The community forester

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nE COMMUNITY FORESTER

Volume I, Issue II,
Spring 1998

The Community Forester is a puhlicotion of Montana DNRC's Urban and Community Forestry program

Spriii« IS licrc. ;ind so
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4kis iKippciKxl 111 ihc p;'isi
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Tlu* (.omimmiiv
l ores! I V lMo«rain is
made possible
iliroiij*!! a uram Iroin
I he DSl)/\ l ores!
Service.

tznjoy ^rees ^his Summer!

Paula Posenthal, Community forestry Program jVlanager

As we move into summer, reminded of how much 9
love trees, ^ow that everything is green and the parks
and streets are shaded in the beauty of ash, maple,
and oak, 9 have renewed my appreciation for the
simplest pleasures: walking barefoot in the park,
reading a book while sitting at the base of a large
shade tree, or simply watching the birds make new
homes for summer.

Of course, it means much more work for the Montana
Community Jorestry Program. We will spend the
summer working with cities and towns on inventories,
plantings, and making sure that irrigation systems are
working properly. We will work with volunteers and
assist with fundraisers. We will be exhibitors at county
fairs. We will teach about tree care and help arborists
with certification. 9n short, it will be a busy time of
the year.

^his spring, we were out in full force with our ^ree
City IdSA^s and with other communities who celebrated
Arbor Day with local ceremonies, proclamations, and
plantings, thanks to Mcirk Cennon, Perry i^rzezinski,
and ^eff Poe, the Pegional Community Joresters who
traveled throughout the state to provide assistance
this spring.

Early indications this year are that we will have a dry
summer. M^ke sure your trees are adequately
watered, and be mindful of wildfire dangers.. ..I^e
careful with campfires! Enjoy the summer and the
beauty of your street and park trees!

Quercus macrocarpa
bur oak

Bur oak is a modium-
sized to large tree 70
to SO ft high with a
massfve trunk and
very broad crowt> of
stout branches. Over
its very extensive
range, this oak is
found mixed with nu-
merous hard woods on
many types of soit
structures. Bur oak is
noted for its resistance
to drought; invading
the grassiands of the
prairies and Great
Plains. Besides its
value as a timber pro-
ducer, the distinctjve
obovate leaves,
fringed acorns^ and
corky twigs make it a
popularornamental. It
is also more resistant
to city smoke and gas
injury than moSI oaks
and as such is very
valued as a commu-
nity forestry tree.

HarloWt : Wilfiam M.;. ete;: ; : ; : : ;
Textbook Of Dendrolaav : :
{Eighth Edition)

McGraw-fii% Idc. - fdTB. ; ; : :
pp 314-^lB

Montana State Library

3 0864 1006 8257 7

The 1st annual Montana Tree Climbing Workshop and Championship was

held March 20, and 21 at Bonner Park in Missoula, Montana. Arborists from around the
state came to Missoula to participate in a 2-day workshop and climbing event, put on by
past International Society of Arboriculture - Rocky Mountain Champions, A1 Wegner
and Jelf Yrineo. The workshop portion showcased the newest equipment and techiques
in the tree climbing industry to almost 30 arborists from around the state. Many of these
participating arborists then stayed on the second day and competed in the first ever State
Tree Climbing Championship.

The tree climbing competition consisted of 14 arborists that competed in 5
events consisting of the secured footlock, belayed speed climb, aerial rescue, work climb
and throwline competition. Jon-Paul Paulson, of Asplundh, Tree Experts, Inc. took the
over all title and will compete at the regional level in Denver, Colorado as Montana's
State Champion. Coming in a close 2nd place was Robert Castellano of Horizon Tree
Service, Inc. and James Beaulieu, of the City of Missoula - Forestry Division took an
even closer 3rd place. Congratulations to all three!

This event was 1 st class, and could not have taken place without many local
and national businesses that deal in arboriculture giving their support along with the
dedicated help of the City of Missoula Forestry Division, DNRC Community Forestry
program and the ISA Rocky Mountain Chapter. This was the 1st state climbing compe-
tition and will defmately NOT be the last.

GOOD LUCK to Jon-Paul as he competes at the regional level in Denver,
Colorado on May 9, 1998!

MONTANA CLIMBING CHAMPIONSHIP SPONORS

All American Trophy, Trailhead, Inc., RMC, Normont Equipment, Missoula ACE Hard-
ware, K&L Lawn and Garden, Norco Equipment, Royal Crown Cola, Montana Flasher
and Barricade, Missoula Chainsaw, Inc., Broadway Splicing & Supply, Quality Supply/
Midland Implement, Sherrill Arborist Supply and Blue Ox Tree Service.

!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT !!!

ESIONAL UPDATES

Mark Lennon

>

WESTERN

We exhib-
ited our
Commu-
nity

Forestry
display in
Missoula
at the
MAN
trade

show in January and in Bozeman
for AMTOP in February.

With the help of Scott Mendenhall,
we completed a street tree inven-
tory of Whitehall's street and park
trees in December.

Through the efforts of Julianne
Abraham and some high school
students, Belgrade will complete its
first street and park tree inventory
this spring.

The Growing Friends of Helena
gained national recognition for
outstanding accomplishments in
tree care, conservation, and stew-
ardship by winning this years
Educational Award from the Na-
tional Arbor Day Foundation.

A pruning workshop was con-
ducted in Poison in February in
cooperation with the Northwest
RC&D Forestry committee and the
Poison Tree Board.

The University of Montana also
completed a tree care workshop
series in February.

Lastly, Anaconda, Deer Lodge,
Drummond, Ennis, Sherridan and
Twin Bridges will receive their
replacement tree orders this spring.
This completes the very successful
Headwaters RC&D Pilot Urban
Forestry Grant that began in 1991 .

EASTERN

Jeff Roe

Miles City
will be
dedicating
their
Milwau-
kee Park
Project
with a
new sign
and an Arbor Day celebration on
May 23. Their will be a trail laid
out, irrigation set up and trees
planted. Their will be a carnival
and prizes for the kids.

On March 28, 1 took part in
Streetscape Videoconference, a
satellite discussion which provided
an excellent opportunity for net-
working and to discover new ideas
on community forestry.

A Tree Care Workshop series is set
up for January through June, 1998,
in Glendive. Partnering with
Dawson Co. Extension, Dawson
Co. Conservation District and
Montana-Dakota Utilities. A to-be-
determined date in June will be the
Insect / Disease workshop.

Sidney, Jordan, Worden, Huntley,
Billings, Opheim, Ashland and
Savage communities have set up
Community Forestry school pro-
grams and 1 1 more are in the
works.

There will be an ISA exam in Miles
City in early June. A scheduled
date has not been finalized.

Perry Brzezinski

CENTRAL

I have been
busy with
my new
daughter!
Kinsey
Brooke
Brzezinski
born on
March 4th.

There was

a very informative program at the
AMTOP meeting in Boseman.

Lots of information was shared on
tree fertilization and insect pest
treatments. There was a great
display of insect & disease speci-
mens at the University.

An ISA certification exam was
given in Bozeman and interest was
generated in arborist certification.
Congratulations to Don Hannen of
Pacific Power in Kalispell for
passing the certified arborist exam!
Choteau is developing a tree plant-
ing effort to include their Main
Street. It is promising to have
some great growth potential to help
them towards a "Tree City USA"
designation.

Lewistown is working on planting
some memorial trees this spring to
honor Billie Hanzel, a local busi-
ness owner who was very active on
their beautification committee.
Finally, right now I am busy arrang-
ing tree care classes, landscaping
classes and Arbor Day celebrations.

Proper Planting of Tree Saplings

With the coming of spring many of us
will be thinking about repairing the yard
from the ravages of winter. Some of us will be
thinking about planting new trees. This quarter's
technical section will deal with the proper method
of planting a balled and burlapped (B&B) sap-
ling. Local conditions make generalizations dif-
ficult, but here are some guidelines that reflect
the latest opinions of tree experts.

The Planting Hole:

Proper preparation will encourage root growth
rather than adding to the difficulties already chal-
lenging the young tree. Here's the way to give your
tree a boost toward rapid growth and recovery from
transplant shock. After selecting the site for your
new tree, dig or deeply rototill an area around the
hole at least twice the diameter of the root ball or
container, being sure to slope the sides of the hole
as you dig. An area up to five times the diameter is
recommended if the soil is particularly compacted,
the roots of other trees will not be damaged, and
space and aesthetics allow. (This method recog-
nizes the fact that most roots spread through the
top 12" of soil in a wide periphery around the tree).
How Deep Should You Plant?:

Under normal conditions, root growth is best en-

couraged by planting even with the surround-
ing terrain. When wet conditions or heavy soil
are problems, raising about 1/3 of the root ball
above ground will aid the spread of lateral ^
roots. In arid climates, a basin can be addedt
and is used to collect precious water.

What About The Wrapping Material?:
Research has not yet provided a definite an-
swer about the potential harm of leaving wire
baskets in place after planting. However, the
most prudent action is to remove the top two
tiers of wire after the ball has been set in the
hole. More serious problems are treated bur-
lap (feels like plastic) and nylon rope. Both
should be completely removed. Other types
of burlap and twine should be cut away from
the top 3rd of the ball.

Filling The Hole:

Backfill with native soil. Tamp gently around
the bole and add water to fill large air spaces
and to give your tree its first good drink in its
new home. As the tree grows, be sure to wa-
ter the surrounding soil area to encourage root
spread.

-fmf

Excerpts from; Tree City USA Bulletin No. 19, National Arbor Day
Foundation.

ARBOR DAY POSTER WINNERS

The 1997 Montana Arbor Day Poster contest was a great success this year. Fifth
graders from schools all over the state of Montana took place In the contest to see
who would be selected for the National Arbor Day Poster contest. This years theme
was "Trees are terrific - in cities and towns." Of the many entries, three stood out:
Cassandra Nicholson in Jean Beaulieu's class at Clinton School was the western
region winner, Isaac Frank In Shona Verke's class at Park City was the eastern
region winner and Jamie Noble in Mrs. Cynde Swartz's class at Lewis & Clark School
was the central region winner and also the Montana State Arbor Day Poster Champ!
Jamie's poster was entered in the National contest. Good luck Jamie and congratula- ,
tions to all three winners! For all the teachers involved, a very appreciative thanks
from us to you for all your help in spreading the awareness of trees in communities to
V^he children of Montana. . . - J)

)

Anaconda, Billings, Bozeman, Butte-Silverbow *, Ennis,
Great Falls, Hardin, Harlowton, Havre, Helena, Judith
Gap, Kalispell Libby, Malstrom AFB Manhattan,
Missoula *, Moore, Poison, Roundup, Saco, Whitehall *,

Winnet.

Participating in Tree City USA represents a strong community
commitment to management of your trees and other resources.
Twenty-two Montana communities continued their commitment
to comprehensive community forestry programs by being
recognized as Tree Cities for the 1997
calendar year.

(*) These communities additionally
received Growth Awards for extra efforts
and improvements in their tree programs.

TREE CITY USfl

The Montana Community Forestry Council met for the first time in 1998
on March 26th in Bridger, Montana. The main focus for the council over
^ the last few meetings has been the Five Year Plan, (Montana's Community
Forestry Program’s Strategic Direction) which we are happy to say is
finished and has been printed. Limited copies of the first printing are
available. If you wish to obtain a copy please contact Paula Rosenthal at
(406) 542-4284. The Council also judged entries in the National Arbor
Day Poster Contest, and selected regional and state winners.

Programmatically, the Montana Community Forestry Program needs to
focus its efforts on building better partnerships with cooperators,
volunteers, and other program participants. Additionally, we need to
recruit new members to serve on the Montana Community Forestry Council.
Tentatively, the Council as decided to host a meeting in the fall for all
individuals who are interested in learning more about urban and community
forestry in Montana. Be looking for a meeting announcement and agenda
later this summer, as we make preparations for a meeting in the fall.

if

%

TREES, PEOPLE &
THE LAW
COMEEREMCE COMES
TO BILLINIGS

The National Arbor Day Foun-
dation brought their Trees, People
and the Law workshop to Billings
on March 25th. The featured
speaker was Victor Merullo, who
is nationally known. Mr. Merullo
has degrees in horticulture, edu-
cation, psychology and law. He
has been involved with the
arboriculture industry for most of
his career. .

Twenty-two enthusiastic people
attended the workshop. The par-
ticipants came from as far as
Alberta, Canada and Sheridan,
Wyoming. There were city and
state representatives, arborists,
utility employees and even a city
attorney. The workshop covered
topics such as: defining legal
terms and applying them to tree
resources and issues, numerous
case studies, utility right-of-ways
and being an expert witness. The
response was very positive for the
whole workshop.

The Radisson Northern Hotel in
downtown Billings hosted the
workshop and provided excellent
support and rooms. The luncheon
was considered by all to be ex-
ceptional.

This was a first rate workshop.

j Summer is a great time to

Learn about the trees that grow in your community.

Check out a tree identification book from the library and
take a leisurely stroll downtown. '

Montana Community Forestry Program
Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
2705 Spurgin Road
Missoula, MT 59804

UPeOMING EVENTS

May 18th - 20th: "Storms Over the Eastern Forest" second national conference. Lied Conference Center
Nebraska City, NE. Contact Lisa Durban (612) 649-5245.

June 15th - 19th: Restoring the Urban Forest Ecosystem, Lago Mar Hotel, Fort Lauderdale, FL. Contact the
University of Florida at (352) 393-5930 or at kmgil@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu

June 16th: ISA Certification Exam will be given in Missoula - Please contact Mark Lennon, and in Miles City -
Please contact Jeff Roe.

June 17th - 19th: Rocky/Great Plains Community Forestry Conference in Lindsborg, Kansas.

September 16th - 18th: Best of the West Summit, San Francisco, CA.

October 28th - 31st: Excellence in Building Conference and Exposition. Washington DC. Contact (612)851-

Jeff Roe
DNRC

P.O. Box 1794
Miles City , MT

BULK RATE

U.S. Pstage
PAID

Missoula, MT
Permit No. 345