H.S.H Crown Prince Albert of Monaco

H.S.H. Crown Prince Albert of Monaco will join American Forests in planting and caring for trees to remember the victims of the 9-11 terrorist attack in New York City. The Living Memorial Tree Foundation (LMTF), which was established under Prince Albert's patronage to honor those who died at the World Trade Center, will provide money—through a grant to American Forests—to sponsor a Manhattan Memorial Tree Grove and to plant other memorial trees in woodland parks around the city.

Located near City Hall, the city's Department of Parks and Recreation's Memorial Grove in Manhattan features five trees that survived at what is called Ground Zero and were moved to the new site as a symbol of America's perseverance. American Forests will provide a grant of funds from LTMF to sponsor the memorial grove, which will be dedicated this fall.

Through American Forests, LMTF will also sponsor the planting of 2,880 trees in woodland parks throughout New York City. These trees, grown by American Forests' Historic Tree Nursery, will be planted this fall and next year.

The Living Memorial Tree Foundation was established under the direction of Prince Albert with the assistance of the Municipal Arts Society of New York. The Foundation was the principal charity to benefit from his annual Monte Carlo Invitational—Pro Celebrity Golf Tournament. Prince Albert, the son of the late actress Grace Kelly, was educated in the U.S. and has strong ties to America. Like his mother, he has an affection for New York City. He announced that proceeds from the 2002 golf tournament would go to honor the 9-11 victims.

"On behalf of the Principality of Monaco and all the contributors to the Living Tree Memorial Foundation, I am honored to establish this significant memorial in remembrance of those who lost their lives on September 11th," Prince Albert said.

"We're pleased to be part of Prince Albert's plan to honor those who died on 9-11 in New York City," says Deborah Gangloff, executive director of American Forests. "These trees will symbolize the city's strength and its resilience. Making New York greener is the best tribute we can pay to those who gave their lives."

LMTF's trees will join nearly 3,500 trees American Forests is planting with retailer Eddie Bauer as part of our Memorial Trees campaign. Those trees, sponsored by contributions from the retailer and its customers, are being planted in New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC. American Forests has long advocated the planting of trees as memorials. AF

Sasson: Wisdom, balance, and tree planting.

Trees are our greatest teachers. In fact, virtually every culture on every continent has treasured the tree as the centerpiece of its mythology—from the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden to the Bodhi Tree of the Buddha; the Dreaming Tree of the Aborigines to the Native American Sioux's belief that the first man on Earth was a tree that learned to walk.

People from all over the globe recognize the ideal of the tree, that the tree shows us how to live, how to balance giving and receiving. Trees draw minerals and water from the earth. With the help of sunlight, they produce oxygen, the substance that gives us life.

A Wish Can Change Your Life, a book I wrote with Steve Weinstein, uses myths, stories, meditations, and practical advice to teach readers how to employ the wisdom of the trees to make any dream come true. The book, which is based on my workshop on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, will be published by Simon & Schuster in October.

Together with American Forests, Steve and I have created a unique program called "The Tree of Life Grove" (www.TreeofLifegrove.com). Those who read the book or attend the workshops can donate money to plant trees in a special area of the Tahoe National Forest. To date, nearly 3,000 trees have been planted in the young grove. To purchase a copy of the book, visit your local bookstore or go to www.AWishCanChangeYourLife.com

Our partnership with American Forests has made it possible for readers to feel part of a larger community, a community of people who are not only spiritually conscious but also environmentally aware."—Gahl Sasson

The Pentagon will honor 9-11 victims.

In keeping with its long history of planting memorial groves, American Forests will supply the trees for the planned Pentagon Memorial Park. The park, which remembers the 184 men, women, and children who died there on 9-11, will feature 184 memorial benches together with trees and reflecting pools.

A group representing victims' families chose the design from more than 1,100 entries.

The U.S. Forest Service has given American Forests a matching grant to support landscape design, tree planting, and maintenance. Over the coming months, American Forests will work with the Department of Defense and victims' families to begin the process of creating the memorial. Ralph Newton, a Pentagon representative, praises "the insight and spirit of collaboration" American Forests brought to the project, saying the organization had been "influential in the overall landscaping approach to the memorial and its surrounding area."

"We are most grateful for this generous gift from American Forests," says Dick McGraw, a spokesman for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The Pentagon Memorial Park project, estimated to cost $20 million, is to be paid for entirely by private contributions.

Although the physical damage to the Pentagon was rebuilt in less than a year, a July 4 story in the Washington Post shows how victims' families, friends, and coworkers are struggling with their emotions. "Our lives are still a wreck," Elaine Donovan told The Post. Donovan's husband, CDR William H. Donovan, died in the Pentagon. "The building is up, and it looks like nothing happened, but the reality of it is, that is just a façade."

It is hoped that the creation of the memorial will help with the healing process. "We are proud to be a part of this project and pleased to know that there will be a living memorial to those who lost their lives on that tragic day," says Karen Fedor, American Forests' VP for Global ReLeaf. "I hope people will consider joining the effort to ensure that this important project succeeds."

To help match the grant to sponsor trees for the memorial, please call Karen Fedor or Jeff Olson at 800/368-5748.

Q. I'm trying to find out the best time to prune pine trees but am getting varying and conflicting advice. Is it when the trees are dormant and sap isn't flowing, when they're in active growth so the wounds can heal, or in spring during the transition to active growth so the pruning will stimulate stronger growth? Also, most agree that applying a foreign material to seal the wound is no longer recommended. I've gotten too much information to know what is best

David Rasch
Santa Fe, New Mexico

A. As a general rule, pruning during the dormant season is best, but in most cases literature that advises that is aimed at hardwoods, not conifers. After reviewing what I could find, it seems to me the "dormant season" advice is applicable to conifers, too, at least concerning pruning limbs from existing trees. Dormant-season cutting minimizes sap or pitch flow and would attract the least activity by insects. When a tree is being pruned for shape, such as a Christmas tree, the objective is to throttle back annual limb growth, and the recommendation is to cut short the "candles" of new growth as they start to harden off, but before the new needles are fully formed. This window for new growth pruning will usually be in late spring. Don't apply paint or other sealant on pruning wounds. The tree will "wall off" the exposed tissue area on its own, to prevent any internal spread of infections.

Q. I have two large sugar maples in my yard in Queens, New York. When is the best time of year to prune some of their branches?

John Kessler
Via e-mail

A. Again, as a rule of thumb, the best time to prune trees is during their dormant season. For maples, this means from first heavy frost to late winter. Sugar maples' sap seems to start rising in early February, so I would recommend pruning in December or January. Branches should be cut just outside the "ring" of swollen tissue around their base, but not damaging that ring of tissue, as that is what will grow the callus to eventually cover the wound. Be sure any wounds easily drain any rainwater.

Q. The tip of our spruce broke off during the winter and was buried in snow and remained green. I would have tried "splinting" it back on but cannot reach the top of the tree. I made a fresh cut on the "trunk" of the tip and planted it in good soil in our back yard about a week ago. It is being watered regularly. Any chance this will grow into a new tree? Will the main tree, about 20 feet high, 10 years old, continue growing?

Louis Sotis
Waltham, Massachusetts

A. There's not much chance of the treetop rooting itself into a new tree, but watch it for a while, and if doesn't turn brown, maybe it will. Be prepared for disappointment, though. Splinting it back on the tree would also be unlikely to succeed. Now for the good news: Your tree, without its tip, will do just fine. Mother Nature faces this sort of problem frequently. As new growth starts in the spring, a side shoot or bud will take over the newly available sunlight from above and assume the position of new leader. There will be an offset bend in the trunk at this point, but if you are not trying to raise a high quality sawlog, this is of limited importance. In terms of total amount of wood produced this year or next, the loss of the leader will be hardly noticeable.

Q. When is the best time to plant a spruce tree? I'm getting one from the side of the highway and would like to know when is a good time to do this. Would I also take some of the dirt from that spot?

Stephanie Cousins
Via email

A. As a rule of thumb, the best time to transplant any tree is during its dormant season, the winter months. However, this is not always possible, especially with trees to be saved along road or other construction areas. The bigger the tree, the harder to transplant it, but yes, disturb the roots as little as possible. Get as much dirt with the tree as you can safely handle. More than 90 percent of a tree's roots are in the top foot of ground, so digging a tree should leave a cone-shaped hole. Prepare the planting spot with a similarly shaped hole, so the tree, with its root ball, can be slipped into its new home with a minimum of disturbance. Water heavily for a while to be sure the soil is thoroughly settled around the root ball in the new site and no air pockets are left.

Q. My daughter was given a green stick at school and told that she could plant it. I placed it in water and set it in filtered sunlight. It has grown "furry" roots and sprouted leaves from the buds along the bark. How can I safely plant it in the dirt without shocking the roots?

Molly M. Cantrell
Via email

A. Assuming the "green stick" is a cutting from some sort of hybrid poplar or similar species, the planting should not be too difficult. Dig a small hole where the planting is to be, and use the loose dirt to gently surround the stick as you refill the hole around it. Plant it about as deep as the "water-line" on the cutting, or perhaps a bit deeper. Water thoroughly to help in settling the loose soil particles around the rootlets, and keep the planting well watered while it gets start

The following resolution was adopted at the 71st annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Denver:

PROMOTING THE PRESERVATION AND CREATION OF URBAN FORESTS WHEREAS, The U.S. Conference of Mayors is working with the USDA Forest Service and American Forests to promote the need for an urban forestry program that will promote the preservation and creation of urban forest areas; and WHEREAS, according to American Forests, since the early 1970s major metropolitan areas have lost one-third or more "heavy tree cover," and

WHEREAS, recognizing that better management practices will increase overall health and robustness of urban forests through comprehensive planning and joint implementation efforts; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Conference of Mayors recognizes that preserving existing urban forests as well as increasing "tree cover" to create robust urban forests representing the environmental health quality of cities; and

WHEREAS, urban forests are essential to improving ecological services that in-clude providing natural habitat for floral and fauna, controlling sedimentation and water runoff from nonpoint sources, mitigating carbon sequestration to improve air quality and conserving energy by reducing the urban heat index; and

WHEREAS, urban forests have also demonstrated the ability to increase the genetic diversity of wildlife and pollination of important crops for agricultural production through the protection and creation of green corridors; and

WHEREAS, urban forests also hold the potential to remediate environmentally contaminated properties, called brownfields, through phytoremediation technology returning those sites to productive reuse; and

WHEREAS, urban forests provide green infrastructure for cities linking communities to recreational areas and greenspaces, improving the quality of life for residents and allowing residents to take an active role in planting, protecting and restoring forest areas,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors encourages its members to work more closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service through partnerships to craft comprehensive planning approaches in reversing urban forest tree decline by maintaining existing tree stocks and planting new trees in "low cover areas"; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The U.S. Conference of Mayors strongly encourages federal and state governments to work in cooperation with local mayors to promote local community action in sustaining urban forests and creating a network of arborists to oversee programs and projects aimed at not only marketing but creating actual models for other areas throughout the country to adopt, thereby preventing urban forest farm decline and ensuring future sustainability; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Conference calls upon the Administration and Congress to include funding for urban and community forestry programs that encourage community cost share grants, urban forest research and assistance for underserved communities that may be challenged with stewardship issues.

Congress left town for its summer recess after taking two actions that set the stage for an eventful—and intensely political—fall when members return to debate forest policy issues. The Senate Agriculture Committee passed its version of the "Healthy Forests Restoration Act" (HR 1904) fairly easily, with minor changes to the House-passed version. The easy passage, however, merely reflected a strategy by Committee members to save the fighting over controversial provisions until September when the bill is expected to go to the Senate floor.

Meanwhile, the House used a political ploy that infuriated many senators, forcing the Senate to accept an emergency funding bill for FY 2003 that excludes critical funds for wildfire suppression. Combined, these two actions suggest that the politics over forest health and wildfire issues will be as hot this fall as they were last year.

In July, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed a version of HR 1904 that is not significantly different than the version passed by the House in May. Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-MS) offered the Senate version as a substitute. The bill focuses on efforts to expedite hazardous fuels reduction projects to reduce wildfire threats facing communities, watersheds, and forest resources. The Senate version retains most controversial provisions, such as its proposals to speed up administrative appeals and judicial review and to allow up to 1,000-acre forest treatments as research projects called "applied silvicultural assessments."

The Senate version also includes new language from a similar bill (S. 1449) introduced by Sens. Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AK), the chairman and ranking minority member of the Forestry, Conservation, and Rural Revitalization Subcommittee. Two of these new provisions reflect activities for which community-based forestry groups have long advocated. The first, "local preference contracting," seeks to provide employment and training opportunities to individuals in rural communities by allowing federal agencies to award contracts to entities operating in rural areas that agree to hire or train a significant percentage of locals.

The second provision, "rural revitalization through forestry," establishes a program through which the Forest Service may seek to accelerate the use of technologies for woody biomass and small-diameter trees, create community-based enterprises through marketing activities and demonstration projects, and establish small-scale business enterprises to make use of woody biomass and small-diameter trees.

The Senate version of the bill did not include any of American Forests' suggestions related to collaboration, multiparty monitoring, or funding for hazardous fuels-reduction projects. We will continue to offer these ideas to congressional staff working on the legislation in hopes that they might be included in final versions of the Senate legislation. Based on recent experience in Congress, however, the process for "negotiating" the final version of the bill is likely to be very messy and full of conflict.

The emergency funding situation for fighting wildfires only exacerbates political tension over healthy forests legislation. Last year the Forest Service had to borrow millions from other programs to pay for emergency wildfire suppression. American Forests and our community-based partners asked Congress to do something to prevent this situation from happening again because last year's borrowing had dire impacts on many communities.

Unfortunately, Congress has not dealt with the issue. In fact, the House decided to cut $319 million in wildfire suppression funding out of the FY 2003 emergency funding bill that Congress wanted to pass before its August recess. By taking this action, the House forced the Senate to either accept the cut in wildfire funding or put the entire emergency funding bill off until September. The Senate decided to pass the legislation.

The Forest Service now projects it may need to borrow more than $400 million from other programs by the end of September to pay for emergency wildfire suppression. The situation in our forests and communities is, therefore, likely to be tense when Congress returns to deal with these issues in September. That tension will be reflected in the political debate in Washington.—Gerry Gray