COMMENTS

FROM THE CHAIR

Greetings!

The 13th Annual Great NC Tree Conference is officially in the books. I thank our event sponsors, annual partners, volunteers, and board members for their support and dedication to this event.

Conference evaluation surveys have been emailed to all attendees. Please take the time to fill those out. We want to hear your

feedback so that next year we can organize conference sessions that fulfill our professional needs. 

Additionally, a comment form was distributed to all NCUFC members during the Members Breakfast last week. Even if you did not attend the breakfast or the conference, please complete this brief Members' comment form. The Board seeks input from all members to help us plan workshops and webinars in 2023. We also want to learn what factors influence your volunteer decisions and what type of annual reporting metrics you want the Council's Board and staff to prepare.

I’m thrilled to announce that the NCUFC was awarded the Conservation Organization of the Year. This award is given by the North Carolina Wildlife Federation. We were among 19 agency professionals, elected officials and volunteers’ honored on Sept. 10th at the 58th Annual Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards banquet in Cary. We were presented with a custom-made wildlife statuettes following a thank you video message from Gov. Roy Cooper.

Our next event is on October 14th at The Biltmore. The Asheville Carolina Canopy Workshop: Emergency Response & Aerial Rescue. More information can be found on our events page. Participation is limited to 50 people so don’t wait to register.

Take Care and enjoy the changing of the season!

Jeff Kish

Board Chair, NC Urban Forest Council

Bartlett Tree Experts, Raleigh 

North Carolina Urban Forest Council

P.O. Box 37416

Raleigh, NC 27627

Council Partners

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Original news articles by Kathryn B. Reis

Public domain images from pxhere.com

Have a story idea?  Contact us today!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Council Affairs

Asheville Carolina Canopy Workshop: 

Emergency Response & Aerial Rescue

Asheville, NC

14 October 2022

Arboriculture Certificate Program

Hybrid format

Alamance Community College

2 December 2022 to 23 March 2023

COUNCIL NEWS

Don't Stress, Plant Trees!

by Heike Biller with Kate Bolkin, Trees Charlotte

You’re probably aware of the great things trees do for our physical health—

filter out harmful air pollutants, produce nutritious fruit, provide shady sidewalks to motivate you to walk or jog outside on a hot summer day. You may also have heard that enjoying nature is beneficial to our mental health. I could go on and on about studies that show how a walk in the forest

reduces stress, or how people have reported more creativity and better focus

after spending time around forested areas.

Although these studies are certainly useful, they aren’t my favorite when it

comes to discussing trees and mental health. The separation of “city” and

“forest” in these studies suggests that if you want to focus on your mental health, you need to drive to the middle of nowhere and hike in the woods. Such an approach is unfeasible to do every day. 

But, I want to give you PROOF that by simply planting trees in your neighborhood, you can still improve your mental health, and you don’t need to drive to the Great Smokies to do so.

Here’s a list of six studies that discuss how urban forests and neighborhood trees improve our mental state.

Trees and Stress:

• Trees change your brain function:  A 2017 study found a positive correlation between tree canopy cover around a person’s home address and “the integrity of the amygdala” or the capability of the brain to handle stress.

• Trees change your hormones: This study found that there was a statistically significant relationship between quantity of green space in “normal, everyday settings” and the presence of cortisol (the stress hormone) in the subjects’ saliva.  This indicates that more trees in these “everyday settings”, like neighborhoods and urban environments, may be linked to a more relaxed brain.

Trees and Productivity:

• Looking at trees during breaks can boost work productivity:  An Australian study observed the effects of green-roofs covered in trees on workplace productivity.  They found that the subjects who took short breaks looking at the greenery had lower omission errors and were more consistent responding to tasks than subjects who viewed concrete during breaks.  Hanging out with trees is an easy way to stay focused and efficient while working from home.

Trees and Children:

• Children with ADHD have less symptoms when playing around trees: A psychological study found that across all income groups and genders, hyperactive children who had play time in green spaces experienced reduced symptom severity than children who had play time in man-made surroundings.

• The effect of trees on children lasts a lifetime:  A Danish study found that people who grew up with high levels of green spaces around their childhood homes from birth until age 10 were associated with lower risk of several psychiatric disorders as adults.  Further, risks of mental illnesses for children who lived in low canopied areas was 55% higher than those in high canopied areas.

Trees and Exercise Mentality:

• The color green is calming, even during exercise:  A medical study had subjects perform cycling tasks watching video footage of green, grey, and red edited rural cycling courses.  They found that the “Green” course lowered mood disturbance and even lowered perceived exertion.  So if you don’t like to exercise, try it in a park or a canopied neighborhood.  It might feel easier and boost serotonin. 

Let’s face it, mental health needs to be taken as seriously as physical health. 

 Just like you would remind yourself to drink enough water each day and eat a

vegetable at every meal, try adding in “spend time around trees today.”  The

way you can manage anxiety and stress might be in your own backyard.

Registration open for the Arboriculture Certificate Program

Do you have employees who want to take their career to the next level? 

Check out the Arboriculture Certificate Opportunity developed by Alamance Community College, Bartlett Tree Experts, NC State University, and the NC Urban Forest Council! 

This course has a hybrid delivery with in-person and online components. It costs $186 and runs for 12 weeks, from 2 December 2022 through 24 March 2023. Covered topics include the following:

• arboriculture, from basic to advanced levels
• pest management
• equipment operations and maintenance
• business communications
• conversational Spanish

To register online, visit Alamance Community College. 

Have program questions? Contact NCUFC Board Member and ACC Department Head of Horticulture, Liz Riley.

INTERNATIONAL STORIES

Climate change threatens up to 100% of trees in Australian cities, and most urban species worldwide

by Manuel Esperon-Rodriguez, Mark G. Tjoelker, Jonathan Lenoir, John B. Baumgartner, Linda J. Beaumont, David A. Nipperess, Sally A. Power, Benoît Richard, Paul D. Rymer & Rachael V. Gallagher 



To anyone who has stepped off a hot pavement into a shady park, it will come as little surprise that trees (and shrubs) have a big cooling effect on cities. 

Our study published today in Nature Climate Change found climate change will put 90-100% of the trees and shrubs planted in Australian capital cities at risk by 2050. Without action, two-thirds of trees and shrubs in cities worldwide will be at potential risk from climate change. 

Increasing city temperatures mean their trees are becoming more important than ever. More than just shade umbrellas, the natural air-conditioning magic of trees happens as water moves up from the soil through their roots and evaporates out of their leaves into the air.

But how will the trees themselves cope with climate change as conditions shift beyond their natural tolerance limits for high temperatures or lack of water? Our team of scientists from Australia and France examined the impacts of temperature and rainfall changes projected for coming decades on 3,129 tree and shrub species planted in 164 cities across 78 countries. 

About half of these urban tree and shrub species are already experiencing climate conditions beyond their natural tolerance limits. 

These findings sound bleak – but read on. We have also identified steps people can take to help their local trees survive, thrive and keep on cooling.

NATIONAL STORIES

Small green spaces can help keep cities cool during heat waves

by Lingshan Li, The Conversation 

During heat waves, the highest temperatures are often found in urbanized areas. Urbanization is almost always associated with an increase in paved, impervious areas, and often a decrease in greenery. Concrete and asphalt roads, and other built materials readily absorb, store and release heat, raising city temperatures, a phenomenon called the urban heat island.

Many studies have shown that urban forests can reduce the urban heat island, and many policies focus their attention on large green spaces. Small green spaces, such as yards, rooftops and small parcels of undeveloped land, can make impressive contributions to lowering urban heat, but they are often overlooked when developing strategies for urban cooling.

Towns may grow millions more trees with $1.5 B for urban forestry

by Alex Brown, Pew / Stateline

The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law this month by President Joe Biden, includes $1.5 billion for the U.S. Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, which supports efforts ranging from big cities to small communities. Agency leaders say the funding, which will be allotted through competitive grants, will be focused on reaching neighborhoods that lack green infrastructure and are bearing the brunt of climate change.

“These dollars are designed for the most vulnerable, for underserved and under-resourced communities,” said Beattra Wilson, who oversees the Forest Service program. “We anticipate rising to that occasion.”

Wilson said the funding will enable some communities to take their first steps toward an urban forestry strategy, while accelerating the existing plans of longstanding partners. Longtime advocates say the money could transform the program, currently funded at $36 million, from a technical assistance office into a major source of tree planting and maintenance work.

“This is going to reshape tree canopies in cities across America,” said Jad Daley, president and CEO of American Forests, a Washington, D.C.-based conservation nonprofit. “It will get dollars into the hands of cities and frontline organizations that are doing this work neighborhood by neighborhood to provide equitable tree canopy in our cities.”

American Forests estimates that the cash influx, combined with matching contributions from funding recipients, could help plant and protect 40 million to 50 million trees nationwide. The Forest Service has until 2031 to distribute the funds.

Boston launches Forestry Division to maintain city's urban forest and plant new trees

by Dialynn Dwyer, Boston.com

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced Wednesday that a new forestry division, tasked with caring for and growing the city’s urban forest, is being created within the Boston Parks and Recreation Department. 

The division increases the workforce focused on trees in the city from five to 16, and according to the city, it will have dedicated leadership and resources “to plant new trees as well as proactively inspect, maintain, and prune existing trees, focusing on under-canopied and environmental justice neighborhoods.”

Trees are key for combatting climate change, particularly heat islands in the city.

The creation of the new unit was one of the recommendations in Boston’s newly-released Urban Forest Plan, which includes an analysis of the city’s tree canopy, direction for ensuring equitable access, and suggestions for how trees could have better care.

LOCAL STORIES

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