ginger (Zingiber officinale), fragrant olive (olea frangrans), and several varieties of the sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum), five species of which are from Otaheite, now called Tahiti.
The Woodlands was named a National Historic Landmark District in 2006 and it still provides an oasis of nature amid the bustling city neighborhood. Today, the former country home of William Hamilton, offers public tours of one of the nation's most architecturally sophisticated neoclassical houses from the years following the American Revolution. The house is located at 4000 Woodland Avenue, Philadelphia, PA and is open to the public. The house is just west of downtown Philadelphia and is situated in the middle of a large cemetery, which exists today on the entire property of the former Woodlands estate.
William Hamilton’s connections to the new nation’s top political leaders such as George Washington, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, among others in similar socio-economic positions, and their mutual interests in botany and estate development, resulted in his successful ability to receive seeds sent by Lewis and Clark to the government during their exploratory trip to the Pacific in 1804-1806.
William Hamilton’s interest in and knowledge of botany was well-enough embedded in his popular persona that his 1813 obituary noted: “The study of botany was the principal amusement of his life.”
Sources
- William Hamilton, “At the Woodlands”
- Jonnes, Jill, “Urban Forests”, Penguin Books, 2016.
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.
The Street Trees of Baltimore
Edited by Len Phillips
These days, street trees in Baltimore are looking better than ever, and between 2007 and 2015, the city has experienced a 1% increase in Urban Tree Canopy (UTC). This occurred while most cities in the US were losing tree canopy according to a 2012 USDA Forest Service study which also found that Baltimore had lost nearly 2% of its tree canopy between 2001 and 2005. The 2012 study determined UTC loss or gain by looking at pairs of aerial photographs from cities during various time periods. The UTC increase in Baltimore between 2007 and 2015 was detected using high-resolution aerial imagery and 3D airborne LiDAR data.
Baltimore’s increase in UTC may be partially due to the city’s 2007 goal for a 40% increase in the UTC by 2036 and their efforts on multiple fronts to reach that goal:
The road to improvement is seldom straight or simple. An increase from 27% to 28% UTC represents a net increase of 200 acres in tree canopy cover within Baltimore last year. However, more than 1000 acres were lost during the 2007-2015 time period. Managing tree canopy requires a myriad of positive actions in the present, while staying vigilant to identify problems looming on the horizon. Living things take time to develop, improvement often occurs incrementally, and a destructive event such as a pest, disease, an accident, or a storm may produce a sudden and dramatic setback.
Baltimore's action plan requires:
Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks’ Forestry Division maintains the city’s street trees with four in-house crews and nine contract crews. There are approximately 200,000 street trees in Baltimore City. Regular maintenance includes pruning, watering, mulching and removal when a tree is dead. Citizens can assist with this effort by watering and mulching the trees in front of their houses. This will enable the Forestry Division to focus more on trees in the medians and commercial areas of the city.
The City does not remove a tree because it conflicts with a sidewalk. The City of Baltimore has invested much time and energy into allowing a tree to grow to full maturity. Large trees provide many benefits to the citizens of Baltimore. Some examples of these benefits are absorbing storm water, cleaning the air of pollutants, shading the streets, providing a buffer to cars, increasing real estate values and lowering utility bills. There are many new approaches to incorporating large trees with pedestrian walkways and they still provide a safe experience.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA mangement or practice credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Edited by Len Phillips
These days, street trees in Baltimore are looking better than ever, and between 2007 and 2015, the city has experienced a 1% increase in Urban Tree Canopy (UTC). This occurred while most cities in the US were losing tree canopy according to a 2012 USDA Forest Service study which also found that Baltimore had lost nearly 2% of its tree canopy between 2001 and 2005. The 2012 study determined UTC loss or gain by looking at pairs of aerial photographs from cities during various time periods. The UTC increase in Baltimore between 2007 and 2015 was detected using high-resolution aerial imagery and 3D airborne LiDAR data.
Baltimore’s increase in UTC may be partially due to the city’s 2007 goal for a 40% increase in the UTC by 2036 and their efforts on multiple fronts to reach that goal:
- In 2007, TreeBaltimore was created as a mayoral initiative to serve as a co-coordinating organization for tree planting, establishment, maintenance and preservation. The partnership includes governmental agencies, non-profits, private companies and citizens of Baltimore. Initially, TreeBaltimore focused exclusively on mass tree plantings in open spaces like parks and schoolyards.
- In 2011, the Priority Planting Map was released which utilizes a set of UTC Prioritization Tools including public health, water quality and environmental justice. High-priority planting areas in the city were identified and targeted for tree planting.
- In 2013, the Baltimore City Street Tree Species List was updated with emphasis placed on matching appropriate species to existing vacant sites.
- Recently, the city began its “Proactive Pruning Program” which encourages structural pruning of every street tree five inches or greater in diameter, neighborhood by neighborhood. Proper structural pruning focuses on creating a tree with a single central leader and a strong framework of well-attached, well-spaced scaffold branches. A structurally trained tree generally requires less maintenance, suffers less breakage and has a longer useful life in the landscape. This program may have the most positive long-term impact on Baltimore’s tree canopy.
- Tree replacement standards for parks and rights-of-way were tightened.
- Pruning standards were improved based on current Best Management Practices (BMPs) set forth by the ISA.
- A comprehensive tree inventory of all street trees and developed parkland trees was initiated in 2017 with completion in the summer of 2018. The inventory, which is tied to the city’s real-time work order system, serves as the primary management tool for prioritizing maintenance and identifying future planting locations.
The road to improvement is seldom straight or simple. An increase from 27% to 28% UTC represents a net increase of 200 acres in tree canopy cover within Baltimore last year. However, more than 1000 acres were lost during the 2007-2015 time period. Managing tree canopy requires a myriad of positive actions in the present, while staying vigilant to identify problems looming on the horizon. Living things take time to develop, improvement often occurs incrementally, and a destructive event such as a pest, disease, an accident, or a storm may produce a sudden and dramatic setback.
Baltimore's action plan requires:
- Tree planting, maintenance, preservation, and invasive species removal should all be addressed.
- TreeBaltimore is to continue with mass plantings in open spaces. Knowing that soon those easily planted areas would be filled, they should simultaneously work on prioritizing planting in various neighborhoods around the city.
- The list of governmental and non-profit partners on TreeBaltimore’s website is impressive and includes more than just the tree-huggers: clean water, sustainability, clean energy, transport and education organizations are all part of the effort. Countless neighborhood and community groups are also helpful to the cause.
- Despite the challenges ahead, the city will not stop their continual efforts to get more, bigger, and better trees onto the streets of Baltimore.
Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks’ Forestry Division maintains the city’s street trees with four in-house crews and nine contract crews. There are approximately 200,000 street trees in Baltimore City. Regular maintenance includes pruning, watering, mulching and removal when a tree is dead. Citizens can assist with this effort by watering and mulching the trees in front of their houses. This will enable the Forestry Division to focus more on trees in the medians and commercial areas of the city.
The City does not remove a tree because it conflicts with a sidewalk. The City of Baltimore has invested much time and energy into allowing a tree to grow to full maturity. Large trees provide many benefits to the citizens of Baltimore. Some examples of these benefits are absorbing storm water, cleaning the air of pollutants, shading the streets, providing a buffer to cars, increasing real estate values and lowering utility bills. There are many new approaches to incorporating large trees with pedestrian walkways and they still provide a safe experience.
Sources
- Ellyn Shea, consulting arborist in San Francisco
- Erik Dihle, Baltimore's City Arborist
- Baltimore City website
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA mangement or practice credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Pollination vs. Pesticide Treatment
Edited by Len Phillips
As you may have read, pesticides and diseases are causing a major decline in honey bee populations and fewer hives are available for work in orchards. With the declining number of honey bees available to pollinate fruit trees over the past decade worldwide, researchers have been looking at other ways of achieving pollination. Hand pollination with a small paint brush has been the general means of pollinating individual flowers, but this is very impractical when attempting to pollinate all the flowers on a tree and overwhelming in a commercial apple orchard. Luckily, a Japanese researcher has succeeded in fertilizing pear trees using pollen carried on the thin film of a soap bubble.
Here is how it came about!
Dr. Eijiro Miyako, from the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, had previously tested the feasibility of using a drone to deliver pollen to pear trees. But the drone kept damaging the flowers in the process. One day, while watching his young son blowing bubbles with a child's bubble gun in a local park, Dr. Miyako had a moment of inspiration. When a soap bubble accidentally hit his son's face and he laughed, he thought the bubbles should not damage flowers either and would be an ideal material for pollination. When the soap bubbles touched a flower, there was no damage because soap bubbles are soft, light and flexible.
In the lab, he was able to confirm, via optical microscopy, that soap bubbles could carry pollen. Realizing that most conventional soap would be too toxic for flowers, Dr. Miyako developed what he termed a chemically functional, safe, and delicate soap bubble that could each carry up to 2,000 pollen grains. This was enough to achieve a pollination success rate of 95%.
The researchers are now testing drones that can propel the bubbles carrying grains of pollen directly toward the flower. In the tests, soap bubbles were as effective at pollination as other methods including bees and better than by hand using a feather brush. After shooting the bubbles onto the pear trees, young fruits started to form 16 days later, at a volume and successful pollination rate equal to the hand pollination. The rates were approximately 95%, and no significant differences were observed between them. Furthermore, the shape and size of young pear fruits after soap bubble pollination look the same as hand pollination. In addition, this method has more potential advantages in terms of future automation and reduction of pollen grains.
However, soap bubbles are not without their troubles. The technique creates a lot of waste and the wind and rain can ruin the efforts to pollinate. Dr. Miyako believes these restrictions can be overcome through the use of technology such as localization and mapping, path planning and motion control.
Dr. Miyako is very optimistic about the potential for technology to succeed in pollination. Tests have already been carried out with an autonomous drone that was able to hit targets from two yards (2 meters) with a success rate of 90%.
What comes next?
Now, this Editor began to wonder, would this same principle work to treat a tree infested with Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) or a tree covered with European Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar)? It would certainly be less time consuming than injections into every tree and less hazardous to the environment than sprays from trucks moving down the street. Time will tell.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA practice or management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Edited by Len Phillips
As you may have read, pesticides and diseases are causing a major decline in honey bee populations and fewer hives are available for work in orchards. With the declining number of honey bees available to pollinate fruit trees over the past decade worldwide, researchers have been looking at other ways of achieving pollination. Hand pollination with a small paint brush has been the general means of pollinating individual flowers, but this is very impractical when attempting to pollinate all the flowers on a tree and overwhelming in a commercial apple orchard. Luckily, a Japanese researcher has succeeded in fertilizing pear trees using pollen carried on the thin film of a soap bubble.
Here is how it came about!
Dr. Eijiro Miyako, from the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, had previously tested the feasibility of using a drone to deliver pollen to pear trees. But the drone kept damaging the flowers in the process. One day, while watching his young son blowing bubbles with a child's bubble gun in a local park, Dr. Miyako had a moment of inspiration. When a soap bubble accidentally hit his son's face and he laughed, he thought the bubbles should not damage flowers either and would be an ideal material for pollination. When the soap bubbles touched a flower, there was no damage because soap bubbles are soft, light and flexible.
In the lab, he was able to confirm, via optical microscopy, that soap bubbles could carry pollen. Realizing that most conventional soap would be too toxic for flowers, Dr. Miyako developed what he termed a chemically functional, safe, and delicate soap bubble that could each carry up to 2,000 pollen grains. This was enough to achieve a pollination success rate of 95%.
The researchers are now testing drones that can propel the bubbles carrying grains of pollen directly toward the flower. In the tests, soap bubbles were as effective at pollination as other methods including bees and better than by hand using a feather brush. After shooting the bubbles onto the pear trees, young fruits started to form 16 days later, at a volume and successful pollination rate equal to the hand pollination. The rates were approximately 95%, and no significant differences were observed between them. Furthermore, the shape and size of young pear fruits after soap bubble pollination look the same as hand pollination. In addition, this method has more potential advantages in terms of future automation and reduction of pollen grains.
However, soap bubbles are not without their troubles. The technique creates a lot of waste and the wind and rain can ruin the efforts to pollinate. Dr. Miyako believes these restrictions can be overcome through the use of technology such as localization and mapping, path planning and motion control.
Dr. Miyako is very optimistic about the potential for technology to succeed in pollination. Tests have already been carried out with an autonomous drone that was able to hit targets from two yards (2 meters) with a success rate of 90%.
What comes next?
Now, this Editor began to wonder, would this same principle work to treat a tree infested with Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) or a tree covered with European Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar)? It would certainly be less time consuming than injections into every tree and less hazardous to the environment than sprays from trucks moving down the street. Time will tell.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA practice or management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Trees with Tales
by Len Phillips
The Tree
Pyrus calleryana, 'Glen's Form', commonly called Chanticleer® Callery Pear. Chanticleer grows 25 to 40 feet (7-12 m) tall and has a 13 to 16 feet (4-5 m) wide spread. It is somewhat oval shaped but with a pyramidal top. It requires moist soil conditions that are slightly acidic, and grows best in USDA Hardiness Zones between 4 and 8 and AHS Heat Zones between 8 and 3. Chanticleer pears require pruning once after the tree blooms for the first time to control growth. After that, prune the tree only when needed to control erratic branches.
The Chanticleer pear blooms in late April or early May, covering the tree in dense, white flower clusters. The flowers feed bees and other insects, and the fruits persist on the tree into winter to feed birds and other wildlife. The dense branch structure is favored by many kinds of birds for roosting in cold weather. The bark of the Chanticleer pear tree is reddish-brown. During the summer, the tree is covered with glossy, deep green leaves. The leaf color transitions to a golden-red or purple-red color during autumn. In the winter, the Chanticleer pear sheds its leaves, exposing thick, sturdy reddish-brown branches.
The Tales
After the hard fruits are softened by frost, they are eaten by birds and other animals which disperse the seeds. If the seeds are fertile, they can sprout and establish wild stands which can become invasive. In many areas of the US where lots of different cultivars are growing, interbreeding occurs readily and leads to the progeny invading nearby fields, right-of-ways, parks or other natural open areas.
Pyrus in much of New England however it is not considered invasive. In fact, one of my all time favorite trees is the Chanticleer. I grew one of them on a traffic island in a very public location and another one at a major street corner. Every spring when they were blooming, the calls of praise from residents were unprecedented.
Pyrus calleryana is a species of pear tree native to China that was brought to the US in 1858 by Joseph Callery, a French missionary, who discovered this tree in a Chinese forest. The species are covered with large thorns in early stages of growth. The cultivars however, have no thorns. In 1917, seed was brought to the U.S. from China for hybridization experiments in a successful attempt to improve fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) resistance for the common fruiting pear (P. communis). However, Pyrus calleryana was discovered to be useful as a tree that tolerated city heat and poor air quality and many Callery pear trees are now growing along many city streets.
After graduating in forestry from University of Michigan, Edward H. "Ed" Scanlon (1903-1976) became an urban tree manager, author, editor, and publisher. In 1946 Ed was appointed Commissioner of Shade Trees for the City of Cleveland, Ohio. As Ed traveled around Cleveland he used his observation skills to select perfect trees that were growing in the city. Pyrus calleryana 'Glen's Form' or Chanticleer®, was selected by Ed and named for its beauty and suitability as a city street tree in 1956. It was a tight, narrow, pyramidal, thornless ornamental pear tree. In April, the branches were profusely covered with white, five-petaled flowers up to an inch in diameter. Not only was Chanticleer the first tree to leaf out in the spring, it was the last tree to lose its leaves in autumn, a useful quality for screening, noise abatement, and softening other city problems. The tree does not produce any large surface roots that harm pavement like many other street trees. On March 23, 1965, Edward H. Scanlon received a Plant Patent #2,489 for Chanticleer Pear. Chanticleer went on to win the Award of Garden Merit in 2002 from the British Royal Horticultural Society and was selected as the 2005 Urban Tree of the Year by a vote from the Society of Municipal Arborists.
After Chanticleer, many other cultivars were selected by nurseries and arborists around the US. These named cultivars were propagated commercially from cuttings or buds that are grafted on hardy rootstock. The most well-known callery pears included the following:
One Chanticleer pear growing among many, at the World Trade Center in New York City in 2001, was a survivor of the attack on September 11. Its branches, trunk and roots were blasted, twisted, and broken down to an 8 feet (2.4 m) trunk, burned and buried in the rubble but it was the last living thing uncovered at Ground Zero. After its recovery and rehabilitation, the tree was returned to the site of the attack and is now growing where a memorial was established in 2010. New, smooth limbs extend from the gnarled stump, creating a visible demarcation between the tree’s past and its present. Each year, the 9/11 Memorial committee gives seedlings from the Survivor Tree to three communities that have endured tragedy in recent years. Today, the tree stands tall as a living reminder of resilience, survival, and rebirth by the residents of New York City.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA science or management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
by Len Phillips
The Tree
Pyrus calleryana, 'Glen's Form', commonly called Chanticleer® Callery Pear. Chanticleer grows 25 to 40 feet (7-12 m) tall and has a 13 to 16 feet (4-5 m) wide spread. It is somewhat oval shaped but with a pyramidal top. It requires moist soil conditions that are slightly acidic, and grows best in USDA Hardiness Zones between 4 and 8 and AHS Heat Zones between 8 and 3. Chanticleer pears require pruning once after the tree blooms for the first time to control growth. After that, prune the tree only when needed to control erratic branches.
The Chanticleer pear blooms in late April or early May, covering the tree in dense, white flower clusters. The flowers feed bees and other insects, and the fruits persist on the tree into winter to feed birds and other wildlife. The dense branch structure is favored by many kinds of birds for roosting in cold weather. The bark of the Chanticleer pear tree is reddish-brown. During the summer, the tree is covered with glossy, deep green leaves. The leaf color transitions to a golden-red or purple-red color during autumn. In the winter, the Chanticleer pear sheds its leaves, exposing thick, sturdy reddish-brown branches.
The Tales
After the hard fruits are softened by frost, they are eaten by birds and other animals which disperse the seeds. If the seeds are fertile, they can sprout and establish wild stands which can become invasive. In many areas of the US where lots of different cultivars are growing, interbreeding occurs readily and leads to the progeny invading nearby fields, right-of-ways, parks or other natural open areas.
Pyrus in much of New England however it is not considered invasive. In fact, one of my all time favorite trees is the Chanticleer. I grew one of them on a traffic island in a very public location and another one at a major street corner. Every spring when they were blooming, the calls of praise from residents were unprecedented.
Pyrus calleryana is a species of pear tree native to China that was brought to the US in 1858 by Joseph Callery, a French missionary, who discovered this tree in a Chinese forest. The species are covered with large thorns in early stages of growth. The cultivars however, have no thorns. In 1917, seed was brought to the U.S. from China for hybridization experiments in a successful attempt to improve fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) resistance for the common fruiting pear (P. communis). However, Pyrus calleryana was discovered to be useful as a tree that tolerated city heat and poor air quality and many Callery pear trees are now growing along many city streets.
After graduating in forestry from University of Michigan, Edward H. "Ed" Scanlon (1903-1976) became an urban tree manager, author, editor, and publisher. In 1946 Ed was appointed Commissioner of Shade Trees for the City of Cleveland, Ohio. As Ed traveled around Cleveland he used his observation skills to select perfect trees that were growing in the city. Pyrus calleryana 'Glen's Form' or Chanticleer®, was selected by Ed and named for its beauty and suitability as a city street tree in 1956. It was a tight, narrow, pyramidal, thornless ornamental pear tree. In April, the branches were profusely covered with white, five-petaled flowers up to an inch in diameter. Not only was Chanticleer the first tree to leaf out in the spring, it was the last tree to lose its leaves in autumn, a useful quality for screening, noise abatement, and softening other city problems. The tree does not produce any large surface roots that harm pavement like many other street trees. On March 23, 1965, Edward H. Scanlon received a Plant Patent #2,489 for Chanticleer Pear. Chanticleer went on to win the Award of Garden Merit in 2002 from the British Royal Horticultural Society and was selected as the 2005 Urban Tree of the Year by a vote from the Society of Municipal Arborists.
After Chanticleer, many other cultivars were selected by nurseries and arborists around the US. These named cultivars were propagated commercially from cuttings or buds that are grafted on hardy rootstock. The most well-known callery pears included the following:
- Pyrus calleryana ‘Aristocrat’ callery pear, has a leaf with wavy edges and a wide pyramidal form. It is more resistant to branch breaking, but is susceptible to fire blight (Erwinia amylovora), and its autumn color can be an inconsistent red.
- Pyrus calleryana ‘Autumn Blaze’, has a consistent early autumn red-purple color, round form, more cold hardiness but is susceptible to fire blight.
- Pyrus calleryana ‘Capital’, has a columnar form, glossy foliage and was introduced by the U.S. National Arboretum.
- Pyrus calleryana ‘Jack’ callery pear, has a short and a narrow oval form. The leaves turn yellow in autumn. It is excellent for growing under utility wires and sites where a formal appearance is desired.
- Pyrus calleryana ‘Redspire’ callery pear, has an autumn color that is more yellow than red, a nice large oval form, and is less prone to branch breakage, but is very susceptible to fire blight.
- Pyrus calleryana ‘Silver Ball' callery pear, is a rounded dwarf and was introduced by Harold Pellett and the Landscape Plant Development Center. It has strong fireblight resistance.
One Chanticleer pear growing among many, at the World Trade Center in New York City in 2001, was a survivor of the attack on September 11. Its branches, trunk and roots were blasted, twisted, and broken down to an 8 feet (2.4 m) trunk, burned and buried in the rubble but it was the last living thing uncovered at Ground Zero. After its recovery and rehabilitation, the tree was returned to the site of the attack and is now growing where a memorial was established in 2010. New, smooth limbs extend from the gnarled stump, creating a visible demarcation between the tree’s past and its present. Each year, the 9/11 Memorial committee gives seedlings from the Survivor Tree to three communities that have endured tragedy in recent years. Today, the tree stands tall as a living reminder of resilience, survival, and rebirth by the residents of New York City.
Sources
- Arnold Arboretum, “Bulletin of Popular Information, Series 3 Vol. V No. 7”, May 29, 1931.
- Barker, Philip A. “Edward H. Scanlon”, Proceedings International Plant Propagators Society, 2007.
- Dirr, Michael A. and Keith S. Warren, “The Tree Book”, Timber Press, 2019.
- J. Frank Schmidt & Son Nursery catalog descriptions of 'Chanticleer'.
- Learn 2 Grow, “Pyrus calleryana 'Chanticleer'”, Plant Search, 2017.
- Missouri Botanical Garden, “Pyrus calleryana 'Chanticleer'”, Plant Finder.
- The Morton Arboretum, “Callery Pear”, 2017.
- Wikipedia, “Pyrus calleryana”, 9 May 2017.
- Missouri Botanical Garden photo
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA science or management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Design for Wildfire Prevention
Edited by Len Phillips
While wildfires happen every season in California, this year’s toll has been particularly devastating. In 2020, California had 8,836 wildfires burning across 4 million acres. Also, in 2020 there were seven deaths and over 12,000 structures destroyed. Two of the fires burning around the San Francisco area are now recorded as the second and third largest in California history.
Many people think that there is no solution, but some smart tactics can actually be implemented to help limit these forest fires. These tactics aim to restore the forests back to healthy, historic conditions where the trees are widely spaced apart from each other with diverse native grasses and wildflowers growing over the ground. These techniques are often referred to as climate-smart or holistic forest restoration.
The most critical thing to do now is to bring back vitality to the forests. Thinning overgrown trees and leaving the largest and most flame-resistant trees can help the land survive the unpredictable climate. With empty spaces left behind by strong flames, new seedlings can be hand-planted with better spacing to prevent the widespread of fire in the future. It’s only a matter of time before these vast forests become natural casualties to the dreaded California wildfires. So, it is important that we do whatever we can to help counteract these catastrophes now.
Unfortunately, there is no way to fireproof a property, but the University of California’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources offers strategies to design and maintain landscapes to reduce vulnerability. A key component of this protection is the proper placement and maintenance of plants and trees in the city and around the home.
During a wildfire, structures are threatened not only by the flaming front of the fire, but also by embers that are lofted ahead of the fire front and can come into contact with receptive fuels such as vegetation or mulch, igniting new fires. Traditional defensible space tactics are designed to mitigate threats from the front of the fire but do little to address vulnerabilities to wafting embers. Without attention to ember-related risks, defensible space efforts only address a portion of the threat, especially during wind-driven fires.
To be able to reduce embers, radiant heat, and direct flame exposure to a structure, residents are encouraged to develop and implement a three-zone strategy whereby the highest priorities and most restrictive measures are incorporated in the area closest to the building. Treating potential fuels within the first five feet of structures is one of the most important aspects of wildfire hazard mitigation.
While these strategies require some adjustment from methods of the past, it is possible to have both a beautiful landscape and a property that is more resistant to wildfire. Fire prevention work must start from the building outward to make sure the structure itself is hardened against fire, then implement the guidelines in concentric circles moving away from the structure.
Creating a defensible space requires creating fuel breaks or spaces surrounding all structures on the property.
Use hardscape and noncombustible materials around structures. A few feet from the structure, place plants with ample space both vertically and horizontally. Any new plants and trees should be installed in the right places with fire, climate, and aesthetics in mind. Next in the landscape, create plant islands that have similar sun, nutrient, and water needs. Replace combustible (wood) fences and garages with materials that will not burn. This includes gazebos, as well as stacked firewood, dry grasses, and leaf litter.
Prune trees and other plants to maintain horizontal and vertical space throughout the property. Eliminate fire ladders. For instance, a grass fire can move up into shrubs and then further into the trees and then leap over to a roof and structure. The best prevention is to hydrate plants with a water-wise irrigation system. Use non-combustible mulches, such as decorative stones near the house.
The general surroundings leading up to a structure must also be considered as part of wildfire preparedness planning. If a structure is located on a steep slope, or in a drainage area, windy area, or an area surrounded by unusually dense, tall, or combustible vegetation, increase the thinning of branches and crowded vegetation. Additionally, if the property is surrounded by vegetation especially prone to wildfire or has an active fire history, try to increase the clearance from trees and other combustible materials. When a home is at the top of a slope, keep in mind that fire and heat rise, allowing for pre-heating of up-slope fuels and resulting in the potential for more intense fire behavior. In these cases, greater effort should be directed at the downhill side of the structure with even higher levels of spacing given to combustible materials.
Wind is another factor to consider along with site orientation and slope. Fires on a south-facing slope with southerly winds can easily span the 30 foot lean and require a local resource expert to install adequate measures when a property is at great risk.
Helping other property owners achieve greater wildfire resiliency will take a coupled approach and greater awareness of ember protection through a combination of:
This article was adapted from “Preparing Your Landscape in 2020” from the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of California.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA practice or management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Edited by Len Phillips
While wildfires happen every season in California, this year’s toll has been particularly devastating. In 2020, California had 8,836 wildfires burning across 4 million acres. Also, in 2020 there were seven deaths and over 12,000 structures destroyed. Two of the fires burning around the San Francisco area are now recorded as the second and third largest in California history.
Many people think that there is no solution, but some smart tactics can actually be implemented to help limit these forest fires. These tactics aim to restore the forests back to healthy, historic conditions where the trees are widely spaced apart from each other with diverse native grasses and wildflowers growing over the ground. These techniques are often referred to as climate-smart or holistic forest restoration.
The most critical thing to do now is to bring back vitality to the forests. Thinning overgrown trees and leaving the largest and most flame-resistant trees can help the land survive the unpredictable climate. With empty spaces left behind by strong flames, new seedlings can be hand-planted with better spacing to prevent the widespread of fire in the future. It’s only a matter of time before these vast forests become natural casualties to the dreaded California wildfires. So, it is important that we do whatever we can to help counteract these catastrophes now.
Unfortunately, there is no way to fireproof a property, but the University of California’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources offers strategies to design and maintain landscapes to reduce vulnerability. A key component of this protection is the proper placement and maintenance of plants and trees in the city and around the home.
During a wildfire, structures are threatened not only by the flaming front of the fire, but also by embers that are lofted ahead of the fire front and can come into contact with receptive fuels such as vegetation or mulch, igniting new fires. Traditional defensible space tactics are designed to mitigate threats from the front of the fire but do little to address vulnerabilities to wafting embers. Without attention to ember-related risks, defensible space efforts only address a portion of the threat, especially during wind-driven fires.
To be able to reduce embers, radiant heat, and direct flame exposure to a structure, residents are encouraged to develop and implement a three-zone strategy whereby the highest priorities and most restrictive measures are incorporated in the area closest to the building. Treating potential fuels within the first five feet of structures is one of the most important aspects of wildfire hazard mitigation.
While these strategies require some adjustment from methods of the past, it is possible to have both a beautiful landscape and a property that is more resistant to wildfire. Fire prevention work must start from the building outward to make sure the structure itself is hardened against fire, then implement the guidelines in concentric circles moving away from the structure.
Creating a defensible space requires creating fuel breaks or spaces surrounding all structures on the property.
Use hardscape and noncombustible materials around structures. A few feet from the structure, place plants with ample space both vertically and horizontally. Any new plants and trees should be installed in the right places with fire, climate, and aesthetics in mind. Next in the landscape, create plant islands that have similar sun, nutrient, and water needs. Replace combustible (wood) fences and garages with materials that will not burn. This includes gazebos, as well as stacked firewood, dry grasses, and leaf litter.
Prune trees and other plants to maintain horizontal and vertical space throughout the property. Eliminate fire ladders. For instance, a grass fire can move up into shrubs and then further into the trees and then leap over to a roof and structure. The best prevention is to hydrate plants with a water-wise irrigation system. Use non-combustible mulches, such as decorative stones near the house.
The general surroundings leading up to a structure must also be considered as part of wildfire preparedness planning. If a structure is located on a steep slope, or in a drainage area, windy area, or an area surrounded by unusually dense, tall, or combustible vegetation, increase the thinning of branches and crowded vegetation. Additionally, if the property is surrounded by vegetation especially prone to wildfire or has an active fire history, try to increase the clearance from trees and other combustible materials. When a home is at the top of a slope, keep in mind that fire and heat rise, allowing for pre-heating of up-slope fuels and resulting in the potential for more intense fire behavior. In these cases, greater effort should be directed at the downhill side of the structure with even higher levels of spacing given to combustible materials.
Wind is another factor to consider along with site orientation and slope. Fires on a south-facing slope with southerly winds can easily span the 30 foot lean and require a local resource expert to install adequate measures when a property is at great risk.
Helping other property owners achieve greater wildfire resiliency will take a coupled approach and greater awareness of ember protection through a combination of:
- careful design and maintenance of landscaping.
- awareness and management of combustible materials on the property e.g., leaf litter, wood piles, and lawn furniture.
- the use of fire and ember resistant construction materials with appropriate installation and maintenance.
This article was adapted from “Preparing Your Landscape in 2020” from the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of California.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA practice or management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
The Arborist's Five-Step Tree Felling Plan
By Ken Palmer
One of Noah Webster’s definitions of an accident is “an unplanned event.” So, it stands to reason that to avoid accidents, you must plan your work and work your plan! When felling trees, it is vital that arborists have and use a tree felling plan. The following five-step tree felling plan incorporates up-to-date cutting methods, is widely used by professional chainsaw operators worldwide, and has recently been adopted into the ANSI Z-133.1 standard for tree-care operations. Using the five-step tree felling plan will help you to achieve successful results consistently.
#1 Identify height and hazards – Decide on the most desirable direction to fell the tree. Use a reliable method to determine the height of the tree relative to the direction of the fall. Look for tree defects, decay, electrical conductors, or any other characteristics of the tree that may affect the felling plan. Consider obstacles within the tree felling site such as structures, pavement, and outdoor furnishings. While some can be moved if necessary; others will have to be avoided. Assess the strength and direction of the wind.
#2 Assess the side lean – This often determines whether or not the hinge will hold and whether or not you may need to remove some weight from the “bad” side. This also provides the information necessary to determine the “good” and “bad” sides of the tree for the feller to stand when making the final cut.
#3 Escape route – Always think about your escape route before you begin the felling operation. The escape route should be at a 45-degree angle opposite the felling direction. Be sure to walk your escape route before making any felling cuts and clear any obstacles or hazards before beginning to fell the tree. Remember to use your escape route as soon as or before the tree begins to fall.
#4 Hinge plan – The face notch and hinge are critical to safe, accurate, and consistent tree felling results. Plan the size, depth and placement of the notch. Determine the desired thickness and length of the hinge.
#5 Back cut technique – The back cut is often taken for granted, but if it is not performed properly, it is often the cause of tree felling accidents. Forward or back lean may determine what kind of back cut you will use: the straightforward back cut or the bore cut. The degree of forward or back lean will determine how many wedges and/or whether a pull rope will be necessary, as well as how much power may be required to pull/move the tree over the pivot point (the hinge).
Remember that if the tree is too thin, there may not be enough wood for a notch, hinge, bore cut and back/holding strap. In that case it will be necessary to use the straightforward back cut. Remember to finish the felling cut on the “good” side of the tree and use your escape route as soon as the tree begins to fall.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA practice or management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
By Ken Palmer
One of Noah Webster’s definitions of an accident is “an unplanned event.” So, it stands to reason that to avoid accidents, you must plan your work and work your plan! When felling trees, it is vital that arborists have and use a tree felling plan. The following five-step tree felling plan incorporates up-to-date cutting methods, is widely used by professional chainsaw operators worldwide, and has recently been adopted into the ANSI Z-133.1 standard for tree-care operations. Using the five-step tree felling plan will help you to achieve successful results consistently.
#1 Identify height and hazards – Decide on the most desirable direction to fell the tree. Use a reliable method to determine the height of the tree relative to the direction of the fall. Look for tree defects, decay, electrical conductors, or any other characteristics of the tree that may affect the felling plan. Consider obstacles within the tree felling site such as structures, pavement, and outdoor furnishings. While some can be moved if necessary; others will have to be avoided. Assess the strength and direction of the wind.
#2 Assess the side lean – This often determines whether or not the hinge will hold and whether or not you may need to remove some weight from the “bad” side. This also provides the information necessary to determine the “good” and “bad” sides of the tree for the feller to stand when making the final cut.
#3 Escape route – Always think about your escape route before you begin the felling operation. The escape route should be at a 45-degree angle opposite the felling direction. Be sure to walk your escape route before making any felling cuts and clear any obstacles or hazards before beginning to fell the tree. Remember to use your escape route as soon as or before the tree begins to fall.
#4 Hinge plan – The face notch and hinge are critical to safe, accurate, and consistent tree felling results. Plan the size, depth and placement of the notch. Determine the desired thickness and length of the hinge.
#5 Back cut technique – The back cut is often taken for granted, but if it is not performed properly, it is often the cause of tree felling accidents. Forward or back lean may determine what kind of back cut you will use: the straightforward back cut or the bore cut. The degree of forward or back lean will determine how many wedges and/or whether a pull rope will be necessary, as well as how much power may be required to pull/move the tree over the pivot point (the hinge).
Remember that if the tree is too thin, there may not be enough wood for a notch, hinge, bore cut and back/holding strap. In that case it will be necessary to use the straightforward back cut. Remember to finish the felling cut on the “good” side of the tree and use your escape route as soon as the tree begins to fall.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA practice or management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.