Seminar #93 from Online Seminars for Municipal Arborists
January - March 2022
Sections Go directly to the section by clicking on the title below
January - March 2022
Sections Go directly to the section by clicking on the title below
- Do Your Part to Fight Climate Change!
- Solar Panels Are Better With Trees
- Tree City - Regina, Saskatchewan
- Trees With Tales - Sitka Spruce
- The Fight Against Global Warming in Madrid
- Saving the American Chestnut
- Hunter's Point South Park
- Proof that People Need Trees
- Dr. Elwin Orton
- December 2021's Official Christmas Tree
Note: Click on green text in each section for more information and photos.
Do Your Part to Fight Climate Change!
By Len Phillips
As arborists and landscape architects, the most important thing you can do to fight climate change is to plant as many trees as possible. As you begin making plans for spring planting, your efforts should follow your tree planting master plan. The master plan is a comprehensive review of the area of your responsibility, the property or the city. The purpose of the review is to be sure the benefits from the trees are maximized as you select locations for new trees.
However, if you do not have a master plan, you can still focus on the selection and installation of trees for this spring.
Big shade trees deserve credit for cooling our cities while delivering many environmental and health benefits. Some reasons to plant big trees begin with the most obvious.
Big shade trees:
For more information on planning to install trees, see Installing New Trees.
Heat Tolerant Trees
Because you should be selecting trees for the long term, look for tree species that are heat tolerant so they are able to thrive while dealing with warming temperatures. The heat tolerance is based on a general comparison to other trees. The trees selected should be species of trees that will tolerate heat as far south as the Hardiness Zone 9 of southern Florida.
Don't be afraid to plant very small trees in protected locations. Most seedlings will be full grown in 30 years and that is when some scientists project global warming may begin to become hazardous to human life.
Also don't be afraid to try new cultivars. Every year the nursery industry is busy creating new introductions that have been selected for their heat tolerance in addition to other desirable features. For a list of heat tolerant trees, see Best Trees.
Installing Bare Root Trees
A bare root (BR) tree, once installed at a new location, will establish and grow at double the rate of a balled and burlapped (B&B) tree and a containerized tree. However, BR trees require special care in order to ensure survival and rapid recovery from transplant shock. The major caution with a BR tree is that because it has no soil with it, the tree must be installed as quickly as possible after leaving the nursery. The tree roots must ALWAYS be in the shade and soaking wet, even while the hole is being dug. If most of the tiny root hairs survive the transplanting process, the tree will continue its rapid growth as if it was still in the nursery.
Another plus for bare root trees is their cost. They are one-half the cost of the same species and size tree being sold B&B. In addition, it immediately adapts to the soil at its new home so transplant shock recovery is minimal. For more information on this subject, see Planting Trees at a Bargain Rate.
Tree Staking
Once the tree has been selected and the tree pit has been dug, the tree should be set in the bottom of the pit and the roots covered with a thin layer of soil. At this point there are new guidelines. The tree should be stabilized by the roots instead of guywires attached to the tree or tall stakes that prevent tree movement five feet (1-½ m) or so, above the ground. The old guywires were often forgotten and left in the tree beyond the establishment period. The wires then resulted in harming the tree by girdling or becoming a breaking point for the top of the tree.
Tree stabilization is a method by which the roots of a tree are firmly attached to the bottom of the installation pit with a tree stabilizer that is installed at the end of the planting process. The device is installed in a manner which prevents the tree roots from moving so the tree flare can develop in a normal manner instead of half way up the tree where it was tied to the stakes. For more information on this subject, see Change Your Tree Staking Detail. This article also discusses purchasing trees by quotes instead of bidding. Quotes can double the number of trees your budget can afford.
Watering New Trees
When a tree is installed, the hole should be filled with water halfway through the installation process and again when it is completely planted. The saucer should be filled two more times within 24 hours after installation. Even if it is raining, a thorough watering will eliminate trapped air pockets in the soil and reduce transplant shock. After installation, a thorough watering once a week is necessary until the end of the first growing season. On extremely hot or windy days, a very fine misting of the leaves may be necessary several times a day. Watering may also be necessary during periods of drought for a few years after installation. Mulching trees with a 1 – 3 inch (2.5 – 8 cm) thick layer of woodchips or other mulch is recommended as it helps reduce evaporation and conserves water in the soil. Large bags that drip water for several days are also a labor saver. For more information, see Watering Trees after Installation.
Mulch New Trees
The use of organic mulches in the landscape is intended to duplicate the leaves and needles in the forest where they are deposited annually on the forest floor. Composted leaves act to insulate the soil in winter and they are the mechanism by which carbon and mineral nutrients are recycled into the soil for use by the growing tree.
Mulch can be anything that will facilitate the survival of microorganisms, conserve soil moisture and reduce weed growth in competition with the tree. Mulch can be any locally available product that will simulate the conditions on the forest floor. Though there is no single best mulch, except leaves from the forest trees, organic mulches are better for the tree and the ecology of soil. Mulch from coniferous plants are best for placement over the roots of conifers and hardwood mulch is considered the best for around hardwood trees. For more information, see Mulching Trees.
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, Utility Worker, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA science and 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
As arborists and landscape architects, the most important thing you can do to fight climate change is to plant as many trees as possible. As you begin making plans for spring planting, your efforts should follow your tree planting master plan. The master plan is a comprehensive review of the area of your responsibility, the property or the city. The purpose of the review is to be sure the benefits from the trees are maximized as you select locations for new trees.
However, if you do not have a master plan, you can still focus on the selection and installation of trees for this spring.
Big shade trees deserve credit for cooling our cities while delivering many environmental and health benefits. Some reasons to plant big trees begin with the most obvious.
Big shade trees:
- reduce energy costs via direct shading of buildings and pavement and reducing temperatures via evapotranspiration,
- help to manage stormwater at the installation site and reduce runoff,
- convert carbon dioxide to oxygen and scrub the air of harmful particulates,
- provide essential health benefits to people,
- increase property values.
For more information on planning to install trees, see Installing New Trees.
Heat Tolerant Trees
Because you should be selecting trees for the long term, look for tree species that are heat tolerant so they are able to thrive while dealing with warming temperatures. The heat tolerance is based on a general comparison to other trees. The trees selected should be species of trees that will tolerate heat as far south as the Hardiness Zone 9 of southern Florida.
Don't be afraid to plant very small trees in protected locations. Most seedlings will be full grown in 30 years and that is when some scientists project global warming may begin to become hazardous to human life.
Also don't be afraid to try new cultivars. Every year the nursery industry is busy creating new introductions that have been selected for their heat tolerance in addition to other desirable features. For a list of heat tolerant trees, see Best Trees.
Installing Bare Root Trees
A bare root (BR) tree, once installed at a new location, will establish and grow at double the rate of a balled and burlapped (B&B) tree and a containerized tree. However, BR trees require special care in order to ensure survival and rapid recovery from transplant shock. The major caution with a BR tree is that because it has no soil with it, the tree must be installed as quickly as possible after leaving the nursery. The tree roots must ALWAYS be in the shade and soaking wet, even while the hole is being dug. If most of the tiny root hairs survive the transplanting process, the tree will continue its rapid growth as if it was still in the nursery.
Another plus for bare root trees is their cost. They are one-half the cost of the same species and size tree being sold B&B. In addition, it immediately adapts to the soil at its new home so transplant shock recovery is minimal. For more information on this subject, see Planting Trees at a Bargain Rate.
Tree Staking
Once the tree has been selected and the tree pit has been dug, the tree should be set in the bottom of the pit and the roots covered with a thin layer of soil. At this point there are new guidelines. The tree should be stabilized by the roots instead of guywires attached to the tree or tall stakes that prevent tree movement five feet (1-½ m) or so, above the ground. The old guywires were often forgotten and left in the tree beyond the establishment period. The wires then resulted in harming the tree by girdling or becoming a breaking point for the top of the tree.
Tree stabilization is a method by which the roots of a tree are firmly attached to the bottom of the installation pit with a tree stabilizer that is installed at the end of the planting process. The device is installed in a manner which prevents the tree roots from moving so the tree flare can develop in a normal manner instead of half way up the tree where it was tied to the stakes. For more information on this subject, see Change Your Tree Staking Detail. This article also discusses purchasing trees by quotes instead of bidding. Quotes can double the number of trees your budget can afford.
Watering New Trees
When a tree is installed, the hole should be filled with water halfway through the installation process and again when it is completely planted. The saucer should be filled two more times within 24 hours after installation. Even if it is raining, a thorough watering will eliminate trapped air pockets in the soil and reduce transplant shock. After installation, a thorough watering once a week is necessary until the end of the first growing season. On extremely hot or windy days, a very fine misting of the leaves may be necessary several times a day. Watering may also be necessary during periods of drought for a few years after installation. Mulching trees with a 1 – 3 inch (2.5 – 8 cm) thick layer of woodchips or other mulch is recommended as it helps reduce evaporation and conserves water in the soil. Large bags that drip water for several days are also a labor saver. For more information, see Watering Trees after Installation.
Mulch New Trees
The use of organic mulches in the landscape is intended to duplicate the leaves and needles in the forest where they are deposited annually on the forest floor. Composted leaves act to insulate the soil in winter and they are the mechanism by which carbon and mineral nutrients are recycled into the soil for use by the growing tree.
Mulch can be anything that will facilitate the survival of microorganisms, conserve soil moisture and reduce weed growth in competition with the tree. Mulch can be any locally available product that will simulate the conditions on the forest floor. Though there is no single best mulch, except leaves from the forest trees, organic mulches are better for the tree and the ecology of soil. Mulch from coniferous plants are best for placement over the roots of conifers and hardwood mulch is considered the best for around hardwood trees. For more information, see Mulching Trees.
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, Utility Worker, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA science and 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.
Solar Panels are Better with Trees
Edited By Len Phillips
Two identical office buildings in Sydney, Australia are providing the perfect opportunity for solar energy researchers to test a long-held hunch. Would trees surrounding rooftop solar panels make them more or less efficient? The answer, as it turned out, is more. The study was led by people from the University of Technology in Sydney and it was funded by the City of Sydney.
On top of one of the two identical new buildings was a conventional photovoltaic solar panel system. On the other, researchers surrounded similar solar panels with trees, plants and foliage to create a “green roof”. Then they compared how much energy the two solar panel systems produced over an eight-month period.
On hot days, the surface temperature on the green roof was up to 36ºF, 20ºC lower compared to the roof with no plants. This resulted in the "green roof" having improved performance by as much as 20% at peak times and by almost 4% over the length of the experiment. The researchers said that solar panels actually work better when they are not too hot.
Australia has a lot sunlight and when temperatures go above 78º F 25º C photovoltaic panels become less efficient. However, the company that installed the green roof had heard anecdotal evidence that there was improved performance with trees and shrubs on the roof keeping the panels cooler, so this was no surprise.
As the results started to come through about how much more efficient the “shaded” solar panels were, and how much cooler the roof was, it became really exciting to the research team. The actual numbers indicated a 3.6% increase in solar panel output on the green roof. While this does not sound like a lot, with solar panels at the moment to even gain one or two per cent increase is a big deal. Over the eight months of the test, the green roof generated an additional 9.5 MWh or $1,920 US ($2,595 Au) worth of renewable energy. The extra energy was sold back to the grid resulting in a cost savings for the building.
Other benefits:
Green roofs also have a role to play in future-proofing cities against the damaging effects of climate change. If non-absorbent hard surfaces are not releasing that heat back into the air at night, then the building owner is having to use a lot more electricity to reduce those temperatures inside the building.
As well as cooling the building, the green roof absorbed almost 10 US tons (9 A. tonnes) of greenhouse gases.
During storms, the plants soaked up heavy rain, reducing the amount of storm water run-off and decreased the risk of flash flooding. This meant 160 gallons (600 liters) of water per second was sequestered into the green roof as opposed to all of it going into the storm water run-off system.
One of the most exciting outcomes was the increase in biodiversity in the heart of the city. The green rooftop attracted a wide range of beneficial insects and native bees. Plus, motion sensor cameras captured images of birds visiting the rooftop. To attract any creatures that high up in the middle of the city is quite astounding.
In the cities of the future, green roofs will also provide valuable outdoor space for humans.
Particularly in the middle of the recent lock-down, people were really craving green and open spaces. There are also lots of little nooks and crannies on city roof tops that are not being used.
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
Two identical office buildings in Sydney, Australia are providing the perfect opportunity for solar energy researchers to test a long-held hunch. Would trees surrounding rooftop solar panels make them more or less efficient? The answer, as it turned out, is more. The study was led by people from the University of Technology in Sydney and it was funded by the City of Sydney.
On top of one of the two identical new buildings was a conventional photovoltaic solar panel system. On the other, researchers surrounded similar solar panels with trees, plants and foliage to create a “green roof”. Then they compared how much energy the two solar panel systems produced over an eight-month period.
On hot days, the surface temperature on the green roof was up to 36ºF, 20ºC lower compared to the roof with no plants. This resulted in the "green roof" having improved performance by as much as 20% at peak times and by almost 4% over the length of the experiment. The researchers said that solar panels actually work better when they are not too hot.
Australia has a lot sunlight and when temperatures go above 78º F 25º C photovoltaic panels become less efficient. However, the company that installed the green roof had heard anecdotal evidence that there was improved performance with trees and shrubs on the roof keeping the panels cooler, so this was no surprise.
As the results started to come through about how much more efficient the “shaded” solar panels were, and how much cooler the roof was, it became really exciting to the research team. The actual numbers indicated a 3.6% increase in solar panel output on the green roof. While this does not sound like a lot, with solar panels at the moment to even gain one or two per cent increase is a big deal. Over the eight months of the test, the green roof generated an additional 9.5 MWh or $1,920 US ($2,595 Au) worth of renewable energy. The extra energy was sold back to the grid resulting in a cost savings for the building.
Other benefits:
Green roofs also have a role to play in future-proofing cities against the damaging effects of climate change. If non-absorbent hard surfaces are not releasing that heat back into the air at night, then the building owner is having to use a lot more electricity to reduce those temperatures inside the building.
As well as cooling the building, the green roof absorbed almost 10 US tons (9 A. tonnes) of greenhouse gases.
During storms, the plants soaked up heavy rain, reducing the amount of storm water run-off and decreased the risk of flash flooding. This meant 160 gallons (600 liters) of water per second was sequestered into the green roof as opposed to all of it going into the storm water run-off system.
One of the most exciting outcomes was the increase in biodiversity in the heart of the city. The green rooftop attracted a wide range of beneficial insects and native bees. Plus, motion sensor cameras captured images of birds visiting the rooftop. To attract any creatures that high up in the middle of the city is quite astounding.
In the cities of the future, green roofs will also provide valuable outdoor space for humans.
Particularly in the middle of the recent lock-down, people were really craving green and open spaces. There are also lots of little nooks and crannies on city roof tops that are not being used.
Source
- Ursula Malone, ABC News, 24 Aug 2021
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.
Tree City – Regina, Saskatchewan
Edited by Len Phillips
Regina is the capital of the Province of Saskatchewan and the 16th largest city in Canada with a population of 230,725. Regina is located in the south central area of the province. The city covers an area of 47 sq. miles (118 square kilometers). It is in the middle of the Prairie Provinces with Alberta to the west, and Manitoba to the east. It borders the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota. Latitude: 50 degrees 26 min north Longitude: 104 degrees 40 min west. The elevation is approximately 2800 ft. (577 m) above sea level.
History
Regina is located on Treaty 4 land and within the traditional territory of the Metis indigenous people. The indigenous people have lived in their region of Canada for many thousands of years. The area around Regina was one of the important places where indigenous people would come to hunt the roaming herds of bison. They began to stack the long bison bones into large piles in an effort to honor the animals’ spirit, so the herds would return every year. This was especially important as the bison herds were becoming depleted due to over-hunting by non-indigenous hunters. The indigenous peoples named the area oskana ka-asastēki, which roughly translates to “bone piles”. European explorers, fur traders and settlers translated this to Pile of Bones.
European settlement began in the 1880's as an agricultural community and served as a distribution point for farm materials and produce. As the settlement grew and became established, it was renamed Regina (Latin for “queen”) after Queen Victoria, who was the British monarch at the time.
Regina became a city in 1903. Two years later, Saskatchewan became a province and chose Regina as its capital. Today, this diverse and vibrant community is one of Canada’s fastest growing major cities.
Tree City of the World
On March 2, 2021, the City of Regina was recognized as a Tree City of the World by the United Nations for the second year in a row. Regina is one of 120 cities accepted globally into the Tree Cities of the World program.
These cities are recognized by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Arbor Day Foundation for meeting core standards on the care and planning of urban trees and forests.
These cities are demonstrating leadership in the management of their urban trees and are serving as part of the solution to many of the global warming issues everyone is facing today. Each Tree City successfully met five core standards of urban forest management in order to earn recognition. This recognition is a testament to their commitment to building a healthy city now and for the future. The vision of the program is to connect cities around the world to a network dedicated to sharing and adopting the most successful approaches to managing city trees and forests.
Regina has more than 500,000 planted trees that help with flood control, natural cooling, plus removal of the carbon dioxide equivalent to the exhaust from 3,330 mid-sized vehicles each year. Regina's urban forest supports the goal of becoming a 100 percent renewable city by 2050.
Not only does their urban forest contribute to the beautification of their city and community pride, it also contributes to the mental and physical well-being of all its residents.
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, Utility Worker, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Edited by Len Phillips
Regina is the capital of the Province of Saskatchewan and the 16th largest city in Canada with a population of 230,725. Regina is located in the south central area of the province. The city covers an area of 47 sq. miles (118 square kilometers). It is in the middle of the Prairie Provinces with Alberta to the west, and Manitoba to the east. It borders the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota. Latitude: 50 degrees 26 min north Longitude: 104 degrees 40 min west. The elevation is approximately 2800 ft. (577 m) above sea level.
History
Regina is located on Treaty 4 land and within the traditional territory of the Metis indigenous people. The indigenous people have lived in their region of Canada for many thousands of years. The area around Regina was one of the important places where indigenous people would come to hunt the roaming herds of bison. They began to stack the long bison bones into large piles in an effort to honor the animals’ spirit, so the herds would return every year. This was especially important as the bison herds were becoming depleted due to over-hunting by non-indigenous hunters. The indigenous peoples named the area oskana ka-asastēki, which roughly translates to “bone piles”. European explorers, fur traders and settlers translated this to Pile of Bones.
European settlement began in the 1880's as an agricultural community and served as a distribution point for farm materials and produce. As the settlement grew and became established, it was renamed Regina (Latin for “queen”) after Queen Victoria, who was the British monarch at the time.
Regina became a city in 1903. Two years later, Saskatchewan became a province and chose Regina as its capital. Today, this diverse and vibrant community is one of Canada’s fastest growing major cities.
Tree City of the World
On March 2, 2021, the City of Regina was recognized as a Tree City of the World by the United Nations for the second year in a row. Regina is one of 120 cities accepted globally into the Tree Cities of the World program.
These cities are recognized by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Arbor Day Foundation for meeting core standards on the care and planning of urban trees and forests.
These cities are demonstrating leadership in the management of their urban trees and are serving as part of the solution to many of the global warming issues everyone is facing today. Each Tree City successfully met five core standards of urban forest management in order to earn recognition. This recognition is a testament to their commitment to building a healthy city now and for the future. The vision of the program is to connect cities around the world to a network dedicated to sharing and adopting the most successful approaches to managing city trees and forests.
Regina has more than 500,000 planted trees that help with flood control, natural cooling, plus removal of the carbon dioxide equivalent to the exhaust from 3,330 mid-sized vehicles each year. Regina's urban forest supports the goal of becoming a 100 percent renewable city by 2050.
Not only does their urban forest contribute to the beautification of their city and community pride, it also contributes to the mental and physical well-being of all its residents.
Sources:
- Statistics Canada, 2017.
- Tree City of the World application
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, Utility Worker, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Trees With Tales
Picea sitchensis
By Len Phillips
The Tree
Picea sitchensis, commonly called Sitka spruce, is also known as tideland spruce, coast spruce, and yellow spruce. This coastal species is seldom found more than 50 miles (80 km) from the Pacific Ocean and its inlets, where the moist maritime air and summer fogs help to maintain ideal, humid, growing conditions. It is a large coniferous tree in the Pinaceae (pine) family. Picea sitchensis is the largest of the world's spruce trees and can live for 700 years. The Sitka spruce grows to over 240 feet (70 m) tall as it soars toward the heavens. Picea sitchensis will have a trunk diameter that can exceed 15 feet (4.6 m). It is one of the most prominent forest trees along the northwest coast of North America from northern California to Alaska. It is closely associated with the temperate rain forests.
The leaves of Sitka spruce are stiff, sharp, and needle-like, less than 1-in (15–25 mm) long, flattened in cross-section with two or three thin lines of dark glaucous blue-green stomata above and blue-white lines of stomata below. The bark is thin and scaly, flaking off in small, circular plates 2 – 8 inches (5 – 20 cm) across. The cones are pendulous, slender, cylindrical, and 2 – 4 inches (6 – 10 cm) long. They are green or reddish, maturing to pale brown 5 – 7 months after pollination. The seeds are black with a slender, pale brown wing.
The Tales
Treehouse Master, Pete Nelson (seen on television's Animal Planet channel), is very fond of using the Sitka spruce as the center support for a treehouse. In older trees the Sitka spruce may not have any branches lower than 100 – 130 feet (30–40 m) from the ground, plus the large trunk diameter allows a 100,000 pound (24,000 kilogram) treehouse to be suspended from the trunk while the rooms in the house can go all around the trunk, up in the tree. The location of one particular tree featured on the TV show, was on a hillside in Washington state. Up in the tree, Pete provided the homeowner a fully functioning house with some beautiful views of the mountains and ocean in the distance. It was Pete's rave reviews about the Sitka spruce that inspired this Tree Tale.
By contrast, the loneliest tree in the world is a Sitka spruce. This tree is located about 400 miles (643 km) south of New Zealand. Here, on the subantarctic Campbell Island named Motu Ihupuku, stands a Sitka spruce whose nearest neighbor is 170 miles (273 km) away.
The Queets Spruce is the largest Sitka spruce in the world and has a height of 248 feet (75.6 m), and a 14.9 feet (4.55 m) dbh. It is located near the Queets River, Washington, in Olympic National Park, about 16 mi (26 km) from the Pacific Ocean. It also has several signs directing the public to see this tree and there are several souvenir shops nearby. Because it grows rapidly under favorable conditions, a large size may not indicate exceptional age. The Queets Spruce has been estimated to be only 350 to 450 years old. When I saw this tree 25 years ago, I walked back and forth around it trying in vain to see the top. The size of this tree was very impressive then. I can only imagine how big it must look today.
More than a century of logging has left only a remnant of the original Picea sitchensis forest. The largest trees were cut long before careful measurements could be made. Today there are still trees over 300 ft (90 m) tall that may be seen from California to Alaska along the Pacific Rim.
Sitka spruce is of major importance in forestry for timber and paper production. Outside its native range, it is valued for its fast growth on poor soils and exposed sites where few other trees will grow. In ideal conditions, young trees may grow 5 feet (1.5 m) per year. It has become naturalized in some parts of Ireland and Great Britain, where it was introduced in 1831. Sitka spruce is also installed extensively in Denmark, Norway, and Iceland. In Norway, a large area of Sitka spruce has developed since it was introduced in the early 1900s. It is very tolerant to wind and ocean air, so it grows faster than the native Norway spruce.
The wood from Picea sitchensis is used in piano, harp, violin, and guitar manufacture because of its high strength-to-weight ratio and regular, knot-free wood that make it an excellent conductor of sound. It is also used to make ladders, oars, planking, sailboat spars, and wind turbine blades for energy generation systems. The wood is also an important material for aircraft wing spars including the Wright brothers' Flier that was built using Sitka spruce, as were many aircraft built before World War II. Newly grown tips of Sitka spruce branches are used to flavor spruce beer and the sap is boiled to make Sitka syrup. The root bark of Sitka spruce trees is used in Native Alaskan basket-weaving designs and it was designated as the State Tree of Alaska in 1962.
Appreciate the Sitka spruce for its large size, fast growth, useful wood, and strength to hold up a house.
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, Utility Worker, 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.
Picea sitchensis
By Len Phillips
The Tree
Picea sitchensis, commonly called Sitka spruce, is also known as tideland spruce, coast spruce, and yellow spruce. This coastal species is seldom found more than 50 miles (80 km) from the Pacific Ocean and its inlets, where the moist maritime air and summer fogs help to maintain ideal, humid, growing conditions. It is a large coniferous tree in the Pinaceae (pine) family. Picea sitchensis is the largest of the world's spruce trees and can live for 700 years. The Sitka spruce grows to over 240 feet (70 m) tall as it soars toward the heavens. Picea sitchensis will have a trunk diameter that can exceed 15 feet (4.6 m). It is one of the most prominent forest trees along the northwest coast of North America from northern California to Alaska. It is closely associated with the temperate rain forests.
The leaves of Sitka spruce are stiff, sharp, and needle-like, less than 1-in (15–25 mm) long, flattened in cross-section with two or three thin lines of dark glaucous blue-green stomata above and blue-white lines of stomata below. The bark is thin and scaly, flaking off in small, circular plates 2 – 8 inches (5 – 20 cm) across. The cones are pendulous, slender, cylindrical, and 2 – 4 inches (6 – 10 cm) long. They are green or reddish, maturing to pale brown 5 – 7 months after pollination. The seeds are black with a slender, pale brown wing.
The Tales
Treehouse Master, Pete Nelson (seen on television's Animal Planet channel), is very fond of using the Sitka spruce as the center support for a treehouse. In older trees the Sitka spruce may not have any branches lower than 100 – 130 feet (30–40 m) from the ground, plus the large trunk diameter allows a 100,000 pound (24,000 kilogram) treehouse to be suspended from the trunk while the rooms in the house can go all around the trunk, up in the tree. The location of one particular tree featured on the TV show, was on a hillside in Washington state. Up in the tree, Pete provided the homeowner a fully functioning house with some beautiful views of the mountains and ocean in the distance. It was Pete's rave reviews about the Sitka spruce that inspired this Tree Tale.
By contrast, the loneliest tree in the world is a Sitka spruce. This tree is located about 400 miles (643 km) south of New Zealand. Here, on the subantarctic Campbell Island named Motu Ihupuku, stands a Sitka spruce whose nearest neighbor is 170 miles (273 km) away.
The Queets Spruce is the largest Sitka spruce in the world and has a height of 248 feet (75.6 m), and a 14.9 feet (4.55 m) dbh. It is located near the Queets River, Washington, in Olympic National Park, about 16 mi (26 km) from the Pacific Ocean. It also has several signs directing the public to see this tree and there are several souvenir shops nearby. Because it grows rapidly under favorable conditions, a large size may not indicate exceptional age. The Queets Spruce has been estimated to be only 350 to 450 years old. When I saw this tree 25 years ago, I walked back and forth around it trying in vain to see the top. The size of this tree was very impressive then. I can only imagine how big it must look today.
More than a century of logging has left only a remnant of the original Picea sitchensis forest. The largest trees were cut long before careful measurements could be made. Today there are still trees over 300 ft (90 m) tall that may be seen from California to Alaska along the Pacific Rim.
Sitka spruce is of major importance in forestry for timber and paper production. Outside its native range, it is valued for its fast growth on poor soils and exposed sites where few other trees will grow. In ideal conditions, young trees may grow 5 feet (1.5 m) per year. It has become naturalized in some parts of Ireland and Great Britain, where it was introduced in 1831. Sitka spruce is also installed extensively in Denmark, Norway, and Iceland. In Norway, a large area of Sitka spruce has developed since it was introduced in the early 1900s. It is very tolerant to wind and ocean air, so it grows faster than the native Norway spruce.
The wood from Picea sitchensis is used in piano, harp, violin, and guitar manufacture because of its high strength-to-weight ratio and regular, knot-free wood that make it an excellent conductor of sound. It is also used to make ladders, oars, planking, sailboat spars, and wind turbine blades for energy generation systems. The wood is also an important material for aircraft wing spars including the Wright brothers' Flier that was built using Sitka spruce, as were many aircraft built before World War II. Newly grown tips of Sitka spruce branches are used to flavor spruce beer and the sap is boiled to make Sitka syrup. The root bark of Sitka spruce trees is used in Native Alaskan basket-weaving designs and it was designated as the State Tree of Alaska in 1962.
Appreciate the Sitka spruce for its large size, fast growth, useful wood, and strength to hold up a house.
Sources
- Encyclopedia of Life, Picea sitchensis, 2017.
- U. S. Forest Service publications, Picea sitchensis, Silvics Manual, 1985.
- Wikipedia, Picea sitchensis, 25 June 2017.
The test that follows contains 10 questions. Before taking the test be sure you have read the article carefully. The passing grade is 80% on the entire test.
ISA will award .5 CEUs* for a passing grade. SAF members will earn 0.5 Cat. 1-CF for every five passing test scores. The cost for taking this test is $10. If you purchase an annual subscription for 15 credits, the cost per credit is reduced by 50% (see Annual Subscription link below). We will report all passing test scores to ISA and/or SAF. If you are a member of ISA and SAF we will report your passing test scores to both for no additional cost. Please be sure to add both of your certification numbers when you sign in. Tests with passing scores may be submitted only once to each organization.
*Members of ISA may apply the 0.5 CEUs toward Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Tree Worker/Climber, Utility Worker, 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.
The Fight Against Global Warming in Madrid
Edited by Len Phillips
Madrid is the most populated city in the country of Spain. The city is elegant with boulevards and expansive, manicured parks. It is also the capital city of Spain, the seat of government and the residence of the Spanish monarch. Madrid is the political, economic and cultural center of the country and lies on the River Manzanares. It is also renowned for its rich repositories of European art, including the Prado Museum’s works by Goya, Velázquez and other Spanish masters. The city itself has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7million people. While Madrid possesses modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighborhoods and streets.
Trees and Green Spaces
Madrid is the European city with the highest number of trees and green surface areas per inhabitant and it has the second highest number of street trees in the world, with 248,000 trees, only exceeded by Tokyo. All Madrid's citizens have access to a green area within a 15-minute walk. Since 1997, green areas have increased by 16%. At present, 8.2% of Madrid's land area is considered green. This is equal to 172 sq ft (16 sq m) of green area per inhabitant, far exceeding the 108 sq ft (10 sq m) per inhabitant recommended by the World Health Organization.
Most of the important parks in Madrid are related to areas originally belonging to the royal family. They include El Pardo, Soto de Viñuelas, Casa de Campo, El Buen Retiro, la Florida, Príncipe Pío hill, and the Queen's Casino. Another main source for the "green" areas are the properties owned by the municipality.
Automobile Restrictions
In 2016 it was announced that Madrid will stop the use of all diesel powered cars and trucks within the city. Cars (except for hybrid and electric vehicles belonging to residents and guests) have been banned in the Madrid Central low-emission zone since 2018. Pollution in the area dropped right after this ban went into effect.
The Green Wall
To further combat climate change and pollution, Madrid is building a “green wall” around the city. A 46 mile (75 kilometer) long urban forest with nearly half a million newly installed trees are being used to create this “green wall”. The purpose is to improve the air quality in the whole city, according to City's councilor for the environment and urban development. The plan is to fight the “urban heat island” that is happening inside the city. The trees are intended to absorb the greenhouse emissions generated by the city, and connect all the existing forest masses that already exist around the city. The project will also make use of derelict sites lying between roads and buildings to help absorb 175,000 US tons (158,800 metric tons) of carbon dioxide per year.
When finished, Madrid's 'green wall' will be a forest of indigenous trees that can absorb carbon dioxide and also absorb the heat generated by human activity. Temperatures under the shade of these trees are at least 2 degrees lower than the rest of the city. (Other cities have reported as much as 40 degrees cooler in the shade of its city trees).
Madrid's urban forest is part of a comprehensive approach aiming to make the city more environmentally friendly, beyond just restricting private car use in the urban center. It has to be a global strategy. It's not only about cars, but also about a pedestrian strategy. The creation of environmental corridors is necessary in every district to engage citizens in this new green culture. It is
essential for every city to face urban heat islands in the near future even in the best conditions.
With desertification reaching the doorstep of southern Europe, Spain's urban forest is intended to be both a mitigation and adaptation measure to deal with climate change. It is not a park because the requirements were that it would use very little water, the planting would be of indigenous trees and the low maintenance would require tough trees. Because at the end of the day an infrastructure this big needs to be preserved with a minimum effort so it can be sustainable over time.”
Madrid and most other cities around the world consume two-thirds of the global energy supply and generate three-quarters of the world's greenhouse emissions. By restricting traffic and promoting cycling and public transportation in combination with planting more trees and looking for sustainable sources of energy, Madrid has already started their transformation. They will still be affected by climate change, but they will also be an essential part of the solution.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Utility Worker, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Edited by Len Phillips
Madrid is the most populated city in the country of Spain. The city is elegant with boulevards and expansive, manicured parks. It is also the capital city of Spain, the seat of government and the residence of the Spanish monarch. Madrid is the political, economic and cultural center of the country and lies on the River Manzanares. It is also renowned for its rich repositories of European art, including the Prado Museum’s works by Goya, Velázquez and other Spanish masters. The city itself has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7million people. While Madrid possesses modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighborhoods and streets.
Trees and Green Spaces
Madrid is the European city with the highest number of trees and green surface areas per inhabitant and it has the second highest number of street trees in the world, with 248,000 trees, only exceeded by Tokyo. All Madrid's citizens have access to a green area within a 15-minute walk. Since 1997, green areas have increased by 16%. At present, 8.2% of Madrid's land area is considered green. This is equal to 172 sq ft (16 sq m) of green area per inhabitant, far exceeding the 108 sq ft (10 sq m) per inhabitant recommended by the World Health Organization.
Most of the important parks in Madrid are related to areas originally belonging to the royal family. They include El Pardo, Soto de Viñuelas, Casa de Campo, El Buen Retiro, la Florida, Príncipe Pío hill, and the Queen's Casino. Another main source for the "green" areas are the properties owned by the municipality.
Automobile Restrictions
In 2016 it was announced that Madrid will stop the use of all diesel powered cars and trucks within the city. Cars (except for hybrid and electric vehicles belonging to residents and guests) have been banned in the Madrid Central low-emission zone since 2018. Pollution in the area dropped right after this ban went into effect.
The Green Wall
To further combat climate change and pollution, Madrid is building a “green wall” around the city. A 46 mile (75 kilometer) long urban forest with nearly half a million newly installed trees are being used to create this “green wall”. The purpose is to improve the air quality in the whole city, according to City's councilor for the environment and urban development. The plan is to fight the “urban heat island” that is happening inside the city. The trees are intended to absorb the greenhouse emissions generated by the city, and connect all the existing forest masses that already exist around the city. The project will also make use of derelict sites lying between roads and buildings to help absorb 175,000 US tons (158,800 metric tons) of carbon dioxide per year.
When finished, Madrid's 'green wall' will be a forest of indigenous trees that can absorb carbon dioxide and also absorb the heat generated by human activity. Temperatures under the shade of these trees are at least 2 degrees lower than the rest of the city. (Other cities have reported as much as 40 degrees cooler in the shade of its city trees).
Madrid's urban forest is part of a comprehensive approach aiming to make the city more environmentally friendly, beyond just restricting private car use in the urban center. It has to be a global strategy. It's not only about cars, but also about a pedestrian strategy. The creation of environmental corridors is necessary in every district to engage citizens in this new green culture. It is
essential for every city to face urban heat islands in the near future even in the best conditions.
With desertification reaching the doorstep of southern Europe, Spain's urban forest is intended to be both a mitigation and adaptation measure to deal with climate change. It is not a park because the requirements were that it would use very little water, the planting would be of indigenous trees and the low maintenance would require tough trees. Because at the end of the day an infrastructure this big needs to be preserved with a minimum effort so it can be sustainable over time.”
Madrid and most other cities around the world consume two-thirds of the global energy supply and generate three-quarters of the world's greenhouse emissions. By restricting traffic and promoting cycling and public transportation in combination with planting more trees and looking for sustainable sources of energy, Madrid has already started their transformation. They will still be affected by climate change, but they will also be an essential part of the solution.
Source
- Jaime Velázquez, EuroGreen News, July 19, 2021.
- Tripadvisor.com Madrid, 4 September 2021
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, Utility Worker, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Saving the American Chestnut
Edited by Len Phillips
At one time 200 years ago, 4 billion American chestnut (Castanea dentata) trees dominated the eastern North American hardwood forest. But by 1950 the American chestnut had mostly disappeared from the landscape due to the chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica). Mature trees died from the blight, but the up to 10 feet (3 m) diameter stumps re-sprouted. When the sprouts began to look like trees, the blight came back and wiped them all out. Huge gaps remained in the forest canopy and have eventually been replaced with other trees.
The functionally extinct chestnut trees keep re-sprouting at the stumps of trees that have died back to the ground. However, the new shoots coming from the live stumps also succumb to the blight before reaching maturity. This author recalls seeing the beautiful white panicles forming a cluster of blooms on four, 5 inch (12 cm) diameter trees growing from one stump of a dead chestnut tree. That autumn the spiny fruit split open to reveal the nuts. The following year all the tree sized sprouts had died. However, this experience did prompt an interest in learning more about the latest research for a blight-resistant Castanea dentata.
Genetic modification
Several groups are attempting to create a blight-resistant chestnut. Scientists at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry created the Darling 58 cultivar of American chestnut by inserting the oxalate oxidase gene from wheat into the genome of an American chestnut. When expressed in the cambium of the Darling 58 cultivar, oxalate oxidase detoxifies oxalic acid, resulting in a tree that still gets infected by the blight virus but it resists girdling of the trunk and the tree survives the blight.
As of 2021, the researchers who developed this Darling 58 cultivar are working towards applying for government permission to make these trees available to the public. If approved, these chestnut trees would be the first genetically modified forest trees released into the wild in the United States. There is also hope that these trees might reach the 100 feet (30m) height and spread of the original trees.
Species cross-breeding
Another attempt at finding a blight resistant Castanea dentata consists of cross-breeding of chestnut species and other trees in the Betulaceae family of trees. This effort represents an alternate approach to restoring the American chestnut and requires cross-breeding among different partially blight-resistant individual American chestnut trees, Scientists working on this effort have a goal of developing a cultivar with high resistance. After the cross bred seeds develop, they are planted and in 20 to 30 years, perhaps one of these trees will be free of the blight.
Blight-resistant cross-breeding
Another approach is to crossbreed American chestnuts with Chinese chestnut (C. mollissima) trees, which are moderately blight-resistant. This hybrid is back-crossed with American chestnuts, with the goal of creating a cultivar with most of the genetic heritage of American but retaining the blight resistance gene of the Chinese chestnut. We are waiting for results on this experiment as well.
Still another approach is selecting seed from the very rare chestnut tree that seems to have been bypassed by the blight or is actually resistant. There is hope that this approach may be the best option. But since it takes a long time for the seedling to reach maturity, it may be many more years before the resistant tree is created.
Chestnut research and growers
The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) differs from the American Chestnut Cooperators Foundation, which is attempting to re-establish the species using pure American chestnut genetic stock. TACF was founded in 1983 by a group of prominent plant scientists. The mission of TACF is to restore the American chestnut tree to the forests of Eastern North America by breeding genetically diverse, blight-resistant trees, evaluating various approaches mentioned above, toward the management of chestnut pests and pathogens, and reintroducing the trees into the forest in an ecologically acceptable manner.
In 1989 TACF established the Wagner Research Farm, a breeding station in Meadowview, southwestern Virginia, to execute the back-cross breeding program. A second research farm in Meadowview was donated to TACF in 1995, and a third Meadowview farm was purchased in 2002. As of late 2005, TACF's Meadowview Research Farms have over 57,000 trees at various growth stages growing on more than 150 acres (610,000 m²) of land.
In 2007, TACF began harvesting nuts that it expects will be suitable for planting back into the forest. However, these breeding lines are still in the testing phase, and their value needs to be proven on many forest sites for the next 10 to 20 years.
Few American chestnut trees survive the blight. When they are found, it’s a cause for celebration, because survivor trees are a precious resources for American chestnut restoration. Unfortunately, none of the survivors are able to pass their survivor genes on to the next generation (so far).
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, Utility Worker, 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.
Edited by Len Phillips
At one time 200 years ago, 4 billion American chestnut (Castanea dentata) trees dominated the eastern North American hardwood forest. But by 1950 the American chestnut had mostly disappeared from the landscape due to the chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica). Mature trees died from the blight, but the up to 10 feet (3 m) diameter stumps re-sprouted. When the sprouts began to look like trees, the blight came back and wiped them all out. Huge gaps remained in the forest canopy and have eventually been replaced with other trees.
The functionally extinct chestnut trees keep re-sprouting at the stumps of trees that have died back to the ground. However, the new shoots coming from the live stumps also succumb to the blight before reaching maturity. This author recalls seeing the beautiful white panicles forming a cluster of blooms on four, 5 inch (12 cm) diameter trees growing from one stump of a dead chestnut tree. That autumn the spiny fruit split open to reveal the nuts. The following year all the tree sized sprouts had died. However, this experience did prompt an interest in learning more about the latest research for a blight-resistant Castanea dentata.
Genetic modification
Several groups are attempting to create a blight-resistant chestnut. Scientists at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry created the Darling 58 cultivar of American chestnut by inserting the oxalate oxidase gene from wheat into the genome of an American chestnut. When expressed in the cambium of the Darling 58 cultivar, oxalate oxidase detoxifies oxalic acid, resulting in a tree that still gets infected by the blight virus but it resists girdling of the trunk and the tree survives the blight.
As of 2021, the researchers who developed this Darling 58 cultivar are working towards applying for government permission to make these trees available to the public. If approved, these chestnut trees would be the first genetically modified forest trees released into the wild in the United States. There is also hope that these trees might reach the 100 feet (30m) height and spread of the original trees.
Species cross-breeding
Another attempt at finding a blight resistant Castanea dentata consists of cross-breeding of chestnut species and other trees in the Betulaceae family of trees. This effort represents an alternate approach to restoring the American chestnut and requires cross-breeding among different partially blight-resistant individual American chestnut trees, Scientists working on this effort have a goal of developing a cultivar with high resistance. After the cross bred seeds develop, they are planted and in 20 to 30 years, perhaps one of these trees will be free of the blight.
Blight-resistant cross-breeding
Another approach is to crossbreed American chestnuts with Chinese chestnut (C. mollissima) trees, which are moderately blight-resistant. This hybrid is back-crossed with American chestnuts, with the goal of creating a cultivar with most of the genetic heritage of American but retaining the blight resistance gene of the Chinese chestnut. We are waiting for results on this experiment as well.
Still another approach is selecting seed from the very rare chestnut tree that seems to have been bypassed by the blight or is actually resistant. There is hope that this approach may be the best option. But since it takes a long time for the seedling to reach maturity, it may be many more years before the resistant tree is created.
Chestnut research and growers
The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) differs from the American Chestnut Cooperators Foundation, which is attempting to re-establish the species using pure American chestnut genetic stock. TACF was founded in 1983 by a group of prominent plant scientists. The mission of TACF is to restore the American chestnut tree to the forests of Eastern North America by breeding genetically diverse, blight-resistant trees, evaluating various approaches mentioned above, toward the management of chestnut pests and pathogens, and reintroducing the trees into the forest in an ecologically acceptable manner.
In 1989 TACF established the Wagner Research Farm, a breeding station in Meadowview, southwestern Virginia, to execute the back-cross breeding program. A second research farm in Meadowview was donated to TACF in 1995, and a third Meadowview farm was purchased in 2002. As of late 2005, TACF's Meadowview Research Farms have over 57,000 trees at various growth stages growing on more than 150 acres (610,000 m²) of land.
In 2007, TACF began harvesting nuts that it expects will be suitable for planting back into the forest. However, these breeding lines are still in the testing phase, and their value needs to be proven on many forest sites for the next 10 to 20 years.
Few American chestnut trees survive the blight. When they are found, it’s a cause for celebration, because survivor trees are a precious resources for American chestnut restoration. Unfortunately, none of the survivors are able to pass their survivor genes on to the next generation (so far).
Sources
- Crowe, Pamela “Saving the American Chestnut”
- Mt. Cuba Center, "Conserving the American Chestnut", mtcubacenter.org
- Wikipedia, "The American Chestnut Foundation", March 23, 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, Tree Worker/Climber, Utility Worker, 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.
Hunter's Point South Park
Edited by Len Phillips
Hunter’s Point South is a vibrant mixed-use community and waterfront park near New York City. Hunter's Point South Park was designed to be a sustainable storm buffer and public green space for the new Hunter’s Point South residential development. It is a 5,000-unit housing complex on the southern shore of Long Island City. This park is located between 48th and 53rd Avenues.
The project is a multi-agency, two-phase effort, including infrastructure, landscaping and tree planting, roadway improvements, a waterfront park, and seven residential buildings. It consists of transforming 11 acres of an abandoned post-industrial landscape into a vibrant and resilient waterfront community and park.
The transformation of Hunter’s Point South began in two phases. Starting with a contaminated strip of coastline in Long Island City, Queens, the site was converted into an ecologically sensitive 11-acre park. Stretching along the East River south of Gantry Plaza State Park and Steven Holl’s Hunter’s Point Community Library. Hunter’s Point South Park sits on a conveniently sited piece of land that was neglected for decades before the park opened at the end of 2020.
The idea for Hunter’s Point South Park began in 2007. Landscape architect Thomas Balsley said back in 1990, that he envisioned a whole-coast master plan in Long Island City. The vision included a line of parks running down the Queens and Brooklyn shore and 11 years later it has become a reality.
Trees that were planted included red cedar Juniperus virginiana, in a wide variety of shapes and sizes along with some cultivars. Other plant species were selected for their hardiness and nativity and a variety of shrubs and grasses were also installed on the park’s bioswales. Besides cutting down on maintenance costs, the flora selected will thrive on the edge of a briny river and host native fauna. Plants were sourced from nurseries in New York, New Jersey, and Maryland.
Some infrastructure improvements included 3,400 linear feet of new roadways, storm sewers, sanitary sewers, water mains, and utilities that will ultimately support four new affordable housing developments in the future.
Landscape architect Balsley filled the site with resilient native salt-marsh plants. The plants also filter and clean the river. Besides acting as a natural flood buffer, the plants do not require active irrigation, meaning that irrigation has not been installed at the site.
This park includes pedestrian and bicycle pathways, outdoor adult fitness equipment, a playground, picnic terraces and a collection of wooden seating areas, newly established wetlands, a 30-foot-high cantilevered platform offering unparalleled views of the Manhattan skyline and the East River. This park also features “Luminescence”, an art installation that presents the phases of the moon through six-foot high concrete discs that glow at night. They were created by New York-based artist Nobuho Nagasawa. The permanent sculptures are etched to reflect the moon's craters, mountains, and valleys.
Prior to the park’s construction, the site had been used in the 19th and 20th centuries as a dumping ground for soil excavated from rail-line construction sites around the city, and many portions of the site had since grown wild. To build out and sculpt the shoreline, existing infill was repurposed and moved to the water’s edge. Precast concrete walls were built around the shoreline to create the harder edges, while Jet Mist and Stony Creek granite mined from Stony Creek in Connecticut, were used for the rip-rap and to protect steel gabions placed on the water's edge to minimize storm damage.
Hunter’s Point South Park was completed in the summer of 2018. Today the linear park provides views of the Manhattan skyline and has an amphitheater-like arrangement that also blocks noise from the busy Queens streets to the east. Because of tight siting requirements, budget constraints, and the harsh micro climate that the park has to endure, the landscape architects filled the site with resilient native salt-marsh plants and the Juniperus virginiana trees as mentioned above. Besides acting as a natural flood buffer, the plants do not require active irrigation. The plants also filter and clean the river.
Photos and 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
Hunter’s Point South is a vibrant mixed-use community and waterfront park near New York City. Hunter's Point South Park was designed to be a sustainable storm buffer and public green space for the new Hunter’s Point South residential development. It is a 5,000-unit housing complex on the southern shore of Long Island City. This park is located between 48th and 53rd Avenues.
The project is a multi-agency, two-phase effort, including infrastructure, landscaping and tree planting, roadway improvements, a waterfront park, and seven residential buildings. It consists of transforming 11 acres of an abandoned post-industrial landscape into a vibrant and resilient waterfront community and park.
The transformation of Hunter’s Point South began in two phases. Starting with a contaminated strip of coastline in Long Island City, Queens, the site was converted into an ecologically sensitive 11-acre park. Stretching along the East River south of Gantry Plaza State Park and Steven Holl’s Hunter’s Point Community Library. Hunter’s Point South Park sits on a conveniently sited piece of land that was neglected for decades before the park opened at the end of 2020.
The idea for Hunter’s Point South Park began in 2007. Landscape architect Thomas Balsley said back in 1990, that he envisioned a whole-coast master plan in Long Island City. The vision included a line of parks running down the Queens and Brooklyn shore and 11 years later it has become a reality.
Trees that were planted included red cedar Juniperus virginiana, in a wide variety of shapes and sizes along with some cultivars. Other plant species were selected for their hardiness and nativity and a variety of shrubs and grasses were also installed on the park’s bioswales. Besides cutting down on maintenance costs, the flora selected will thrive on the edge of a briny river and host native fauna. Plants were sourced from nurseries in New York, New Jersey, and Maryland.
Some infrastructure improvements included 3,400 linear feet of new roadways, storm sewers, sanitary sewers, water mains, and utilities that will ultimately support four new affordable housing developments in the future.
Landscape architect Balsley filled the site with resilient native salt-marsh plants. The plants also filter and clean the river. Besides acting as a natural flood buffer, the plants do not require active irrigation, meaning that irrigation has not been installed at the site.
This park includes pedestrian and bicycle pathways, outdoor adult fitness equipment, a playground, picnic terraces and a collection of wooden seating areas, newly established wetlands, a 30-foot-high cantilevered platform offering unparalleled views of the Manhattan skyline and the East River. This park also features “Luminescence”, an art installation that presents the phases of the moon through six-foot high concrete discs that glow at night. They were created by New York-based artist Nobuho Nagasawa. The permanent sculptures are etched to reflect the moon's craters, mountains, and valleys.
Prior to the park’s construction, the site had been used in the 19th and 20th centuries as a dumping ground for soil excavated from rail-line construction sites around the city, and many portions of the site had since grown wild. To build out and sculpt the shoreline, existing infill was repurposed and moved to the water’s edge. Precast concrete walls were built around the shoreline to create the harder edges, while Jet Mist and Stony Creek granite mined from Stony Creek in Connecticut, were used for the rip-rap and to protect steel gabions placed on the water's edge to minimize storm damage.
Hunter’s Point South Park was completed in the summer of 2018. Today the linear park provides views of the Manhattan skyline and has an amphitheater-like arrangement that also blocks noise from the busy Queens streets to the east. Because of tight siting requirements, budget constraints, and the harsh micro climate that the park has to endure, the landscape architects filled the site with resilient native salt-marsh plants and the Juniperus virginiana trees as mentioned above. Besides acting as a natural flood buffer, the plants do not require active irrigation. The plants also filter and clean the river.
Photos and Source
- Jonathan Hilburg, “Hunter's Point South Park”, November 7, 2019, The Architects Newspaper https://www.archpaper.com/2019/11/hunters-point-south-park-queens-coastline
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.
Proof that People Need Trees
Edited by Len Phillips
People living in dense cities are often unhappy because the built environments fail to put people at ease and make them feel safe. The rates of depression among city dwellers are 40% higher and anxiety is 20% higher than people living with green surroundings. On top of this, COVID19 has caused many people to stay at home and they have become very stressed, bored and unhappy.
Professional Responsibility
Arborists, planners, architects, and landscape architects have a responsibility to design a built environment that increases the well-being of all people. Well-defined corridors and streets are necessary to encourage walking in parks and among beautiful trees around the city. However, many of these outdoor urban environments are neglected and in need of improvement.
In response to this many cities are starting to spend resources to improve their public open spaces. As we now understand, humans are drawn to landscapes that provide a refuge, a sense of safety, and a view of the entire scene, which supports that sense of safety and happiness. Visual storytelling is also important in landscapes, whether they are gardens, parks, or streetscapes. Humans are drawn to landscapes that provide clear and interesting sequences. Researchers are beginning to study why and how residents use a landscape.
Research
Through eye-tracking software, researchers were able to track a person's eye movement to determine what is seen and to learn what a mind is looking at in an unconscious level. This visual attention software can map the path that a persons’ eyes take across an image. It can detect where the eyes fixate in order to experience an unconscious response to visual stimuli. In a study of 30 students, researchers found the students universally looked at the entrance and windows on a traditional building first, ignoring the blank areas such as walls and streets. The eyes then fixated briefly on the edges. Finally they just looked at the sky because the image simply caused too much cognitive stress. The eyes also did fixate on red, followed by orange and green, with blue getting the least attention, until they focused on the sky.
The eye tracking software showed that communities which have homes close to the street and sidewalks all encourage walking. If a pedestrian can see a sequence, one, two, three, or four homes in a row, they are more likely to want to walk down that row. The researchers know this because they could see the students unconsciously looking at all the facades of homes as they passed by.
Research Results
In contrast, an image of a row of parking garages or buildings with no clear doors or windows, caused students to scan for windows, quickly give up, and look at the sky. The boring sections had far less visual intensity, and it was a less walkable environment because of the boring architecture. Trees, flags, other people and columns succeed in grabbing attention, which has been known for millennia even before eye-tracking software. Flags predate permanent settlements, and the ancient Greeks and Romans used columns in their architecture to grab attention from people walking in their cities.
Why does all this matter? Researchers argue that environments that are easier to fixate on cause less cognitive stress. Megan Oliver, an urbanist based in Baltimore, Maryland, and founder of Hello Happy Design, said that this research is critical, because there is a “mental health crisis” in the U.S., particularly in the cities.
People are constantly responding to the built environment and in turn are trying to shape the natural environment in order to reduce the impact of environmental stressors. The stressors are created by blank glass or concrete building facades, crowds, noise, and air pollution, etc. These stressors combine to make people anxious, sick, and unhappy.
Happy Places
Happy places are designed to encourage positive social behavior. This is because people need social connections in order to thrive. Happy places help create and enhance social relationships, including a sense of belonging and identity. Happy places build trust, which helps pull communities through challenges. Communities with pro-social behavior are also more inclusive and participatory and therefore better at shaping the built environment to meet their needs. The ethos in these communities is to change people's emotions by changing the city. These communities shape their spaces, creating shared identity through gardens, public art, and other improvements that help reduce stress. Happy places then go beyond places we inhabit and become extensions of ourselves. These places enable us to bond with the environment around us.
Safe and Beautiful Spaces
A related conversation occurred at the Congress for New Urbanism’s 2021 Virtual Gathering. Participants argued that humans are always looking for safe spaces. We think about survival every minute of the day. But beauty is equally important. We have an intuitive response that creates a sense of pleasure. The problem is that people's survival instinct is about five-to-seven times stronger than the pleasure instinct, so anything in the built environment that is a stressor overwhelms the ability to experience beauty. So, designers should focus on making their projects allow a human to create a deep relaxation so that pleasure can be experienced.
Trillions of dollars need to be spent in cities around the globe on intimate people friendly networks that are comfortable to humans. Furthermore, all urban spaces should be connected to other people and friendly networks. Urban designers, arborists, architects, and landscape architects should use human scale dimensions, apply pattern languages, and make the boundaries of buildings and spaces permeable. Designers should be “applying mathematical symmetries” at multiple scales. The trees, the urban landscape architectural and ornamental scale should all be aligned. The measure of success will be the flow and happiness of people. Urban space designers and arborists should try to encourage a happy environment.
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, Tree Worker/Climber, Utility Worker, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Edited by Len Phillips
People living in dense cities are often unhappy because the built environments fail to put people at ease and make them feel safe. The rates of depression among city dwellers are 40% higher and anxiety is 20% higher than people living with green surroundings. On top of this, COVID19 has caused many people to stay at home and they have become very stressed, bored and unhappy.
Professional Responsibility
Arborists, planners, architects, and landscape architects have a responsibility to design a built environment that increases the well-being of all people. Well-defined corridors and streets are necessary to encourage walking in parks and among beautiful trees around the city. However, many of these outdoor urban environments are neglected and in need of improvement.
In response to this many cities are starting to spend resources to improve their public open spaces. As we now understand, humans are drawn to landscapes that provide a refuge, a sense of safety, and a view of the entire scene, which supports that sense of safety and happiness. Visual storytelling is also important in landscapes, whether they are gardens, parks, or streetscapes. Humans are drawn to landscapes that provide clear and interesting sequences. Researchers are beginning to study why and how residents use a landscape.
Research
Through eye-tracking software, researchers were able to track a person's eye movement to determine what is seen and to learn what a mind is looking at in an unconscious level. This visual attention software can map the path that a persons’ eyes take across an image. It can detect where the eyes fixate in order to experience an unconscious response to visual stimuli. In a study of 30 students, researchers found the students universally looked at the entrance and windows on a traditional building first, ignoring the blank areas such as walls and streets. The eyes then fixated briefly on the edges. Finally they just looked at the sky because the image simply caused too much cognitive stress. The eyes also did fixate on red, followed by orange and green, with blue getting the least attention, until they focused on the sky.
The eye tracking software showed that communities which have homes close to the street and sidewalks all encourage walking. If a pedestrian can see a sequence, one, two, three, or four homes in a row, they are more likely to want to walk down that row. The researchers know this because they could see the students unconsciously looking at all the facades of homes as they passed by.
Research Results
In contrast, an image of a row of parking garages or buildings with no clear doors or windows, caused students to scan for windows, quickly give up, and look at the sky. The boring sections had far less visual intensity, and it was a less walkable environment because of the boring architecture. Trees, flags, other people and columns succeed in grabbing attention, which has been known for millennia even before eye-tracking software. Flags predate permanent settlements, and the ancient Greeks and Romans used columns in their architecture to grab attention from people walking in their cities.
Why does all this matter? Researchers argue that environments that are easier to fixate on cause less cognitive stress. Megan Oliver, an urbanist based in Baltimore, Maryland, and founder of Hello Happy Design, said that this research is critical, because there is a “mental health crisis” in the U.S., particularly in the cities.
People are constantly responding to the built environment and in turn are trying to shape the natural environment in order to reduce the impact of environmental stressors. The stressors are created by blank glass or concrete building facades, crowds, noise, and air pollution, etc. These stressors combine to make people anxious, sick, and unhappy.
Happy Places
Happy places are designed to encourage positive social behavior. This is because people need social connections in order to thrive. Happy places help create and enhance social relationships, including a sense of belonging and identity. Happy places build trust, which helps pull communities through challenges. Communities with pro-social behavior are also more inclusive and participatory and therefore better at shaping the built environment to meet their needs. The ethos in these communities is to change people's emotions by changing the city. These communities shape their spaces, creating shared identity through gardens, public art, and other improvements that help reduce stress. Happy places then go beyond places we inhabit and become extensions of ourselves. These places enable us to bond with the environment around us.
Safe and Beautiful Spaces
A related conversation occurred at the Congress for New Urbanism’s 2021 Virtual Gathering. Participants argued that humans are always looking for safe spaces. We think about survival every minute of the day. But beauty is equally important. We have an intuitive response that creates a sense of pleasure. The problem is that people's survival instinct is about five-to-seven times stronger than the pleasure instinct, so anything in the built environment that is a stressor overwhelms the ability to experience beauty. So, designers should focus on making their projects allow a human to create a deep relaxation so that pleasure can be experienced.
Trillions of dollars need to be spent in cities around the globe on intimate people friendly networks that are comfortable to humans. Furthermore, all urban spaces should be connected to other people and friendly networks. Urban designers, arborists, architects, and landscape architects should use human scale dimensions, apply pattern languages, and make the boundaries of buildings and spaces permeable. Designers should be “applying mathematical symmetries” at multiple scales. The trees, the urban landscape architectural and ornamental scale should all be aligned. The measure of success will be the flow and happiness of people. Urban space designers and arborists should try to encourage a happy environment.
Source
- Green, Jared, “The Built Environment Impacts Our Health and Happiness”, The Dirt, 06/07/2021.
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, Utility Worker, Tree Worker/Aerial Lift, or BCMA management credits.
California UFC members will receive credit for passing the test. Please add your CaUFC number after your ISA and/or SAF certification number.
ASCA members may submit your ISA certification record to the ASCA and receive credits one for one.
MTOA members must follow the ISA instructions indicated above.
To take the test by the pay per test option, click on the 'Pay Now' button below where you can send payment online securely with your credit card or Pay Pal account. After your payment is submitted, click on ‘Return to Merchant' / gibneyCE.com. That will take you to the test sign in page followed by the test. Members with certifications from both ISA and SAF, please be sure to add both of your certification numbers. These numbers are important for reporting purposes.
To take the test as an annual subscriber with reduced rates, click on Password and enter your test password which will take you to the test sign in page. If you would like to become a subscriber see our Annual Subscription page for details.
When you have finished answering all questions you will be prompted to click ‘next’ to send your answers to gibneyCE.com. You can then click ‘next’ to view your test summary. A test review of your answers is available upon request.
All passing test scores are sent from gibneyCE.com to your organization(s) at the end of every month and they will appear on your certification record 4 to 6 weeks* after that. ISA maintains a record of CEU credits on their website.
*SAF requires 5 passing test scores before reporting.
Test re-takes are allowed, however you will have to pay for the retake if you are using the pay per test option. You can spend as much time as you would like to take the test but it is important not to leave the test site until you have answered all the questions and see the 'sending your answers' response.
Dr. Elwin Orton
By Len Phillips
Dr. Elwin Orton is a plant biologist who spent over 40 years breeding dogwoods and hollies. He is known for saving native dogwood trees (Cornus florida) from extinction through his introduction of new anthracnose resistant hybrids.
Education
Elwin Orton earned a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Penn State in 1952 and a master’s degree from Ohio State in 1954. Shortly after earning a doctorate in plant genetics from the University of Wisconsin in 1960, Orton joined Rutgers University. He was promoted to professor in 1973 and became a Professor Emeritus in 2008.
Dogwoods
During the 1970s, native American dogwoods (Cornus florida), were under serious attack from insects and diseases. The future of these beautiful and popular native dogwood trees used in landscaping projects were in jeopardy. Of most concern was the widespread infection of the fungus Discula destructiva, commonly known as dogwood anthracnose, that resulted in extensive damage to the trees in both native woodlands and in ornamental landscapes. In addition, the dogwood borer (Synanthedon scitula) was also causing serious problems to the health of C. florida.
While a resident of Millstone, NJ, Dr. Orton began to address concerns for use of the very popular dogwoods in landscapes. He had a plan to cross-breed the native American dogwood tree with the hardier Asian species, Cornus kousa, commonly called Kousa dogwood. It took Dr. Orton a quarter century of evaluating experimental hybrid trees in various climates, retesting new hybrid trees with old standard dogwoods, and reconfirming performance, before the first series of new hybrid Rutgers dogwoods reached the nursery market in the early 1990's. These commercially available varieties released from Dr. Orton's improved hybrid dogwood breeding program were named the "Stellar Series"® which included "Stellar Pink"®, "Aurora"®, "Celestial"®, "Constellation"®,"Stardust"®, and "Ruth Ellen"®. They all have distinct traits of growth habit, bract shape, size, and color. Their hardiness and disease resistance was significantly improved.
Dogwood lovers have embraced Dr. Orton's hybrid varieties as being unique, both with bracts and forms, that are a significant improvement to the native American dogwood. The Rutgers hybrid dogwood varieties have earned a reputation for improved performance by landscapers and gardeners who recognize them to be highly resistant to the dogwood borer, while displaying significantly improved resistance to powdery mildew and dogwood anthracnose.
Advanced Generation Hybrids
In addition to the "Stellar Series"® Dr. Orton continued his research and hybridization to improve other dogwood trees. Cross-breeding with the Kousa dogwood and Cornus nuttalli produced, the hybrid "Jersey Star"® series of varieties that were commercially released in 2004. The first two varieties were "Venus"® and "Starlight"®. These new varieties are extraordinarily robust and are distinguished by very attractive and very large white bracts. The most recent dogwood variety released by Dr. Orton includes "Hyperion"®, an advanced generation hybrid distinguished by extreme vigor, rapid growth, and attractive flowers. Also released is "Red Pygmy"®, a rare dwarf red dogwood tree, ideal for the small garden.
Another F1 inter-specific hybrid of Cornus kousa × C. florida is still under development and is distinguished by its large bracts, a compact and dense attitude, wider than tall, and a flowering habit in the middle of the blooming season for the Cornus kousa × C. florida. This cultivar has a high level of winter hardiness, and is highly resistant to dogwood anthracnose and the common dogwood borer.
An advanced generation hybrid of the dogwood Cornus kousa × C. nuttallii has exceptionally high vigor, superior foliage, floriferous display of very attractive and exceptionally large white floral bracts, along with a high level of winter hardiness. It has good drought tolerance and high resistance to powdery mildew and dogwood anthracnose.
Still another advanced hybrid of Cornus kousa × C. nuttallii exhibits the vigorous nature and the floral display of large, white bracts of plants of C. nuttallii and the dark, glossy green foliage and disease and insect resistance of C. kousa. This hybrid provides a new, unique, and superior large-bracted dogwood for landscape beautification. Plants of C. nuttallii become very large in natural areas where they are indigenous but seldom thrive in other areas. Plants of this novel hybrid are expected to thrive in many regions of the world where plants of C. kousa perform well.
Holly Hybrids
Just before retirement, Dr, Orton began working on developing new and distinct varieties of winter hardy evergreen shrub hollies that combine three species, Ilex rugosa, I. integra, and I. pernyi. Ilex rugosa is native to Northern Japan and Korea and is a very low, spreading holly with large bright red berries. Ilex integra is an elegant female holly, called mochi tree. Ilex pernyi is a native of Southern China and Tibet and is a tall, showy evergreen tree or shrub with beautiful berries. The leaves are small and diamond-shaped.
The hybrids being developed exhibit a moderately vigorous growth rate, a dense, self-compacting, moderately broad conical form of moderate size with small, shiny, dark green leaves and non-spiny margins with bright red fruit displayed on wood of the previous season's growth. They are outstanding in appearance.
Awards
Dr. Elwin Orton holds 15 patents and has developed a world-wide reputation for his efforts in plant breeding. His plants have also received over 20 awards from garden clubs, horticultural groups, nurseries, plant breeding societies, and landscaping associations for his outstanding work.
Elwin Orton is described as a “legendary plant breeder”. He has received many awards over the years, including two major awards from the American Horticultural Society and the Distinguished Service Medal from the Garden Club of America. He was among four Rutgers faculty members honored for saving the U.S. dogwood industry with new varieties of hardy, disease and pest resistant hybrid dogwoods when the diseases and insects threatened the native species of the popular flowering tree.
Dr. Orton was inducted into the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association’s Hall of Fame and received the Norman J. Coleman Award of the American Association of Nurserymen. In 2012 his plant breeding work was recognized by the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame. Quite recently, the Eastern Region of the International Plant Propagator’s Association initiated a new research fund in honor of Dr. Orton.
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, Utility Worker, 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
Dr. Elwin Orton is a plant biologist who spent over 40 years breeding dogwoods and hollies. He is known for saving native dogwood trees (Cornus florida) from extinction through his introduction of new anthracnose resistant hybrids.
Education
Elwin Orton earned a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Penn State in 1952 and a master’s degree from Ohio State in 1954. Shortly after earning a doctorate in plant genetics from the University of Wisconsin in 1960, Orton joined Rutgers University. He was promoted to professor in 1973 and became a Professor Emeritus in 2008.
Dogwoods
During the 1970s, native American dogwoods (Cornus florida), were under serious attack from insects and diseases. The future of these beautiful and popular native dogwood trees used in landscaping projects were in jeopardy. Of most concern was the widespread infection of the fungus Discula destructiva, commonly known as dogwood anthracnose, that resulted in extensive damage to the trees in both native woodlands and in ornamental landscapes. In addition, the dogwood borer (Synanthedon scitula) was also causing serious problems to the health of C. florida.
While a resident of Millstone, NJ, Dr. Orton began to address concerns for use of the very popular dogwoods in landscapes. He had a plan to cross-breed the native American dogwood tree with the hardier Asian species, Cornus kousa, commonly called Kousa dogwood. It took Dr. Orton a quarter century of evaluating experimental hybrid trees in various climates, retesting new hybrid trees with old standard dogwoods, and reconfirming performance, before the first series of new hybrid Rutgers dogwoods reached the nursery market in the early 1990's. These commercially available varieties released from Dr. Orton's improved hybrid dogwood breeding program were named the "Stellar Series"® which included "Stellar Pink"®, "Aurora"®, "Celestial"®, "Constellation"®,"Stardust"®, and "Ruth Ellen"®. They all have distinct traits of growth habit, bract shape, size, and color. Their hardiness and disease resistance was significantly improved.
Dogwood lovers have embraced Dr. Orton's hybrid varieties as being unique, both with bracts and forms, that are a significant improvement to the native American dogwood. The Rutgers hybrid dogwood varieties have earned a reputation for improved performance by landscapers and gardeners who recognize them to be highly resistant to the dogwood borer, while displaying significantly improved resistance to powdery mildew and dogwood anthracnose.
Advanced Generation Hybrids
In addition to the "Stellar Series"® Dr. Orton continued his research and hybridization to improve other dogwood trees. Cross-breeding with the Kousa dogwood and Cornus nuttalli produced, the hybrid "Jersey Star"® series of varieties that were commercially released in 2004. The first two varieties were "Venus"® and "Starlight"®. These new varieties are extraordinarily robust and are distinguished by very attractive and very large white bracts. The most recent dogwood variety released by Dr. Orton includes "Hyperion"®, an advanced generation hybrid distinguished by extreme vigor, rapid growth, and attractive flowers. Also released is "Red Pygmy"®, a rare dwarf red dogwood tree, ideal for the small garden.
Another F1 inter-specific hybrid of Cornus kousa × C. florida is still under development and is distinguished by its large bracts, a compact and dense attitude, wider than tall, and a flowering habit in the middle of the blooming season for the Cornus kousa × C. florida. This cultivar has a high level of winter hardiness, and is highly resistant to dogwood anthracnose and the common dogwood borer.
An advanced generation hybrid of the dogwood Cornus kousa × C. nuttallii has exceptionally high vigor, superior foliage, floriferous display of very attractive and exceptionally large white floral bracts, along with a high level of winter hardiness. It has good drought tolerance and high resistance to powdery mildew and dogwood anthracnose.
Still another advanced hybrid of Cornus kousa × C. nuttallii exhibits the vigorous nature and the floral display of large, white bracts of plants of C. nuttallii and the dark, glossy green foliage and disease and insect resistance of C. kousa. This hybrid provides a new, unique, and superior large-bracted dogwood for landscape beautification. Plants of C. nuttallii become very large in natural areas where they are indigenous but seldom thrive in other areas. Plants of this novel hybrid are expected to thrive in many regions of the world where plants of C. kousa perform well.
Holly Hybrids
Just before retirement, Dr, Orton began working on developing new and distinct varieties of winter hardy evergreen shrub hollies that combine three species, Ilex rugosa, I. integra, and I. pernyi. Ilex rugosa is native to Northern Japan and Korea and is a very low, spreading holly with large bright red berries. Ilex integra is an elegant female holly, called mochi tree. Ilex pernyi is a native of Southern China and Tibet and is a tall, showy evergreen tree or shrub with beautiful berries. The leaves are small and diamond-shaped.
The hybrids being developed exhibit a moderately vigorous growth rate, a dense, self-compacting, moderately broad conical form of moderate size with small, shiny, dark green leaves and non-spiny margins with bright red fruit displayed on wood of the previous season's growth. They are outstanding in appearance.
Awards
Dr. Elwin Orton holds 15 patents and has developed a world-wide reputation for his efforts in plant breeding. His plants have also received over 20 awards from garden clubs, horticultural groups, nurseries, plant breeding societies, and landscaping associations for his outstanding work.
Elwin Orton is described as a “legendary plant breeder”. He has received many awards over the years, including two major awards from the American Horticultural Society and the Distinguished Service Medal from the Garden Club of America. He was among four Rutgers faculty members honored for saving the U.S. dogwood industry with new varieties of hardy, disease and pest resistant hybrid dogwoods when the diseases and insects threatened the native species of the popular flowering tree.
Dr. Orton was inducted into the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association’s Hall of Fame and received the Norman J. Coleman Award of the American Association of Nurserymen. In 2012 his plant breeding work was recognized by the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame. Quite recently, the Eastern Region of the International Plant Propagator’s Association initiated a new research fund in honor of Dr. Orton.
Sources
- Elwin R. Orton Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications, Justia Patents Search, Jan. 14, 2020.
- Raver, Anne, "CUTTINGS; A Breeder Recalls the Majestic Dogwood to Life". The New York Times.
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, Utility Worker, 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.
December 2021's Official Christmas Tree
Edited by Len Phillips
Annually since 1970, the USDA Forest Service has provided a tree from one of our national forests to appear on the West Lawn of the US Capitol building for the holiday season. In 2021, the Six Rivers National Forest in partnership with a nonprofit partner “Choose Outdoors” and with support from sponsors, moved this special gift from California to Washington, DC, for the 2021 holiday season.
When a white fir tree (Abies concolor) is as tall as an eight-story building – 84 feet (25m) high to be exact – it really needs a name. So that’s exactly what the Six Rivers National Forest did by unofficially naming the massive U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree “Sugar Bear.” On Oct. 24, 2021, the tree's 7 ft. (2 m) trunk diameter was harvested using a two-person crosscut saw, which is more eco-friendly and fire safe, as well as being suitable for celebrating the decades of U.S. Forest Service crosscutting tradition. It was supported by cranes during the harvesting operation and then transported by a trucking carrier having a special decal “Next Generation” truck. (The “Next Generation” in Trucking Association is a non-profit trade association that is engaging and training the next generation of trucking industry professionals by partnering with high schools, community/technical colleges and private schools to launch truck driver training programs around the United States.)
The 3300-mile (5311 km) trek across the U:S. was a 3-week journey lasting from Oct. 29 to Nov. 19 and it included a series of community stops along the way. The theme of “Six Rivers, Many Peoples, One Tree” highlighted the cultural diversity of California's national forests and its communities, and they took the responsibility of providing the People’s Tree seriously and with great heart. The tree was harvested from the Six Rivers National Forest and prepared for the celebrations along the route throughout California and then across the US, culminating with the official tree lighting on the West Lawn in early December. Smaller companion trees were also provided to decorate offices inside of the US Capitol building and other sites throughout Washington, DC, along with 15,000 handmade ornaments created by Californians.
Sponsors and volunteers developed key messages and educational pieces to share with the general public along the route across the country. In addition, the sponsors traveled to California to assist in the tree harvesting on Oct. 25. The harvest ceremony included a blessing by the Indian group called the Lassic Band of Wylacki-Wintoon Family Group Inc., as well as brief remarks by USDA Forest Service leadership, local elected officials, project partners, and a local youth tree lighter. The public was invited to view this significant milestone during a live-stream of the ceremony available on the Six Rivers National Forest Facebook page. Festivities throughout the month consisted of teaching others about sustainable forestry management through postcards and brochures that were handed out. The USDA Forest Service was proud of the highly diverse organizations made up of people who love caring for the land.
The US Capitol Christmas Tree has a rich history of connecting our nation's population to trees and forests. Volunteers participated in the journey of ‘Sugar Bear’ and its companion trees from California to the nation’s capital. The volunteers eagerly showcased the importance of scientific and sustainable management of our nation's forests.
The annual journey was only possible with the help of strong community partnerships through each state and beyond state lines. The initiative was made possible with cash and in-kind contributions from companies large and small as well as volunteers locally and across America, who provided vital support of time and resources.
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
Annually since 1970, the USDA Forest Service has provided a tree from one of our national forests to appear on the West Lawn of the US Capitol building for the holiday season. In 2021, the Six Rivers National Forest in partnership with a nonprofit partner “Choose Outdoors” and with support from sponsors, moved this special gift from California to Washington, DC, for the 2021 holiday season.
When a white fir tree (Abies concolor) is as tall as an eight-story building – 84 feet (25m) high to be exact – it really needs a name. So that’s exactly what the Six Rivers National Forest did by unofficially naming the massive U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree “Sugar Bear.” On Oct. 24, 2021, the tree's 7 ft. (2 m) trunk diameter was harvested using a two-person crosscut saw, which is more eco-friendly and fire safe, as well as being suitable for celebrating the decades of U.S. Forest Service crosscutting tradition. It was supported by cranes during the harvesting operation and then transported by a trucking carrier having a special decal “Next Generation” truck. (The “Next Generation” in Trucking Association is a non-profit trade association that is engaging and training the next generation of trucking industry professionals by partnering with high schools, community/technical colleges and private schools to launch truck driver training programs around the United States.)
The 3300-mile (5311 km) trek across the U:S. was a 3-week journey lasting from Oct. 29 to Nov. 19 and it included a series of community stops along the way. The theme of “Six Rivers, Many Peoples, One Tree” highlighted the cultural diversity of California's national forests and its communities, and they took the responsibility of providing the People’s Tree seriously and with great heart. The tree was harvested from the Six Rivers National Forest and prepared for the celebrations along the route throughout California and then across the US, culminating with the official tree lighting on the West Lawn in early December. Smaller companion trees were also provided to decorate offices inside of the US Capitol building and other sites throughout Washington, DC, along with 15,000 handmade ornaments created by Californians.
Sponsors and volunteers developed key messages and educational pieces to share with the general public along the route across the country. In addition, the sponsors traveled to California to assist in the tree harvesting on Oct. 25. The harvest ceremony included a blessing by the Indian group called the Lassic Band of Wylacki-Wintoon Family Group Inc., as well as brief remarks by USDA Forest Service leadership, local elected officials, project partners, and a local youth tree lighter. The public was invited to view this significant milestone during a live-stream of the ceremony available on the Six Rivers National Forest Facebook page. Festivities throughout the month consisted of teaching others about sustainable forestry management through postcards and brochures that were handed out. The USDA Forest Service was proud of the highly diverse organizations made up of people who love caring for the land.
The US Capitol Christmas Tree has a rich history of connecting our nation's population to trees and forests. Volunteers participated in the journey of ‘Sugar Bear’ and its companion trees from California to the nation’s capital. The volunteers eagerly showcased the importance of scientific and sustainable management of our nation's forests.
The annual journey was only possible with the help of strong community partnerships through each state and beyond state lines. The initiative was made possible with cash and in-kind contributions from companies large and small as well as volunteers locally and across America, who provided vital support of time and resources.
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.