ForestBytes --- April 2003 Volume IV, Issue 36 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. Announcements ¤ American Forests' Earth Day Trees ¤ Planting Trees for Our Troops ¤ The Search is On for America's Biggest Trees ¤ Looking for an Internship? II. What's Happening? ¤ Legacy of the Olympic Oaks ¤ Want to Engineer with Green? ¤ New Bill Could Ban Logging, Roads in Some U.S. Forests ¤ Coming Down III. Activities and Links ¤ American Forests' Feature Creature: Spotted Owl ¤ Environmental News from ENS-news.com "Ohio Woodlands Damaged in Ice Storm" "Protecting Alabama's Forests" == ANNOUNCEMENTS ================================================ ----------------------------------------------------------------- American Forests' Earth Day Trees ----------------------------------------------------------------- With Earth Day fast approaching, American Forests is offering businesses the chance to help plant 1 million trees between now and April 22. To date, 520,404 trees have been sponsored by environmentally friendly companies such as IKEA, Hewlett Packard, Eddie Bauer, Earthbound Farms, Crystal Geyser, and Green Mountain Energy. Companies can make a big difference by planting trees through American Forests’ Global ReLeaf program, which partners with community organizations across the United States and around the world. At www.americanforests.org, companies will find information ranging from the best way to plant a tree to details on corporate sponsorship opportunities. American Forests has a unique relationship with each sponsor, offering special opportunities in cause-related marketing, community impact efforts, and education and employee participation programs. From helping regenerate forests burned by wildfire, to restoring habitat, American Forests is mobilizing people and organizations to improve forests for generations to enjoy. Every dollar donated online or through the Global ReLeaf hotline at 1-800-545-TREE, plants a native tree and counts toward the million-tree goal. If your company can help us reach our goal of planting a million trees for Earth Day, click here to plant trees now! ---------------------------------------------------------------- Planting Trees for Our Troops ---------------------------------------------------------------- Nearly 1.5 million Liberty Trees will be planted to honor America's Armed Forces in a new program launched by American Forests and the VFW Foundation. One tree will be planted to honor each serviceman or woman on active duty. The trees will be planted in selected ecosystem restoration projects designated as Liberty Tree Forests. Participating businesses are asked to donate $2 for each soldier to be honored. Active duty personnel will receive a letter thanking them for their service to this country and a certificate of appreciation letting them know a tree has been planted in their honor. In addition to honoring American military personnel, the Liberty Trees will provide environmental benefits ranging from cleaning the air and water to preventing soil erosion and improving wildlife habitat. For more information, visit www.libertyforest.org. ----------------------------------------------------------------- The Search is On for America's Biggest Trees ----------------------------------------------------------------- Does your community have a huge maple or massive oak tree? If so, American Forests wants to know about it before July 1, 2003, the deadline for nominations to American Forests’ 2004/2005 National Register of Big Trees. Taking part in the hunt for big trees is easy. Once you find a big tree and identify its species and measure it. National Champion trees are ranked based on a point system, calculated by adding the trunk circumference at 4 and a half feet (in inches), the height (in feet), plus 1/4 of its average crown spread (in feet). The National Register, sponsored by The Davey Tree Experts, has 826 species eligible for listing, 99 of which do not have a champ. American Forests is searching for the champions of species ranging from the fireberry hawthorn and velvet elder to the desert apricot and sweetbay magnolia. Six states--Delaware, Kansas, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Wyoming--and the District of Columbia do not have any champion trees listed on the Register. The General Sherman giant sequoia in California remains the nation’s largest tree, but perhaps no other species has a more sought-after title than the white oak. Maryland’s previous National Champion, "the Wye Oak," which was toppled by a storm last June. News of the Wye Oak’s death made national headlines, calling for nominations to replace the giant tree. Today, almost a year later, American Forests is still searching for a new National Champion white oak. Since 1940, American Forests has kept the National Register of Big Trees--a listing of the largest-known trees in the United States. The Register is available on the web at www.americanforests.org. Visit the site to view Big Tree Trivia, which highlights facts such as the most notable trees, and states and regions with the most champs, or to download nomination forms. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Looking for an Internship? ------------------------------------------------------------------ American Forests is looking for a Communications Intern to work with our publications and public relations efforts. Communications interns will write, research, and edit for American Forests magazine, newsletters, and brochures; draft press releases; learn printing and production process; communicate with authors and photographers; assist with media outreach; and help with administrative tasks as needed. The intern will work half time with publications and half time with media relations. Requirements: English or communications major; interest in conservation issues; writing and editing skills; desire to learn; organizational skills; flexibility and creativity. Knowledge of Microsoft Word for Macintosh, familiarity with Quark Xpress a plus. If you think you've got what it takes, send an email including a cover letter, resume and writing samples to rbrittin@amfor.org. == WHAT'S HAPPENING =================================================== * Legacy of the Olympic Oaks For some of America¹s greatest athletes, a handful of trees dubbed "Olympic Oaks" are all that remain to mark the legacy they leave behind. During Berlin's 1936 Olympic games, seedling oaks were awarded to all gold medallists. Over the next 67 years, the U.S. team's 24 seedling trees were subjected to difficult days of anti-German sentiment, neglect, and disease. Today, only a handful remain, each living up to the motto written on its pot when it was presented: "Grow in the honor of victory! Summon to further achievement!" They were a "gift of the German people." A Berlin gardening firm that supplied oak wreaths for the gold medallists proposed awarding the trees. Although Adolf Hitler did not actually present them, the nickname "Hitler Trees" stuck; many of the plaques and markers were removed during WWII due to the association with the Hitler. The oaks were planted in special soil, treated against disease, and tended carefully during cultivation, according to a report at the time. However, the report said most were in a "sorry state" when released from quarantine back in America. On August 9, 1936, Olympian Jesse Owens received his fourth gold medal. The Olympic legend received three trees for his individual wins and one for his role on a relay team. In a 1964 documentary Owens said two were in Cleveland, one at his mother¹s, the other at a local high school; the third stands on All American Row at Ohio State University (OSU); the fourth grows at University of Southern California. At least two are still alive. Among the other Americans bringing home gold, and therefore a tree, was Frank Lewis, America¹s only gold medal wrestler that year. Myron Roderick, president of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, says Lewis' tree was planted at his Sigma Chi fraternity house after it outgrew Oklahoma State University's greenhouse. The tree disappeared when the fraternity rebuilt its house shortly after Lewis' death in 1998, he said. Jesse Owens and Frank Lewis are not the only members of the 1936 Olympic team to have surviving Olympic Oak trees. In fact, several others remain, although the status of 12 other Olympic Oaks is unknown. Each living tree continues to honor those amazing athletes from the Berlin games. They serve as an inspiration to athletes who would follow in the footsteps of those Olympians for years to come. The complete Olympic Oaks story can be found in the spring issue of American Forests magazine, on newsstands this month. The spring issue will also feature a story stories on the history and current states status of trees planted as memorials during World War I, forestry in South Africa, and a profile of the honeylocust. Soon, you will be able to view American Forests' listing of memorial groves online. The website, currently under construction, will allow communities to "re-register" the memorial groves they first registered with American Forests after WWI. Do you know of a memorial grove in your town? Take a picture of your community's memorial tree or memorial tree grove planted to honor servicemen and women from WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, or another war, and give us some history. Email the information to info@amfor.org, and we'll add you to our list. Check back with ForestBytes for updates about this website, and help us recapture these pieces of living history. * Want to Engineer with Green? American Forests is convening its National Urban Forest Conference September 17-19, 2003, at San Antonio’s Adam’s Mark Hotel, along the city’s famous River Walk. The four-day conference offers more than 100 presentations, in-depth workshops, educational tours exploring the Greater San Antonio region, the Idea Exchange within the Exhibit Hall, a Texas Awards Program and the Global ReLeaf Banquet. Here's a sampling of program highlights: Water Conservation Conservation of water has become a national concern. Learn diverse urban forest strategies--from designing stable streams to consumer incentives from education and awards programs to water-conscious communities. Air Quality Urban trees improve local air quality in numerous ways. Hear the latest research demonstrating trees' effects on ozone and other air pollutants. Case studies will also reveal which species and planting locations are most effective in improving air quality. Keeping Up with New Technologies GIS-based technologies develop so quickly it's hard to keep current. The latest tools to help inventory, assess, manage, and plan the future of our urban ecosystems will be presented. Regulations and Incentives of More Green Learn the carrot and stick approach to integrate trees into community policies and practices. Tying urban trees to direct economic markets, such as GASB 34 and carbon credits, shows trees as municipal assets. Providing incentives to protect these assets may be the best strategy for conserving our green infrastructure. Balancing Gray and Green Is it possible to have an environmental parking lot or a poetic harmony of car and nature? The question really is, how do we integrate our gray and green infrastructures to have the best of both? Watch for creative presentations on adapting schools, parks, parking lots, and roadways. Social Science & Public Health Learn about new connections between trees and healthy humans, parks and greenways that promote physical activity, and emotional healing from the national tragedy of 9-11. The conference program and registration can be found on American Forests’ new conference website at http://www.americanforests.org/conference/. The deadline for early registration is July 31. American Forests' website at http://www.americanforests.org/conference/ is a one-stop shop, including program sessions (Schedule at a Glance), detailed program descriptions, tours, workshops, and hotel and travel information. For conference questions, contact: Donna Tschiffely, registration coordinator, donna@amfor.org or call: 703/904-7240. See you in September. * New Bill Could Ban Logging, Roads in Some U.S. Forests Senator Jon Corzine (New Jersey) and three other Democratic senators have recently reintroduced legislation to protect fragile environmental values in our federal forests. The "National Forest Protection and Restoration Act" was introduced in the Senate and House last year. Representative Anna Eshoo from California is expected to introduce the bill in the House. The bill would prohibit logging and road-building on federal forestlands where these activities could damage the environment and threaten endangered plants and animals. According to the bill, millions of acres of federal forest currently open to logging and road building would be taken off limits. Sponsors and environmental groups supporting the bill have criticized President Bush for proposing policies geared toward easing access to federal forests for projects to address forest health and wildfire concerns. A number of proposals under President Bush's Healthy Forests Initiative would streamline environmental assessment rules, citizen appeals, and lawsuits that the Administration believes are making it difficult for federal agencies and private contractors to remove underbrush small trees, and dead trees that serve as fuel for wildfires. * Coming Down Two of 18 environmental activists who have been sitting in redwoods in California's Humboldt County for almost a year were forcibly removed recently by Pacific Lumber Company, raising the longstanding conflict between the two groups to a new level. After the Humboldt County Superior Court issued the tree sitters a temporary restraining order last week, the company warned that it would resort to physically remove them; now, it says the remaining 16 tree sitters will be brought down as quickly as is safely possible. The activists are protesting what they say is the company's record of ignoring protection for endangered-species and water quality, leading to landslides and the silting of critical salmon spawning areas. As a result, the tree sitters have severely impeded Pacific Lumber's operations, preventing the company from cutting redwood. To learn more about this story, click here to read an article that appeared in a recent San Francisco Chronicle at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2003/03/18/BA185121.DTL == Activities and Links =================================================== ----------------------------------------------------------------- American Forests' Feature Creature: Spotted Owl ----------------------------------------------------------------- Deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, lives a nocturnal carnivore-- the northern spotted owl. For more than approximately 10 years, environmental groups and logging corporations spent millions of dollars in attempts to control the fate of the northern spotted owl's old-growth forest habitat. Hardly a week went by in the late 1980s where there wasn’t a story about a protest rally attempting to save the owl or news of lawsuits being filed to stop the harvest of its habitat. At the end of 1980s, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service put the owl on the federal Threatened Species List, and the federal government devised a strategy to conserve old-growth forests in western Oregon, Washington, and Northern California. Researchers at Oregon State University discovered that a majority of spotted owls reside in older areas of the forest, where the trees are typically more than 100 years old. Spotted owls have evolved over hundreds of years to thrive in these old-growth conifer forests. Their lives depend on these types of forests, where they build their nests in large tree cavities and on thick branches in dense tree canopies. The owls hunt for animals found in decaying logs and leaves. American Forests' Global ReLeaf program is constantly finding new ways to help replace forested habitat lost to human and natural causes. To find out how you can help us restore forest in need, visit http://www.americanforests.org. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Tree Trivia ----------------------------------------------------------------- Question: It's one of the oldest species of tree in existence. It has close ancestors that were alive between 135 million to 210 million years ago, and may have provided food for the dinosaurs. This tree is: a) ginkgo biloba. b) acacia c) Ponderosa pine. d) Pacific yew. Answer to the March question: The General Sherman Giant Sequoia, which weighs 1,400 tons--as much as 300 elephants! If you answered correctly, you have been automatically included in the 2003 Earth Day drawing to win a tree! More than 300 people responded with the correct answer to the question. One lucky winner will receive a Historic Tree seedling (species depends on your local climate) from American Forests' Historic Tree Nursery. Ten others will receive Earth Day blue spruce seedlings! The winners will be contacted on Earth Day, April 22. Fun Fact: Did you know, a mature tree can take in and give off as much as 500 gallons of water in a summer's day? That's 8,000 glasses of water! ********************* ARE YOU A MEMBER??************************ You can do your part to help the environment today by joining AMERICAN FORESTS. Not only are 25 trees planted for you in a damaged ecosystem or forest restoration project, but you will also receive: - A free subscription to our quarterly magazine - A free Big Trees calendar - A window decal Join Today! Visit http://www.americanforests.org/ ***************************************************************** == ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS AND FEATURES FROM ENS-NEWS.COM and ENN.COM ================= * "Ohio Woodlands Damaged in Ice Storm" http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2003/2003-03-18-09.asp#anchor7 * "Protecting Alabama's Forests" http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2003/2003-03-17-09.asp#anchor4 ______________________________________ ForestBytes ______________ 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: http://www.americanforests.org/membership/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - http://www.americanforests.org AMERICAN FORESTS People Caring for Trees and Forests since 1875. _________________________________________________________________