Protecting, Sustaining, Advocacy |
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Greetings NCUFC Members,
Hello again for the last time this year- and what a year it has been. I am glad to see it coming to an end and I am hoping 2021 will get us back to a sense of normal. With all the challenges that 2020 gave us, I want to take a moment to brag about the NCUFC Board for adapting and overcoming it all. A special thanks to Leslie Moorman and Mindy Hidenfelter for all that they have done to adapt to remote everything. Unplanned circumstances prevented most of our normal face to face meetings, including our Carolina Canopy events and the Great NC Tree Conference, from taking place as scheduled in 2020. It was even difficult to carry on with some of our tree planting events, which sometimes prove difficult to socially distance, wear face coverings, and dig holes to plant trees. As I rotate off from serving as chair, I look forward to serving again in the future under different circumstances. I wish you all Happy Holidays and a New Year that exceeds all expectations.
Stay well and healthy.
Jason Combs
Board Chair, NC Urban Forest Council
Division Vegetation Management Specialist, Duke Energy Progress, Inc.
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North Carolina
Urban Forest Council
P.O. Box 37416
Raleigh, NC 27627
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STAY TUNED FOR OUR UPCOMING 2021 CALENDAR OF EVENTS! |
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Urban Forest Connections Webinar Series
Hosted by USDA Forest Service
December 9th, January 13th, February 10th
Online webinars
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Helping Municipalities Develop Urban Wood Management Programs
Hosted by Urban Wood Network
December 15th
Online webinar
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DECEMBER 2020 NCUFC
BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:
Trey Warrick
Scottree/Shelby Nursery
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Trey Warrick has served as a Board Member of the NC Urban Forest Council for five years. Trey is a certified arborist and manages family-owned companies Scottree and Shelby Nursery, both located in Shelby, NC.
Scottree produces quality field and container grown trees for the landscape industry, managing approximately 70 acres of field material and 4.5 acres of container production. Shelby Nursery is a full service landscape and maintenance company that provides service to residential and commercial customers in the Shelby area, including arboriculture services. Trey spends most of his time as production manager for Shelby Nursery, overseeing a maintenance crew, a landscape crew and providing tree care services.
During his tenure on the NCUFC Board, Trey has enjoyed the opportunity to learn from other people in the industry and the friendships he has developed while being involved in the Board's activities. Trey suggests that others in his industry continue to seek out further education and always strive to be better.
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KISSING DEATH SHRUBS
I Have you ever seen a green shrub in the canopy of an oak in the dead of winter? It’s most likely mistletoe, and it probably wasn’t placed there for stealing kisses during the holidays.
Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic perennial plant that grows into the tissue of deciduous trees, such as oaks and hickories in North Carolina, and uses water and nutrients directly from the tree’s vascular system. How did it get way up the canopy, you ask? Birds feed on the poisonous white berries that show up in early winter and the seeds are “dispersed” with a sticky residue allowing the them to take root directly onto a branch, usually in a small crack or depression in the bark. One or two mistletoe shrubs on an otherwise healthy mature tree is not going to have a significant impact on the tree’s health and, in fact, can be a sign of a healthy bird population. However, a large infestation throughout the canopy of a stressed tree can lead to severe decline and tree death. The most effective way to remove unwanted mistletoe is to have it pruned in the winter by a Certified Arborist. The infected branch must be removed to include all the root-like structures of the mistletoe within the tissues. Next time you see a green shrub in a tree, notice the bird population, kiss someone, and make sure the tree is healthy and being looked after by a professional! Happy Holidays!
Scott Abla, Co-Owner
Board Certified Master Arborist
Black Mountain Arborists, LLC
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PARTNERS IN COMMUNITY FORESTRY CONFERENCE 2020 |
My name is Laura Janway and I am the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator for the Town of Carrboro. The Town is working to protect and enhance ecosystems through its Community Climate Action Plan. This year, the North Carolina Urban Forest Council awarded the Town a Legacy Tree Fund Grant to plant trees and restore a riparian stream buffer and provided me with a scholarship to attend this year’s virtual Partners in Community Forestry Conference.
I am grateful for the opportunity to attend the conference this year, as I feel that I can use the information I learned to help implement recommendations in the Town’s climate action plan. I found the presentations at the conference that centered around community outreach were especially relevant and useful. It was encouraging to see outreach programs being implemented successfully by different organizations.
Carrboro is working to implement a program called the Green Neighborhoods Initiative, where community leaders educate and engage neighbors to reduce their carbon footprints. I was inspired by the Sacramento Tree Foundation’s NeighborWoods Model to create a robust outreach program by listening to residents’ concerns, building relationships, and identifying community leaders for project design and collaboration. Sacramento is working to not only reach out to community leaders, but connect these leaders with each other through quarterly socials and yearly summits. At these events, leaders can learn, share stories, and recognize the work of others. I also learned about the communication strategies used by the presenters, including holding regular meetings, maximizing outreach through networks, using different messaging techniques in each neighborhood, and creating a community action toolkit as a resource for community members. I look forward to incorporating these strategies in my work.
Overall, the conference helped me understand how our work in Carrboro compares to that in other communities. I am certain these insights will inform ongoing climate action work and will help the Town in its goals to make neighborhoods in Carrboro greener while connecting and inspiring community members be as involved as they can be and take actions, big and small.
Laura Janway
Environmental Sustainability Coordinator
Town of Carrboro
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BECOME A MEMBER OF NCUFC - OR RENEW YOUR 2021 MEMBERSHIP TODAY!
The NC Urban Forest Council is a highly participatory organization with many growth and leadership opportunities. Individuals and organizations can serve on committees, attend seminars and workshops or share ideas with an elite green-industry community. Members not only take the profession seriously, but also are committed to each other and to advocating for increased investment in urban forestry. Membership on the Council is open to anyone with an interest in urban forestry. Members shape the direction of the Council and the green industry profession.
We have added some new, additional membership benefits for membership in 2021. For more information, check out our membership page. If you are already a member, you can renew your annual membership here.
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A FIGHT FOR FOREST EQUITY IN SOUTHEAST D.C. TAKES ON NEW URGENCY AMID PANDEMIC
Source: The Washington Post, 12/5/2020
While low-income neighborhoods in many cities have fewer trees, the reality in D.C. is more complicated. Ward 8, the city’s poorest, has over 500 acres of forest; its total tree cover tops that of four wealthier wards. But Ward 8’s forests are littered, overrun by invasive species and all but closed to people, with virtually no signage and fewer than 1.5 miles of official hiking trails. By comparison, 1,754-acre Rock Creek Park has more than 36 miles of hiking trails.
Click HERE to read full article...
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