Iowa-based Trees Forever has done some socially-distanced planting events this spring, and in this webinar they share what has worked for them, what to consider, and ways to make it work. They walk through some great tips as well as the online-survey they’re using to manage volunteers signing up for shifts to plant. These guidelines are included in the Trees Forever webinar and will be a great resource for ReLeaf Committee members and partners hoping to plan some fall planting events. —Christina McLaughlin, NYSDEC Urban & Community Partnership Coordinator
It’s easy to sign up and select the news you want to get from NYSDEC. For urban and community forestry news, click the Forests, Plants, and Land Conservation box. In addition to areas of interest, you can also decide if you want news as it happens, or if you prefer daily or weekly digests.
Join Green-Wood staff and their research collaborators on Zoom on four Fridays: May 15, May 22, May 29, and June 5 from noon to 1 p.m. to learn about urban grasslands, veteran trees, common mushrooms, and wild bees at Brooklyn’s storied Green-Wood. Free; simple registration for each program.
The 2020 New York State 4-H Forestry Weekend has been reborn as a virtual learning experience! There will be five Saturday evening Zoom events that will include videos from various Cooperative Extension/4-H systems or related companies, as well as some made by our very own 4-Hers. Youth 10 and over, will learn about how to identify trees, how to measure diameter and log productions in trees, basic map & compass skills, as well forest ecology and tree pests and diseases. All of these programs are free to all participants. Those youth who complete the entire list of activities, including the online polls, and chats will receive a free related to the program.
Schedule:
May 9th, 2020 Introduction 6:30pm
May 16th, 2020 Tree Identification 6:30pm
May 23rd, 2020 Map & Compass 6:30pm
May 30th, 2020 Invasive Species & Pests 6:30pm
June 6th, 2020 Forest Ecology 6:30pm
Those youth 14+ who are interested in possibly competing at the National 4-H Forestry Invitational will be asked to complete more challenging learning tasks. Enrollment in the programs you are interested in is REQUIRED by completing the registration form and submitting to your local Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Educator.
Jane Rodd
4-H Program Leader
Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County
2715, Route 44
Millbrook, NY 12545
Tel: 845-677-8223, ext. 105
Fruit and sporadic fall leaf color of Korean mountainash. Photo by Michelle Sutton
Underutilized Trees for Urban Use: Korean mountainash (Sorbus alnifolia)
By Michelle Sutton, Council Editor
I can think of few trees with the year-round beauty of Korean mountainash (Sorbus alnifolia). It is notable for its delicate and showy white spring flowers, handsome deeply veined summer foliage, yellow to orange fall color, reddish-pink berries in fall and early winter, and elephantine bark in winter (beech-like, but with distinct white markings). Its potential height is 20 to 40 feet and potential width 15 to 25 feet. The cultivar ‘Redbird’ has rosy-red fruits and a more upright form.
The USDA Forest Service is requesting applications for the Fiscal Year 2020 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Grant Program. A fabulous USFS GLRI StoryMap highlights contributions of this grant program to Great Lakes restoration goals.
The U.S. Forest Service anticipates that up to $4.2 million in new funds will be available for competitive grants in four program areas:
Forest Insect and Disease Mitigation
Reduce Runoff from Degraded Sites through Green Infrastructure
Protect and Restore Coastal Wetlands through Healthy Tree Cover
Restore Resilient Riparian and Shoreline Forests
The FY 2020 GLRI Request for Applications (RFA) Instructions, agency-specific forms, and other resources are available on their GLRI RFA website.
Applications must be prepared and submitted through Grants.gov by 6 p.m. Eastern on June 26, 2020. The opportunity number in Grants.gov is USDA-FS-2020-GLRI.
They encourage all applicants to work with their State forestry agency to determine how their project fits into the goals and objectives of the State Forest Action Plan. If you have questions, please reach out to your Field Representative or Sheela Johnson (sheela.johnson@usda.gov or 224-999-1997).
Last month, NYSDEC Commissioner Basil Seggos announced the winner of DEC’s Annual 5th Grade Arbor Day Poster Contest – Nicole Halaseh from Casimir Pulaski School in Yonkers, Westchester County.
“This year’s 5th grade Arbor Day Poster Contest winner Nicole Halaseh’s unique artwork captures the importance of New York’s official State fruit, the apple, and how it’s both a healthy food source and a valuable part of New York’s economy,” said Commissioner Seggos. “DEC thanks all the students who participated in this creative demonstration of the many ways trees contribute to our lives.”
Each year, hundreds of fifth graders across the state compete in designing an educational and eye-catching poster focused on a theme that honors trees. The 2020 poster theme is “Trees Feed New York,” giving students the opportunity to learn about the dozens of ways both humans and wildlife rely on trees as a food source.
So many accomplishments to celebrate in 2019! You can see the report in flip mag form on Issuu or read a PDF here. The NYSUFC treasures its many partners who made all this good work possible. Thank you, friends!
