View Two “Creating Connections: Volunteers and Professionals” Webinars

The recent NYC ReLeaf two-part webinar series on Creating Connections: Volunteers and Professionals can still be viewed. Council Cofounder and Environmental Educator Nancy Wolf gave high marks to the series, noting, “I thought Maritza and Suzannah’s presentation [on Environmental Education in a Natural Setting] was simply the best I have ever seen/heard about how volunteers can be part of professional work in natural areas.”

View Part 1: 

  • Virtual tour of Snug Harbor presented by Greg Lord – Director of Horticulture, Staten Island Botanical Garden
  • NYC Soils presented by Rich Shaw – Retired, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  • Environmental education in a natural setting presented by Suzannah Abbate – Director of Education & Engagement, Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden and Maritza Cuevas – Director of Education, Greenbelt Conservancy

View Part 2:

  • Urban forests: A nexus of carbon, climate, and community – Andrew Reinmann – Assistant Professor, Environmental Sciences Initiative, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, Hunter College
  • Seeing the forest for the money trees (Play Fair) presented by Emily Walker – Director of Outreach and Programs, New Yorkers for Parks and Sarah Charlop-Powers -Executive Director and Co-Founder, Natural Areas Conservancy
  • Virtual tour of the Greenbelt Native Plant Center presented by Nate McVay – Nursery Manager, Greenbelt Native Plant Center, NYC Parks

Successful Tree Planting, Rochester’s Urban El Camino Trail in DEC Conservationist Magazine

See the recent online edition of NYS Conservationist for interesting features, including one coauthored by DEC UCF staff Christina McLaughlin and Dan Gaidasz on “How to Plant a Tree Successfully.” There’s also a piece called “Strides through an Urban Trail” about Rochester’s El Camino: Butterhole-Seneca Park Trail, a multi-use pedestrian greenway that was adapted from an old railroad line. Other features treat environmental justice in NYS, planting for pollinators, dogs that detect invasive insects, monarch butterflies, the Tonawanda Wildlife Mgmt Area, and New York’s damselflies and dragonflies. Check out this superb publication.

“Fall Planting and a Deeper Look at ‘Fall Transplanting Hazards'” is Blog’s Most-Viewed Post

Dr. Nina Bassuk, at left, with students of her Creating the Urban Eden class in fall of 2019. Nina contributes the seminal “Five Branches of Transplanting Success” section of the “Fall Planting and A Deeper Look at ‘Fall Hazards'” post.

Fall planting season is underway, and many NY towns and cities are taking advantage of this season’s combination of still-warm soils with cooler air temps, which lends itself to success with fall planting of a variety of tree species in parks and along streets. Since the Council blog was launched in 2014, the most often viewed post (6323 views!) has been this one, about Fall Planting and a Deeper Look at “Fall Hazards.” We will do an update this winter, but the existing content remains solid and clearly has been of practical value to many folks. Check it out if you haven’t already!

Artist, Arborist, and Horticulturist Noreen Riordan

Noreen at the Friday picnic of the 2018 NY ReLeaf Conference in Rochester. Photo by Michelle Sutton

Noreen Riordan attended the Rochester ReLeaf Conference in 2018. She lives in Henrietta and serves a greater Rochester territory as an Arborist Representative for Bartlett Tree Experts. Her territory includes Greece, Henrietta, Irondequoit, Webster, and some of Penfield and Brighton. Noreen is an ISA-Certified Arborist and Certified Nursery and Landscape Professional who has extensive experience with, among other things, Emerald Ash Borer. Noreen’s love of plants is informed by being an artist and her art is informed by her love of plants; she has a BFA in Art and Photography from Syracuse University. Here’s Noreen in her own words.

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When I got my first house, I really went bananas for gardening and haven’t looked back. I find gardening so gratifying in the way it allows me to bring in birds, bees, and other wildlife with the habitats I create. I’m grateful to my mom and grandmother for passing down the gardening gene! I’m especially into birds, and as I worked for nurseries and my own landscaping company for many years, I got more interested in trees and how miraculous and important they are. If you’re into birds, you’re likely to be into trees.

I’m happy to say that both of my daughters, Molly and Emily, have gotten into birdwatching. We all have feeders, compare who visits them, and get jealous of each other’s birds. Eastern bluebirds are my favorite, but it’s my older daughter Molly who gets frequented by them. Meanwhile, I get all the chickadees, and my daughters are envious of that. It’s something fun to bond over.

I had a home-based business retouching photos when my kids were little and did that while I raised them. When digital photography came into dominance, I made the career change to nursery and landscaping jobs. It was very exciting and a lot more physically and intellectually demanding than I thought—and so vast! Soils, light needs, native vs. exotic, spacing—there was a lot to learn. Around 2000, I achieved the Certified Nursery and Landscape Professional (CNLP) credential, my ISA Arborist Certification and also became a NYSDEC Certified Pesticide Applicator.

Read more…

Building & Maintaining Your Healthy Community Forest Webinar

This webinar is hosted by Southern Adirondack ReLeaf and is free and open to all.

10/28 9 AM Southern Adirondack ReLeaf – Building and maintaining your healthy community forest

Registration Link: https://meetny.webex.com/meetny/onstage/g.php?MTID=ecb9b4b40ae24efe4267132ebeea8cbce

Join NY ReLeaf for a webinar on building and maintaining your healthy community forest! Starting a new program or maintaining a fledgling program to care for your community trees on streets and in parks can be a challenge. Join us to learn about the steps to becoming a Tree City USA, the different kinds of awards, and the benefits of becoming a Tree City USA, how to find and apply for funding for your program, and a forest health update! The southern Adirondacks have had several notable outbreaks this year of invasive species that threaten trees – including Hemlock wooly adelgid and emerald ash borer. Preparing early to manage these threats can be key to keeping your community forest healthy! ISA and CNLP credits pending.

  • Becoming a Tree City USA – Andréa Nieves, Education assistant and Tree City Coordinator, Urban Forestry Program, NYS DEC
  • Finding and preparing for grants – Christina McLaughlin, Partnership coordinator, Urban Forestry Program, NYS DEC
  • Forest health update – Rob Cole, Forester, Invasive species and forest health, NYS DEC

Watertown’s Black River Trail Expansion Capped by Fall Tree Planting

Thank you to Council Board Member and City of Watertown Planner Mike DeMarco for sharing this background and pics.  

The third and final segment of the Black River Trail was completed in a joint effort between NYS Parks, City of Watertown, and NYS DOT. This project, 15 years in the making, originated as a rails-to-trails project that provided users an Adirondack-esque experience just one mile outside of the City limits.

Read more…

Public Comment Sought on American Chestnut Restoration Project

American Chestnut Project researcher Linda McGuigan checks on American chestnut seedlings
American chestnut project researcher Linda McGuigan checks on American chestnut seedlings. esf.edu

“We are at a critical juncture with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as they review our petition for determination of the non-regulated status of the blight-resistant Darling 58 American chestnut,” said Dr. William Powell, director, American Chestnut Research & Restoration Project.

Powell and his team are asking for faculty and staff’s help in the process. The USDA 60-day public comment period began on Aug. 19 and closes Oct. 19. 

“This is your opportunity to submit a comment and let USDA regulators know what the restoration of the American chestnut means to you,” said Powell.

Those interested in adding a comment of support are asked to visit the project’s petition on the Federal Register and follow the instructions given on the webpage.

The American Chestnut Foundation has prepared a series of documents to help people navigate the comment process.

You can also view an award-winning short-form video about ESF’s American chestnut restoration project.

“The best way you can help the American Chestnut Research and Restoration Project at ESF is by voicing your support of the transgenic American chestnut as a forest restoration tool,” said Powell, “and by sharing the links with friends and family to gain their support as well.”

Urban Tree Monitoring: Tracking Long-Term Tree Survival, Growth, and Health from USFS

 

The Forest Service has released several new products that offer guidance on how to track the long-term health of trees in your community. Using this guidance will help inform tree maintenance and management programs and support the research community in studying trends in tree growth and mortality at the local level and nationally. You can find the Field Guide, resources, and how-to videos here.

Millions, Billions, and Trillions – Do You Have the Tools to Keep New Trees Alive?

Free webinar:

October 14, 2020 | 1:00-2:15pm ET

Millions, Billions, and Trillions – Do You Have the Tools to Keep New Trees Alive?
Michelle Johnson, USDA Forest Service
Rich Hallett, USDA Forest Service
Rachel Holmes, The Nature Conservancy