Two dozen enthusiasts accompanied Don Leopold on a tree biology and ID walk though historic Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse on June 21 to learn about the 160-acre site’s fantastic urban forest. Leopold, Distinguished Teaching Professor, Department of Environmental Biology at SUNY College of Environmental Science and [...]
The Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum at Buffalo State University has brought thousands of students closer to nature on the 100+ acre urban campus, along with providing educational benefits. Formally dedicated in 1962 in honor of Maud Gordon Holmes, founder of the Garden Center Institute of Buffalo, [...]
In this installment of a somewhat regular feature, NYSUFC Board Member, author, blogger and Taking Root editor Jean Zimmerman shares her visit to New York’s High Line Park. The Timber Bridge is a towering anachronism in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of [...]
All Ears: Four Noteworthy Podcasts from SMA Members and Friends This feature is an in-depth look at the Your Bird Story, This Old Tree, Plant a Trillion Trees, and The Municipal Arborist podcasts in the May/June City Trees, the magazine produced by the Society of Municipal Arborists [...]
Hattie Carthan in 1978; photo from the New York Public Library. An African American Tree Activist Lived in Brooklyn Washington Square Park Eco Projects Director Georgia Silvera Seamans posted this story on the Brooklyn Botanic Garden blog about Hattie Carthan (1900-1984). Silvera Seamans writes, "[Carthan] [...]
This Old Tree podcast host Doug Still (left) and Council Board Member, arborist and author Jean Zimmerman (right) met with Jack Hale of the Hartford, Connecticut Tree Advisory Commission as part of their extensive exploration into the history, lore, and meaning of the storied Charter Oak, [...]
This Old Tree: Heritage trees and the human stories behind them. Hosted by Doug Still Old trees are awe inspiring links to the past that fire our historical imagination. Ever wonder what their stories are? Seasoned arborist and amateur historian Doug Still interviews local experts, historians, and [...]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct9iepqScxk&ab_channel=Smarthistory Above: a superb video and conversation between archeologist Dr. Diana Wall and art historian Dr. Steven Zucker about Seneca Village, the predominantly Black community that was razed in the process of creating Central Park. Alex Martin Seneca Village, Central Park, and Considering the Consequences [...]
The beloved shade-giving Washington Square Park English elm tree (Ulmus procera), which provides cavities and foraging for birds, squirrels, and raccoons, among other wildlife. All photos by Georgia Silvera Seamans This is the first in a series by Washington Square Park Eco Projects Director Georgia [...]
This towering black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) in Staten Island’s West New Brighton neighborhood (at left, in 1940; at right, in 2020) really caught my attention this season. Although black tupelo generally occupies wet woods habitats, it can thrive under a variety of soil conditions. I’m gratified [...]