ForestBytes --- December 2001 Volume II, Issue 20 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.americanforests.org AMERICAN FORESTS People Caring for Trees and Forests Since 1875 To subscribe to ForestBytes: Visit http://www.americanforests.org/ If you find this information valuable, please pass it on to friends and colleagues. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TABLE OF CONTENTS I. What's Happening? * 10 Days to Order Certificates * Trees in Tribute * Memorial Tree Partnerships Growing * Historic Trees on "Martha Stewart Living" * New Web Pages on a Hot Topic II. Check It Out! * CafeCanopy Plants Trees with Coffee * Christmas Tree Growers Association * Plant Trees with Your ISP * A Tree-mendous Holiday * Buy-a-Tree, Plant-a-Tree III. GLOBAL RELEAF Spotlight * Mescalero Apache-Telephone Canyon and Whitetail, New Mexico IV. Environmental News from ENN.com * "Freakish bug outbreak exploits weaknesses of unnatural forests" * "Asian longhorned beetles break quarantine" * "Rains douse hundreds of forest fires in Kentucky and Tennessee" The staff and board of directors of AMERICAN FORESTS wish you and yours Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! == What's Happening? ====================================== ------------------------------------------------------------ 10 Days to Order Certificates ------------------------------------------------------------ OK, now it's getting serious. You only have 10 days to plant trees as gifts if you would like a friend or loved one to receive a decorative holiday gift certificate by Christmas. Brighten the holiday of someone special by sending a festive AMERICAN FORESTS' holiday gift certificate showing native trees have been planted in his or her name in an ecosystem restoration project now underway in the United States or around the world. Orders must be received by December 10. Your loved one will feel good knowing the gift is helping increase forest habitat for threatened and endangered species and clean the air we breathe and water we drink. Trees are gifts that do good things for the environment instead of sitting on a shelf collecting dust. A gift of 120 trees reforests about a quarter-acre of forest. Paid over the course of a year, that's only $10 a month and you can even pay by credit card. Finish your holiday shopping today for your aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers. Visit http://www.americanforests.org/planttrees/. Or, call toll free 1-800-545-TREE. ------------------------------------------------------------ Trees in Tribute ------------------------------------------------------------ As Americans continue to recover from the shock and horror of the brutal September 11th attack, AMERICAN FORESTS has initiated a tree-planting program to honor the men, women, and children who lost their lives on that tragic day. The campaign, titled Memorial Trees, encourages individuals, businesses, agencies, and others to help AMERICAN FORESTS plant memorial groves of trees in sites across the country. Eddie Bauer is among the corporations supporting the campaign. These trees will serve as symbols of hope for the future, remember our fellow Americans, and provide important environmental benefits for generations to come. As you may know, AMERICAN FORESTS has been planting memorial trees since World War I. Help plant Memorial Trees by visiting http://www.americanforests.org/planttrees/. ------------------------------------------------------------ Memorial Tree Partnerships Growing ------------------------------------------------------------ A variety of businesses and organizations have recognized the importance of the Memorial Trees campaign and have pledged support. Specialty retailer Eddie Bauer is primary sponsor of the Memorial Trees campaign. Eddie Bauer will plant memorial tree groves in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania. One tree will be planted in each location for each person who lost his or her life in that area. Through its "Add a dollar, Plant a Tree" program Eddie Bauer has planted close to 5 million trees with AMERICAN FORESTS since the mid-1990s. Visit www.eddiebauer.com. Through its Tribute Trees program, Earth Share is partnering with AMERICAN FORESTS to remember the men and women whose lives were lost on September 11 and to honor those fighting to protect the United States. AMERICAN FORESTS is a founding member of Earth Share, a federation of leading nonprofits that promotes environmental education and charitable giving through workplace giving campaigns. Click to www.earthshare.org. ------------------------------------------------------------ Historic Trees on "Martha Stewart Living" ------------------------------------------------------------ Did you see Jeff Meyer, project director of AMERICAN FORESTS' Historic Tree Nursery, on the nationally syndicated television program "Martha Stewart Living"? If not, you missed a great show! During the program that aired November 9, Jeff showed Martha how to propagate trees from seed. In this case, the two tree-lovers climbed into the bucket of a cherry picker to collect seeds from the crown of a tulip poplar that was planted in 1785 by George Washington at his Mount Vernon estate. Jeff showed Martha, step-by-step, how to collect and refrigerate the seeds that will later produce direct-offspring of the Mount Vernon Tulip Poplar. AMERICAN FORESTS' Historic Tree Nursery grows direct offspring of trees that have connections to famous people and historic events like the Washington Tulip Poplar, Dwight D. Eisenhower Green Ash, and the Frederick Douglass White Oak. Learn more about historic trees and link to Martha Stewart's website by clicking to www.historictrees.org. Historic trees make great holiday gifts. ------------------------------------------------------------ New Web Pages on a Hot Topic ------------------------------------------------------------ Visitors to www.americanforests.org will soon see a dozen new, informative pages about Wildfire ReLeaf, a national tree planting, education, and action campaign by AMERICAN FORESTS in partnership with the USDA Forest Service. The new wildfire pages include helpful information about the role wildfire plays in forest ecosystems, how to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire, and how individuals, corporations, and others can help restore areas scorched by intense wildfires. The Wildfire ReLeaf ecosystem restoration program plants trees in areas that might otherwise take years to regenerate such as along streams threatened with sedimentation and hillsides to prevent erosion. Right now every dollar donated to Wildfire ReLeaf actually plants two trees because the USDA Forest Service is matching every donation, tree-for-tree. Plant 250 trees and have a friend match the donation. With a tree-for-tree match by the Forest Service, 1,000 native trees will reforest two full acres of habitat for bald eagles, bears, and many other species. Go to https://www.americanforests.org/acorn/secure/wildfires/contribute.html. Help spread the word about this very important program and encourage friends and relatives to visit http://www.americanforests.org/global_releaf/wildfirereleaf/. Learn more about wildfire and the USDA Forest Service at http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/. Note: A Wildfire ReLeaf project is profiled in GLOBAL RELEAF Spotlight. == Check It Out! =========================================== * You can enjoy delicious organic gourmet coffee and help the environment at the same time this holiday season with CafeCanopy, which is planting trees through AMERICAN FORESTS' Global ReLeaf program. For every 14-oz bag of AMERICAN FORESTS-Global ReLeaf Blend of coffee purchased, CafeCanopy will plant one tree in one of AMERICAN FORESTS' ecosystem restoration projects. The company will plant 5 life-nurturing trees with the purchase of a 5-lb bag of the Global ReLeaf blend. CafeCanopy sells organic coffee that is certified. Like AMERICAN FORESTS, CafeCanopy cares about the health and quality of our environment. CafeCanopy's website is http://www.cafecanopy.com/default.asp. Read CafeCanopy's monthly newsletter at http://www.cafecanopy.com/af_newsletter.asp. * Since the late 1800's, decorating a Christmas tree has been a cherished American tradition. AMERICAN FORESTS encourages everyone to continue that tradition by enjoying live Christmas trees during the holidays. It's the best option, as long as you have a place to plant your tree after the holidays. Replanted Christmas trees provide important environmental benefits as they grow such as cleaning the air and filtering the water as well as increasing wildlife habitat. Make sure your Balsam fir, Douglas-fir, or Scotch pine is appropriate for your region. Be sure to prepare the planting area before the ground freezes and keep the root ball moist. And, your live Christmas tree should remain indoors for only a week's time. A cut Christmas tree is the second best option. As they grow, Christmas trees provide an array of environmental benefits. The Christmas tree industry also provides work for local residents and contributes to local economies. Don't forget to recycle your cut Christmas tree after it has served its holiday duty. If your community does not have a Christmas tree recycling program, encourage local officials to start one. Or, shred your tree yourself and use the mulch in the garden. Learn more about the national organization that represents Christmas tree growers. The National Christmas Tree Association website is http://www.realchristmastrees.org/. You'll find helpful instructions on how to select and care for your real tree at http://www.realchristmastrees.org/selection.html. * How earth friendly is your Internet service provider? Does it give you access to the World Wide Web and plant trees with AMERICAN FORESTS? By subscribing to www.EcoISP.com, you can choose to have 50% of your net monthly subscription fee (about $2.75 per month) donated to AMERICAN FORESTS. EcoISP offers an array of unique benefits to subscribers such as up-to-date environmental news and powerful search engines. EcoISP's home page is www.EcoISP.com. Learn about EcoISP at http://www.ecoisp.com/about.asp. Sign up for EcoISP and help AMERICAN FORESTS at http://ecoisp.ispnetbilling.com/useragreement-signup.asp Forward friends and relatives a link to www.EcoISP.com and encourage them to sign up. * Did you know that AMERICAN FORESTS was the first organization to donate a living national Christmas tree? In 1924, AMERICAN FORESTS' gave President and Mrs. Coolidge a live 40-year-old, 35-foot Norway spruce that became the first living community national Christmas tree. This means AMERICAN FORESTS' history is rooted, in part, in the holiday season. In 1954, the lighting of the national Christmas tree was expanded into a larger event called the "Christmas Pageant of Peace." In 1978, a live Colorado blue spruce from York, Pennsylvania, was transplanted on the Ellipse (south of the White House) to serve as the living National Christmas Tree, which has been adorned with lights every holiday season. To learn more about the Christmas Pageant of Peace, click to http://www.nps.gov/whho/pageant/#The%20Story%20of%20the%20Christmas%20Pageant%20of%20Peace. A famous Christmas tree is decorated every year in New York City. Visit http://www.rockefellercenter.com/. AMERICAN FORESTS' history can be found at http://www.americanforests.org/about_us/history.php. The U.S. Capitol also decorates a Christmas tree. This year's tree, a 67-year-old, 74-foot white spruce hails from Ottawa National Forest in Michigan and was decorated with several thousand handmade ornaments representing the tree's home state. * Home furnishings retailer IKEA joins the corporations planting trees in AMERICAN FORESTS' ecosystem restoration projects this holiday season. For every $20 Christmas tree sold by IKEA, the company will donate $1 to AMERICAN FORESTS' Global ReLeaf program. Buy a tree and plant a tree with IKEA this Christmas. In addition, buy a tree from IKEA and receive a $20 coupon off a purchase of $50 or more. IKEA is a proud corporate supporter of AMERICAN FORESTS' tree planting efforts, including the Wildfire ReLeaf campaign. IKEA, a company that believes in the health of the world's forests, sells an array of home furnishings at low prices. Learn more about IKEA and find the store nearest you by visiting http://www.ikea-usa.com/. ******************* ARE YOU A MEMBER??********************* Our mission is to "help people improve the environment with trees and forests." You can help today by joining AMERICAN FORESTS. For your $25 membership, you'll get 25 trees planted for you in a damaged ecosystem or forest restoration project. You'll also receive: - A free subscription to our quarterly magazine - A free Big Trees calendar - A window decal Join Today! Visit http://www.americanforests.org/ ************************************************************ == GLOBAL RELEAF Spotlight ==================== Mescalero Apache-Telephone Canyon and Whitetail, New Mexico The Telephone Canyon and Whitetail areas of the reservation experienced high-intensity fires during the spring of 1999. The planting of more than 430,000 ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir will provide watershed stabilization and wildlife habitat as well as scenic and recreational values. The Telephone Canyon area is also contained within the larger Tularosa Basin watershed, which was damaged by the 1996 Chino Well Fire. This three-year project began in 2001. == ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS AND FEATURES FROM ENN.COM ============ * "Freakish bug outbreak exploits weaknesses of unnatural forests" http://www.enn.com/news/wire-stories/2001/11/11072001/ap_45491.asp * "Asian longhorned beetles break quarantine" http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/2001/11/11152001/s_45570.asp * "Rains douse hundreds of forest fires in Kentucky and Tennessee" http://www.enn.com/news/wire-stories/2001/11/11212001/reu_45637.asp ____________________________ ForestBytes __________________ Thanks for your support of ForestBytes, AMERICAN FORESTS' monthly email newsletter. Don't forget to forward this information to friends or colleagues. FEEDBACK OR OTHER ASSISTANCE: mailto:forestbytes@amfor.org PLANT TREES WITH AMERICAN FORESTS: http://www.americanforests.org/global_releaf/ BECOME A MEMBER OF AMERICAN FORESTS: https://www.americanforests.org/acorn/test_acorn/membership/memberself/memberself.jsp?uid=1004627612312&verb=init&searchType=i&tx_type=nc&product=trees - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - http://www.americanforests.org AMERICAN FORESTS People Caring for Trees and Forests since 1875. ______________________________________________________________