Welcome to the first blog post of the New York State Urban Forestry Council! And please subscribe to the new monthly e-news, which features this picture alongside the Council’s logo. The blog and e-news work together to keep you informed about all things urban forestry in our State.
You may recognize this as a yellowwood tree (Cladrastis kentukea) in bloom. The yellowwood is emblematic of urban forestry with its promise (including that of breathtaking beauty) and challenges (yellowwood, especially when not given proper structural pruning when young, is notorious for breaking up after storms).
The photo comes from a yellowwood that is one of a pair planted in the 1960s. The duo was found in a courtyard on the SUNY New Paltz campus; the one you see has good branch structure—thanks to early pruning—and is thriving, while the other one had poor branch structure, busted up after a storm a few winters back, went into steady decline, and was finally removed. With yellowwood and urban forestry at large, great things are possible with early, simple interventions!
Enjoy the blog and e-newsletter, and please send submission ideas and comments to [email protected].
—Michelle Sutton, Editor