Tree planting grants offered to local Tree Cities; first come, first served

Increasing the tree canopy is becoming a bigger issue for cities, as they plan for healthier communities.

DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry Program is excited to announce that funding is available for tree planting projects. Only cities who are one of our Tree City USA communities can apply. Nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, or tribal governments may apply in partnership with designated communities.

 The 2013 Tree City USA Tree Planting Grants provide financial assistance to communities working to achieve the goal of a self-sustaining community forestry program by properly planting trees to increase canopy cover. Applicants can apply for up to $10,000 for trees to be planted in their community to enhance urban forests. Although there is a lot involved when planting trees, the funding may not be used to buy the tree seedlings.Though not required, matching funds are encouraged as a demonstration of community commitment to the urban forestry program. Staff and volunteer time, tree planting materials, and other associated costs may be used as match. Projects must be completed by December 31, 2013.

Check out the grant resources webpage for more information on tree planting grants.

Funds for this project are made possible through the USDA Forest Service in cooperation with DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry Program. This is a one-time grant opportunity available to Washington’s Tree City USA Communities.

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Remove the 3 D’s from your trees; learn what, when, and how to prune

This is a screen shot from a National Arbor Day Foundation web animation explaining how to prune trees properly and when.

Are your trees looking straggly, growing and spreading out aimlessly? Before you prune a tree, be sure you pruning at the right time of year.

A recent blog from the National Association of State Foresters says that trees are dormant through early March. This is true in some cases, but it’s important to check for the appropriate time of year to prune the specific type of tree you own.

Meanwhile, now is a good time to remove those dead, diseased, and damaged branches (the 3 D’s). These problem branches can cost more money and cause more maintenance headaches if not cared for right away. You also may want to remove branches that cross and rub against each other when the appropriate time comes to prune that tree. Whatever you do, prune no more than 25 percent of your tree’s canopy in any one year.

What are we talking about specifically? DNR recommends two resources to help you decide what to prune, when to prune, and how to prune: 

• The National Arbor Day Foundation Tree Pruning Guide Information
• The U.S. Forest Service brochure, How to Prune Trees

If you have a tree that can be pruned now, the wound from pruning will rapidly close just before new growth emerges. Also, prune trees while they’re young to help avoid expensive tree care later.

See what other resources DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry Program has to offer.

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New study by U.S. Forest Service links beautiful, healthy trees to our own health

Mature trees enhance this urban street. Photo: Guy Kramer.

It should be no surprise that our natural environment gives us a sense of calmness, reducing stress, but now we have more solid evidence of a link, specifically between healthy people and healthy trees.

A new U.S. Forest Service report, “The Relationship between Trees and Human Health,” was recently printed in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. According to Forest Service researcher Geoffrey Donovan, Americans living in areas of diseased trees had higher rates of cardiovascular disease and lower-respiratory disease when compared with areas that have uninfected trees.

Donovan said that it could have been tempting to conclude some other factor in the higher mortality rates, such as income or education. But, he said, the researchers saw the same patterns repeated over and over in counties with very different demographic make-ups. This finding adds to the growing evidence that the natural environment provides major public health benefits.

Currently, Washington State is facing serious forest health problems. As DNR addresses these issues with landowners and land managers, it’s important to know that having healthy trees isn’t just about reducing wildfire risks. It’s more inclusive of a holistic approach to our well being.

Drop by the DNR Facebook page to join in a discussion of the link between human health and healthy community forests.

Learn more about tree health in your community at DNR’s Forest Health and Urban and Community Forestry Programs.

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Tough crews work hard to restore water quality, one project at a time

 

Washington Conservation Corps creates an outdoor classroom at the Water Resources Education Center in Vancouver. Photo by Janet Pearce

Washington Conservation Corps and Puget SoundCorps crews are making great strides in restoring urban forests to improve water quality in the Lower Columbia River and the Puget Sound.

First, the Washington Conservation Corps is working with the Water Resources Education Center in Vancouver to create an outdoor learning classroom. The crew is creating the classroom in an area that was once made up of dirt, sand, and grass. They are enhancing the area with trees and vegetation that will include stations for kids to learn about their natural environment. They also will learn about the important benefits that trees and plants offer to our communities. See how the crew worked with volunteers on Martin Luther King Day to clean up Columbia River beaches and improve native forests through planting.

In Pierce County, the Puget SoundCorps is working along the Duwamish River and the Green River Trail in the City of Tukwila. The crew installed 8000 feet of erosion and sediment control in preparation for restoration activities in the riparian zone. They then cleared 32,000 square feet of Himalayan blackberry infestation and planted live stakes in the cleared space. In total, 650 whips of two willow species and 250 red osier dogwood were planted over an 8000 square foot area. 

WCC crew is creating an outdoor classroom for kids to learn about the natural world around them. Photo by Janet Pearce

The SoundCorps also is working in King County to rejuvenate rain gardens in the Bridle Trails neighborhood in the City of Kirkland. After clearing 4000 square feet of invasive, non-native plants, debris, and sediment from the existing rain gardens, they installed a wide variety of native plants, approximately 650 in all. Thirty-five cubic yards of mulch were spread and the swales of the rain gardens were reinforced with 12 tons of river rock, all laid by hand.

Both crews are working through the Urban Forestry Restoration Project that helps local governments improve the health and stormwater management capacity of their urban forests (parks, rights-of-way, open space, watersheds, etc.).

The project is funded through the 2012 Jobs Now Bill (Engrossed Senate Bill 5127) and is administered by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources’ Urban and Community Forestry Program.

For more information, visit the Urban Forestry Restoration Project online, or send an email to Micki McNaughton or call her at (360) 902-1637.

 

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Two of the nation’s best urban forests are right here in the Pacific Northwest

Local people have always known that Seattle and Portland have beautiful, healthy trees, so it was no surprise to see that American Forests has named these cities as two of the ten best U.S. cities for urban forests.

American Forests, the oldest national, nonprofit, conservation organization in the country, advocates for the protection and expansion of America’s forests.

The organization announced its list for the ten best U.S. cities for urban forests:  Austin, Charlotte, Denver, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Portland, Sacramento, Seattle and Washington, D.C. Through a U.S. Forest Service-funded project, American Forests found that these ten cities showed great investment in their urban forests from the city management level down to community volunteers.

Seattle City Arborist, Nolan Rundquist, says it’s great to be included. Seattle is working on updating its urban forest plan with a goal of increasing the canopy so it will cover 30 percent of the city by 2037. 

American Forests took on this project to help people (and city leaders) better understand the critical value of urban forests in their cities — to their own lives, health, economies and well-being of their communities, and to, therefore, invest in their urban forests. Proactive individuals are key to maintaining urban forests. These people recognize that trees around them are not just pretty shade providers, but are essential elements of the natural fabric of the planet that we depend upon for survival.

Not only did the project find that these cities are committed to maintaining the health of their urban forests, but that they also recognize the full range of benefits they provide from driving tourism revenue to lowered heating and cooling costs. This project showcases the many values that forests and trees bring to an urban environment.

To learn more about the 10 best cities for urban forests, visit American Forests’ website at
http://www.americanforests.org/10bestcities
.

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Our top five posts in January

Here are the five blogs posted in January that drew the most views by Ear to the Ground readers.

Volunteers step up to remodel DNR winter cabin in time for snowmobile season
Using a generous grant from the Washington State Snowmobile Association the Butte Busters Snowmobile Club and Association of Okanogan County Snowmobile Club led the way in a major remodel and update of the Hunters Meadow Cabin in Loomis State Forest in time for snowmobile and hunting seasons… more

‘Twas 313 years ago that the Northwest really, really shook; mega earthquake & tsunami hit on Jan. 26, 1700
And we mean: really shook. An estimated) magnitude 9.0 megathrust earthquake in 1700 on the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the coastlines of Washington, Oregon, Northern California, and British Columbia produced a tsunami that is noted in 18th century Japanese documents… more

DNR will hire seasonal wildland firefighters. Apply online
DNR’s recruitment for Forest Fire Fighter Crew members and Engine Leaders/Squad Boss positions for the 2013 summer season was a popular blog post. Visit the DNR Jobs Page where you can sign up for weekly emails of new job announcements… more

Goldmark keys in on forest health and climate change; begins second term as Commissioner of Public Lands
The complete Inaugural Remarks of Peter Goldmark as presented DNR staff on Wednesday, January 16, 2013, as Goldmark begins his second term as state Commissioner of Public Lands… more

Award honors two of DNR’s finest forest health program employees
The U.S. Forest Service honored DNR employees Aleksandar Dozic, forestry technician, and Glenn Kohler, forest entomologist, with its Regional Forester’s 2012 Team Award for Excellence in Safety and Health for their innovations that reduced flight time required for forest health aerial surveys… more

 

Stop by our Facebook page to comment on these blogs, or suggest topics that you would like to read more about on DNR’s Ear the Ground.

DNR efforts are re-opening hundreds of miles of forest streams for fish habitat

Staff from DNR’s Olympic Region install a new culvert that replaces an undersized structure that had blocked fish migration. Photo: Guy Ruble/DNR.

In 2012, DNR removed 134 fish barriers from forest streams on state trust lands, opening an estimated 67 miles of stream to salmon and other fish. About 276 fish barrier culverts under forest roads remain for DNR to remove by October 31, 2016, when the state’s Forest and Fish Law requires forest landowners to complete the forest road stream-crossing improvements. Since 2009 2002, DNR has removed 1,184 fish barrier culverts from state trust lands, which has opened nearly 600 miles of stream for fish habitat.

Size and installation requirements for culverts on fish-bearing streams are summarized in DNR’s Forest Practices Illustrated.

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Award honors two of DNR’s finest forest health program employees

Glenn Kohler, forest entomologist, and Aleksandar Dozic, forestry technician, receive the Regional Forester’s 2012 Team Award for Excellence in Safety and Health

Recently, the U.S. Forest Service presented Aleksandar Dozic and Glenn Kohler their Regional Forester’s 2012 Team Award for Excellence in Safety and Health. This award recognized state and federal employees who work on the forest health cooperative annual aerial survey. Such surveys have been conducted in the Pacific Northwest with the cooperation of state and federal partners since 1948 without a serious accident.

The U.S. Forest Service developed this safety program to include many different agencies to work together as a team, in a safe and efficient manner. Aleksandar and Glenn received this safety award for working jointly with U.S. Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry.

Together, the team developed the Sketchmapping system that allows surveyors to cover the region in fewer flight hours, thus reducing their exposure to risk. The team has fostered a safe culture for successful survey flights.

Systematic aerial surveys are conducted to identify and report on insect activity, diseases or other disturbances that kill or damage trees on federal, state, tribal and private forests. Trained observers fly slowly at low elevations above millions of acres of forestland each year, recording the damage they observe. It requires excellent planning, cooperation and communication between the observers, pilots and ground support to consider weather conditions, terrain and other factors as they safely and efficiently accomplish their mission. Data are collected by specially trained aerial observers from the USDA Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), and Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Glenn Kohler is a forest entomologist who has studied insects like the hemlock woolly adelgid, Douglas-fir tussock moth, and California fivespined Ips beetle. Aleksandar Dozic is a forestry technician who specializes in GIS mapping tools and methods for using aerial survey data.

For over 60 years, aerial surveys have proven to be an efficient and economical way to detect and monitor forest change events over large forested areas. You can learn more about this aerial surveying program from the U.S. Forest Service Fact Sheet, and see the forest health aerial survey video to find out what it’s all about. Each year the major findings of the aerial survey are reported in Washington’s Forest Health Highlights Report.

 

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Oregon and Washington corrections centers discover common practices

Nathan Seable (left), Oregon South Fork Camp Manager, talks with Bob Pickens (center), Cedar Creek Camp Manager, and Geoff Aschoff (right), Larch Camp Manager

For many years, the Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Larch Corrections Center has maintained a good relationship with Oregon Department of Forestry’s South Fork Forestry Camp – and for good reason.

Larch camp, originally Larch Mountain Honor Camp, was built using inmate labor and opened for business in 1956. Originally, Larch crews were there to fall snags and rehabilitate lands burned during a series of devastating wildfires in the Yacolt Burn State Forest. Oregon also experienced similar devastating fires in the 1930s and 40s known as the Tillamook Burn. South Fork Forestry Camp is located in the Tillamook State Forest.

Both camps have a lot in common and use inmate labor statewide for numerous projects. They are learning from each other better management and training techniques for low-risk offenders.

Camp managers meet to share information on inmate crew management, wildland firefighting, training, equipment, and other topics. Both organizations have committed to continue improving the relationship between Washington and Oregon. Two major benefits are that they are finding ways to save money and improving safety while working in high-risk environments.

Recently, the Oregon group toured Larch, and the equipment shop manager briefed them on DNR’s fabrication, heavy equipment, vehicle, and small motor repair shops.

The programs in these camps protect and manage resources to meet current demands without sacrificing the needs of future generations and natural systems. Larch camp provides forestry crews that perform thousands of hours of work each year for local, county, non-profit, and state agencies including firefighting and recreation facility maintenance work for DNR.

Working jointly with the Department of Corrections and Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration, DNR has a trained offender workforce for forestry-related public projects, as well as wildland firefighting around the state. This workforce saves taxpayer dollars while teaching positive work habits to minimum custody level felons. The program helps avoid inmate idleness while providing cost-effective work on state and other public lands. The crews make possible many projects that would not otherwise have been affordable, such as environmental restoration and cleaning up illegal dumpsites.

Learn more about work accomplished by DNR-managed correctional camp crews.

 

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Goldmark on challenges of climate change to state’s natural resources: ‘Our work is cut out for us’

The forest health crisis affecting tree stands in several Eastern Washington counties, and the negative impact of climate change on Washington State aquatic resources, including Puget Sound and other waterways, were among the points raised by Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark in his second inaugural remarks last week.

Ocean acidification and Puget Sound: “The marine waters of Puget Sound are becoming more acidic, as are all marine waters around the globe. This acidification is threatening the state’s shellfish industry because more acidic water interferes with normal shellfish growth, particularly at early developmental stages… The effect of acidification on the wild geoduck fishery that we manage is unknown. Many state and tribal and programs depend on the revenue derived from this fishery, so not unlike our forests, careful scientific analysis followed by appropriate management actions must be taken.”

Forest health: “ A changing climate together with insect infestations and overstocked stands have created a forest health crisis that requires swift action…  Forests that have been treated and restored by thinning are more resilient to drought and disease while also being less susceptible to catastrophic fire damage. There is an urgent need to continue this work in the years ahead.”

View video of Commissioner Goldmark’s address to DNR staff on January 16.

Read the full text of Commissioner Goldmark’s address.

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