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Table of Contents I. Announcements II. What's Happening? III. Activities and Links |
Nation's Biggest Trees to Be Announced American Forests (americanforests.org) is gearing up to release the 2004/2005 National Register of Big Trees, a species-by-species listing of the largest trees in the United States. The National Register of Big Trees, updated and published every other year, lists the largest known of 826 native and naturalized tree species in the continental U.S. and Alaska. American Forests, the nation's oldest nonprofit conservation organization, has maintained and published the Register since 1940. Not all Big Trees are necessarily big trees. Each is merely the largest known of its species. The current smallest Big Tree is a tiny corkwood in Florida. The biggest of the Big, of course, is the General Sherman giant sequoia in California. Its upper leaves, 275 feet in the air, tickle clouds, and its girth, at 83 feet in diameter, is wide enough to accommodate a two-lane road. The most unsettling champ: one of the two poison-sumac co-champs--23 feet tall with a branch spread of 21 feet! Some Big Trees have been witness to the long march of time. Imagine what animals and plants were present, what humans may have passed beneath the giant sequoia or western juniper champions in their thousand-plus years of life. "I think people will be surprised this year," says American Forests' Karen Fedor. "There were a lot of close competitors for the top thrones of their species-some of the new champs were surprises for us." The new National Register of Big Trees will be released next month as part of the spring issue of American Forests magazine. Keep reading ForestBytes for the latest information about the National Register of Big Trees. If you become a member of American Forests for $25, you will receive a full color, image-filled copy of the new National Register. As a member you will also receive quarterly issues of American Forests magazine and we'll plant 25 trees for you! For more information visit www.americanforests.org [Back to Top]Free Web-based Tool Reveals Importance of DC's Trees A fast, free look at the ecosystem services provided by the DC metro area's urban forest is now available with the click of a mouse. American Forests' interactive, web-based Urban Ecosystem Analysis (UEA) is available at http://www.americanforests.org/campaigns/ecological_services/. A five-year study by American Forests showed that over the last 15 years the Washington metropolitan area lost 30 percent of its naturally forested land while increasing paved and developed areas by 20 percent. Increasing the number of trees in a city can save millions in stormwater management costs while cleaning the air and water for residents. In spite of this fact, many communities in the region continue to lose tree cover . A detailed analysis of the District of Columbia in 2001 revealed a 22 percent tree canopy cover- well below American Forests' recommended minimum 30 percent coverage. Despite the many urban development pressures, Washington, DC must continue to protect its natural assets, including waterways such as Rock Creek and Anacostia River where trees play an important role in maintaining the integrity of these ecosystems. "The people of the District of Columbia must take action to turn the trend around-by planting more trees than are being lost and by maintaining the ones already planted," says Gary Moll, vice president of urban forestry at American Forests. Changing negative trends begins one project at a time with a goal of maintaining a healthy level of overall tree canopy. In the last three months American Forests' UEA has been used to help more than 250 people around the country find ways to reverse their tree loss trend. American Forests' analysis identifies different land covers and calculates the ecological services they provide for air and water. For example, trees in the District of Columbia currently remove 878,000 lbs. of air pollutants. The value of this pollution removal is estimated at $2.2 million annually. Trees slow runoff, preventing erosion and allowing rain to soak into the ground where it recharges underground water supplies. The value of and urban forest's stormwater control is equated to the cost of building retention structures that provide equivalent services. In the District, the stormwater retention capacity of the current urban forest is 68.8 million cubic feet, a value of $138 million. For more information, please visit the ecological services campaign or contact Rachel Brittin. [Back to Top]Update: Artists for a Cool Planet "Cool!" "Hip!" "Chic!" Not your usual description of refrigerators, but the models on display at a New York art gallery recently were anything but run of the mill. At a reception at OK Harris Gallery in Soho, artists mingled with guests to view 10 limited-edition versions of the refrigerators. Each refrigerator door is decorated with a painting, a photograph, or a sketch-some original, some classic-and each refrigerator sold plants 10 trees to offset the carbon emissions associated with the appliance's usage. For large-scale production, the fine art works include Monet's "Water Lilies," Gauguin's Tahitian-flavored "Seed of the Areoi," an etching of Stephen Malkoff's pen and ink of the "General Sherman Sequoia," and classics byToulouse-Lautrec, daVinci, Modigliani, Degas and Cezanne . The goal of the "cool" campaign is to help the environment while adding life to an everyday appliance. American Forests will plant 10 trees per refrigerator in one of its ecosystem restoration projects in the United States, making these the first-ever carbon positive refrigerators on the market. Danby Products president Brent Duke envisions the refrigerators for "the apartment dweller, the college dorm room, the entertainment center and game room. People are excited about adding fine art to their personal environment and caring for our collective environment at the same time." Danby Products Ltd. has been based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, since 1947. To view the full line of Danby Art Coolers , visit Danby Art Coolers. Individuals, retailers and interior designers can transact purchases online. For more information about this unique partnership, please contact Susan Corbett at 800.320-8733 or susan@danbyartcoolers.com. [Back to Top]
Biggest Electric Companies Take Responsibilty for Greenhouse Emissions Electric power giants American Electric Power and Cinergy have agreed to report publicly on their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas and other emissions, according to Environmental News Service. The reports will assess impacts of and potential responses to various policy scenarios, including congressional proposals and existing state legislation that limits carbon dioxide and other emissions. The public reports to shareholders, which were agreed to by AEP and Cinergy following discussions with the investors, will raise the benchmark for disclosure of and action on climate change risks. Both companies heralded the decisions as precedent-setting. The agreements come on the heels of increasing pressure on the electric power industry to address the issue of expected furture carbon constraints. Although last year's resolution was successfully challenged at the Securities Exchange Comission, Cinergy announced in September 2002 that it would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 5 percent below 2000 levels by 2010 and freeze them through 2012. [Back to Top]Trees are Becoming Nature's Climate Records Did you know trees can record changes in our climate? Each year a tree forms a new layer of tissue called a ring; its width reflects that year's growth conditions. A wide ring indicates faster growth or good conditions; a narrow ring, slower growth and poorer conditions. When the tree is cut, these rings can be "read" like a diary of the climate during the life cycle of the tree. Trees are being studied to detect variations in the climate in other ways as well. With the help of phenology, the monitoring of species' arrival and departure in our environment, evidence is beginning to mount that our climate is changing. In some parts of the country, leaves on many trees are appearing earlier in the year and flowers normally reserved for spring are appearing in November and December. Warmer temperatures mean some species are gaining an advantage over others, reports the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in London England. The Centre's experts say oaks, buckeyes, and sycamores are coming into leaf much earlier than species like ash and beech-changing the composition of the nation's forests. The Centre says it will continue its studies, using thousands of volunteers to help with the effort of recording the early leaves and flowers, among other hints that may help scientists track climate change. [Back to Top]Is Our Climate Near the Tipping Point? According to the Environmental News Service, a report released by the Pentagon argues that global warming is a greater threat to world security than terrorism and predicts a warming future where "disruption and conflict will be endemic features of life." The report, submitted last fall and only recently released to the media, looked specifically at what would happen if the world's climate were to abruptly shift, rather than change at a constant pace, as most people assume it would do. Abrupt climate change is both scary and plausible - and we've known about it for some time. Our atmosphere and our oceans are all part of one big heat-transfer system, and ocean currents are a key driver of our climate. If we somehow change these currents, we change the climate - and this can happen very quickly. As we add heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere and warm the planet, we increase the amount of cold fresh water that melts from glaciers and Arctic ice into the Gulf Stream which moderates temperatures in most of Europe. Without the warm waters, temperatures could send Europe into a mini ice age, and send temperatures plummeting in North America. As the Pentagon points out, this could wreak havoc on agricultural production and the economy, leading to major social upheavals. [Back to Top]Climate Change Around the World What share of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change come from China? How much have India's emissions changed over the last decade? How does energy use in Europe compare to that of the United States? Until recently, these questions have been difficult or impossible to answer. The official repository of emissions data, maintained by the UN Climate Convention, is spotty and incomplete, reports Environmental News Network. For most countries, there is very little information; for a number of major countries, there is no data at all. Developing countries are only required to submit periodic emission reports, unlike industrial countries, which must submit information annually. Mexico, for example, is one of the largest developing countries, but the official databases show emissions reports from Mexico only in 1990. Given the lack of data and the unsophisticated database, right now scientists and government experts operate without a set of common global data to assess many climate issues. This is important because a country cannot formulate an effective strategy for reducing emissions and preparing for impacts from climate shifts without information on hand about key sources of greenhouse gas pollution or the vulnerability of certain economic sectors to changes. [Back to Top]Cost of Global Warming: 1 Million Species According to a new report, more than one-third of all species in several regions of the world are at risk of extinction by 2050 if global warming isn't controlled, an international study reports. In the report in the journal Nature, the most comprehensive analysis to date of potential species loss from manmade climate change, a team of 19 world scientists predicts that more than 1 million species could disappear, including an Australian tree lizard known as Boyd's forest dragon and a European magpie. Air pollution has caused the climate to warm, meaning some plant and animal species must move to higher, cooler ground. At the same time, their natural migratory paths have often been blocked by development, trapping them in an environment that no longer supports their life. Researchers examined 1,103 plant and animal species in six regions -- including Australia, Brazil, and South Africa -- using widely accepted models that predict Earth's temperatures will increase by 2.5 degrees to 10.4 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100. They found that 15% to 37% of the studied species will be extinct or nearly extinct by 2050. Earth has about 14 million plant and animal species. [Back to Top]
American Forests' Feature Creature: The Northern Forests A bit of an unusual choice for a feature creature this month, the Northern Forests are a commonly overlooked group of species. Thanks to global warming, as the Earth heats up, many tree species will have to migrate northward at a speed 10 times greater than they have moved in the past -- and do it while sidestepping cities and other impediments that people have put in their way. Difficult as this prospect is, much of its success depends on the mode of migration. If a tree reproduces by spores, it could conceivably keep up. But if, as is the case with the common beech of the eastern United States, it depends on birds and mammals to carry its seeds into new areas, the realistic range for a century-long migration (according to the past record) drops to a mere 15 miles. Meanwhile, the climate will have moved 250 miles north. Of course, we can give the poor old beech a helping hand by transplanting its seeds into new habitats. But this will reduce the species to a plantation tree. As Dr. Margaret Davis, a professor at the University of Minnesota, says, "massive and very expensive intervention" would be required to save a species we do not now view as threatened. So much for a single species. How about an entire biome, such as the boreal forest that spans much of northern Canada and Alaska? The outlook is dire. Although this forest will not disappear entirely, it will be reduced from 23 percent of all the world's forests to 1 percent or less. The rising temperature (with the greatest increase projected for the poles) will cause its present range to give way to vegetation patterns invading from the south. Yet the boreal forest itself will have little place to go northwards: it will simply run out of space. The great assemblage of plants and animals that make up one of the Earth's glories will fade from the scene. What can we do?
 Question: How do trees help prevent drastic climate changes?
A) Trees emit oxygen and water vapor into the atmosphere. If you answer correctly, by emailing us at forestbytes@amfor.org, you will be automatically included in the monthly drawing to win a tree! One lucky winner will receive a Historic Tree (species depends on your local climate) from American Forests' Historic Tree Nursery. Make sure you include your phone number and email address please!
Last Month's Question: This tree was used by Native Americans to make totem poles, canoes, baskets and fishing nets. The tree is called: 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:
Join Today! Visit http://www.americanforests.org/ ENS and ENN News Links
Prominent Speakers to Address North American Forest Certification Conference Forest Bytes Don't forget to forward this information to friends or colleagues. |
