American Forests Forestbytes May 2008

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American Forests has released its much-anticipated 2008-2009 National Register of Big Trees, the definitive list of the largest known of 826 species. A 240-foot-tall ponderosa pine, an Ohio buckeye at McDonald’s Hamburger U, and a sycamore with a girth of more than 35 feet are among the 733 trees crowned as national champs. A new rule this year that trees have to be remeasured within 10 years to remain on the list caused the most sweeping changes in the Register’s 68-year history. READ MORE

Animals Want Trees
At Hal Scott Regional Preserve and Park east of Orlando, Florida, more than 100,000 new longleaf pine will benefit 167 species of migratory birds and a host of other wildlife, including endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise, wood stork, Florida sandhill crane, and Sherman’s fox squirrel. American Forests is working with St. Johns River Water Management District to plant this 2008 Global ReLeaf Forest.YOU CAN HELP

2008 National Conference on Urban Ecosystems

	Meeting the Challenge What’s your take on nature and the network? Join American Forests for the 2008 National Conference on Urban Ecosystems as we explore this fascinating subject. Join other members of the business, government, and conservation communities to solidify and expand partnerships, assess progress, and plan strategies for building communities of the future. The conference will be held May 28-30 at the Caribe Royal Hotel in Orlando, Florida. Register now for best rates!

	Greener and Cleaner Tumi, maker of business and travel luggage, will plant 100,000 trees with American Forests’ Global ReLeaf in 2008 in projects around the U.S. and across the world. American Forests will benefit even more from Tumi’s support of actor Matthew Modine’s Bicycle for a Day program. Tumi’s website spells out its commitment to combating climate change through its “Go Green, Get Green” program. By manufacturing in a socially responsible manner, an d building products that last, we enable a consumer culture that values both material and environmental possessions,” CEO Laurence Franklin says on TUMI’s website. Tumi is also supporting Modine¹s Bicycle for a Day (BFAD) program, which lists American Forests as one of three charities that benefit from its efforts, which include the sale of commemorative dog tags. BFAD encourages people to ride bikes, walk, or rollerblade rather than use gas-powered vehicles. Small events this summer and fall will lead up to the “official” BFAD day, September 20, which will take place at The South Street Seaport in New York City. Modine also helped out recently at a tree planting at one of American Forests’ Global ReLeaf Forests sites in the San Bernardino Mountains in California. American Forests awarded the site a California Wildfire ReLeaf grant to plant 51,000 trees this year to begin to heal a landscape beset by six years of drought that triggered stress and bark beetle epidemics. Some 12 million trees are dead or dying. READ MORE www.bicycleforaday.org

	Legislate for Trees American Forests has endorsed the new Energy Conservation through Trees Act, introduced on Earth Day by Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA). The bill looks at energy conservation through a scientist’s eyes, promoting residential tree planting that can provide cost savings to homeowners, improve local environments, and reduce CO2 emissions. READ OUR LETTER IN SUPPORT OF THE ENERGY CONSERVATION THROUGH TREES ACT


	This Mother’s Day you can show your mom you love her now and in the future. When you purchase a Bed & Breakfast gift card now through May 11, 10 percent of your online purchase will be donated to American Forests’ Global ReLeaf program to plant trees. Those trees will clean the air and water and provide places for humans to play and animals to live. It’s a great way to ensure Mom has a great Mother’s Day weekend—and a healthier world to live in. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

	Hug A Tree If your kids are fans of the Treetures, look for books and stuffed animals featuring the forest characters who teach children to care for the environment. And Grosset & Dunlap will donate a portion of sales proceeds to help American Forests plant trees. The tree care and tree planting messages will be reinforced by the use of recycled paper, packaging and tags. READ MORE

Beetle Closes Campgrounds
In Colorado, a pine beetle epidemic will force the closure or delayed opening of national parks and forests until thousands of dead trees can be removed, according to the Rocky Mountain News. U.S. Forest Service officials say they are worried for the safety of those near beetle-killed lodgepole and other pines, which could fall over. READ MORE

Sudden Oak Death's Origins
Sudden oak death, which has killed millions of California trees, started at two sites in that state—Mount Tamalpais and Santa Cruz, say UC Berkeley scientists. Sudden oak death, or SOD, has infected about 100 species of plants but has proven especially deadly to certain oaks. California’s infestation is considered the world’s worst, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. READ MORE

Sweden Claims Oldest Trees
Move over bristlecone pines. Scientists in Sweden have discovered 8,000-year-old Norway spruces, which would best the American bristlecones for the title of oldest trees on the planet. Reuters says scientists from Umeå University found the trees on a mountainside in the county of Dalarna during climate change studies. Carbon dating was done at a lab in Miami, Florida. READ MORE


	Tree Planting Is Elementary Students from a 4-H after-school program in San Antonio, Texas, are proof that when you’ve got the right information, action follows. The students, 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders at Dellview Elementary, were bothered by the lack of trees behind their school. They mastered GIS software to prove the value of increasing tree cover, then made their case to fellow students, teachers, parents, and school administrators. The funding was not there to pay for the trees they were told, but after reading about the students in American Forests magazine, a member purchased trees for the school. READ MORE

	IKEA Customers Bag Plastic Home furnishings giant IKEA announced last March it would no longer hand out plastic bags, calling instead for customers to use its 59-cent blue bag or another reusable bag. Otherwise, they could purchase a plastic bag for 5 cents—with all proceeds going to American Forests to plant trees and help reduce CO2. A year later, 92 percent of customers have ditched plastic bags; as of Oct. 1 plastic bags no longer will be available in the stores. And the program has generated more than $300,000 that American Forests has used to plant 300,000 native trees in damaged forests. READ MORE.

Tree or forest questions? Ask American Forests’ expert.
Email treedoc@amfor.org or treedoctor@amfor.org