634.9 N7CF V. 3 NO. 2 SUM 2902 ) 3 0864 1006 8260 1 THE COMMUNITY FORESTER _j^J^SLETTER From The DNRC^mmunity Fouestry Program An dJI>ie^tan a Community Forestry Council VOLUME 3, NUMBER 2 SUMMER 2002 Arbor Day Grants Awarded to Sixty Community Forestry Projects 7 he Arbor Day Grant Program offered by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation awarded 60 grants of $ 1 50 each this spring for a total of $9000. This is nearly double the number of grants awarded in 200 1 . Where to Plant Trees Urban Sprawl and Urban Trees Species Spotlight Arbor Day 2002! Upper left; Whitehall high school students help plant a spruce tree. Lower left: The T reeture Creature®, Sprig makes an appearance in Havre. ■Grants Available for New Tree City USA Communities Photos by Mark Lennon Contact Information The grant program is designed to promote the obser- vance of Arbor Day in Montana. Grants are used to pur- chase trees, refreshments. Arbor Day t-shirts, brochures or other items to enhance celebrations and increase awareness of trees and Arbor Day in Montana communi- ties. Communities that received funding in 2002 include Bel- grade, Big Timber, Billings, Bozeman, Broadus, Browning, Butte-Silver Bow, Cascade, Choteau, Conrad, Culbertson, Cut Bank, Deer Lodge, Drummond, Eureka, Fairfield, Fairview, Forsyth, Fort Benton, Froid, Glendive, Hardin, Havre, Hobson, Hot Springs, Judith Gap, Kalispell, Lame Deer, Libby, Livingston, Manhattan, Medicine Lake, Min- INSIDE THIS ISSUE : Arbor Day Grant Program I Program Update 2 Featured Community... Red Lodge 3 Arbor Day Celebration Photos 3 2002 Calendar of Events 4 Tree City USA 5 Ronan students learn how to properly plant a tree! Photo: Mark Lennon eral-Superior, Missoula, Opheim, Pablo. Plains, Poison, Red Lodge, Ronan, Seeley Lake, Sheridan. St. Ignatius, Stanford, Three Forks, Troy, Twin Bridges, Valier, Virginia City, Walkerville, West Yellowstone, Whitefish, Whitehall and Winnett. All communities planning to celebrate Arbor Day are eligible to apply. Applications for the 2003 Arbor Day Grant Program will be available in February. Congratulations! To see more photos of Arbor Day Celebrations in Montana...go to page 3! PAGE 2 THE COMMUNITY FOREST ER SUMMER 2002 COtAFAUNlTY FORESTRY PROGRAM UPDATE WESTERN REGION UPDATE Mark Lennon Arbor Day 2002 was a rousing success around Western Mon- tana this spring. Congratulations to the 45 grant recipients. Additional congratulations go out to the ten communities in Montana that de- clared Arbor Day for the first time including Belgrade, Browning, Cas- cade, Choteau, Conrad, Hobson, St. Ignatius, Troy, Virginia City, Walker- ville and West Yellowstone. Twenty communities in the Western Region received Tree City USA rec- ognition from the National Arbor Day Foundation’s T ree City USA Program. And 8 of the twenty re- ceived Growth Awards. Congratula- tions to Ronan and Hamilton, both of which were newly designated Tree City USA’s and received $500 grants. There were several tree planting projects reported including numer- ous plantings by Growing Friends of Helena; 1 5 newly planted trees at Eureka’s Riverside Park; and both Eureka and Troy started new sit-out nurseries using grow bags that will provide trees for future Arbor Day celebrations. Larry Maginnis, City Forester of Mis- soula and Jon Paul Paulsen of As- plundh Tree Expert Company proc- tored an International Society of Ar- boriculture (ISA) Tree Worker/ Climber Specialist Exam in Missoula in June. This new ISA certification exam consists of two parts (written and skills) which requires partici- pants to demonstrate knowledge and skills in tree care. Congratulations to Keith Lukas of Missoula, Harvey Carlsmith of Clin- ton, Greg Caputo of Whitefish and Ron Nelson of Livingston, all of which successfully completed the ISA Certified Arborist Exam. Weather made a lot of news this spring and summer in western Mon- tana. The late spring snows, forest fires and high winds wreaked havoc on many towns. Neihart and St. Regis experienced micro-burst winds that toppled trees, downed utilities and caused a lot of damage to homes and busi- nesses. Some communities were slow to respond after these disasters due to lack of prior planning. Prior planning helps communities to re- duce the severity of natural disasters and improves response and recovery processes. Copies of the publica- tion, “Storms Over the Urban For- est” are available for those inter- ested in learning more about the planning process. This publication provides a reference of up-to-date procedures in planning for and re- sponding to natural disasters. If you are interested in a copy, piqase call 406-883-5599. EASTERN REGION UPDATE Jeff Roe Fifteen communities in Eastern Montana received Arbor Day Grants this spring (see list of grant recipients on Page I ). Each commu- nity utilized the funds to plant trees and increase awareness of commu- nity forestry and its benefits. Over 2200 students and teachers in 3 I Eastern Montana schools received community forestry programs this spring. Additionally, tree care workshops were held in Broadus, Denton, For- syth, Glasgow, Hardin, Harlowton, Judith Gap, Poplar, Red Lodge, Roundup and Winnett. Each work- shop covered a variety of topics. If you would like to discuss work- shops in your area, contact me at 406-232-2034. PAGE Travel southwest of Billings on US Highway 212 and you enter into Red Lodge, Montana — ^gateway to Yel- lowstone National Park. Nestled in the valley between the beautiful Beartooth Mountain Range and the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilder- ness, Red Lodge is lucky to be sur- rounded by one of the most ecologi- cally diverse forests in the Northern Region. With its mountains full of pine, spruce fir trees and abundant wildlife, one might think that Red Lodge would be content with the its surrounding beauty.... think again. Some citizens want to enjoy the benefits that trees provide in the surrounding high alpine country in their own valley commu- ) nity. The walk was a huge success... we raised over $500!” Dinorah Hampton With that in mind. Red Lodge is work- ing to create and improve beautiful natural spaces and parks within its mu- nicipal boundaries. The Beta Omicron Garden Club and the Red Lodge T ree Board are work- ing on their city parks and green spaces to help bring awareness of community forestry to their town. This past May, the Red I Lodge groups held their I St Annual Arbor Day Walk which consisted of a 1 .8 mile walk starting at Depot Park and continuing on to the parks and green spaces through- out town. The Arbor Day Walk cul- minated at Riverside Park with an awards ceremony and prize drawings. The Walk was sponsored by Crazy Creek, Subway, artists and other local businesses. According to Dinorah Hampton, Ar- bor Day Walk organizer, “The walk was a huge success in its first year. It surpassed all goals that Beta Omicron had set. We raised over $500! The funds were used to plant a 1 4 foot blue spruce at Skate Board Park. This new tree will provide lots of shade for the youth that use the facility.” If you would like your community for- estry project or Arbor Day activities featured in THE COMMUNITY FOR- ESTER newsletter, send a copy of the article (250 words or less) to the DNRC, 2705 Spurgin Road, Missoula, MT 59804-3 199 or an electronic copy to kgundale@mt.us at the Community Forestry Program Office. PAGE 4 THE COMMUNITY FOREST ER SUMMER 2002 Calendar of Events SEPTEMBER 12-14 Rocky Mountain Chapter ISA Annual Conference & Workshop Fort Collins, CO Contact: Diane Page at 303-756-1815 SEPTEMBER 2 1 -24 Grassroots Summit 2002 Building a United Constituency for Urban & Community Forestry University Park Marriott Hotel, Salt Lake City, UT Contact: Jerri LaHaie at 706-769-3 1 27 (urbanforestry@prodigy.net) or Alice Ewen Walker at 301-699-2203 (aMce@actrees.org) SEPTEMBER 26-28 Community Forestry At Its Best Arbor Day Farm, Lied Conference Center, Nebraska City, NE Contact www.arborday.com or the DNRC Com- munity Forestry Program Office at 406-542-4284 OCTOBER 9-1 1 Montana League of Cities and Towns 7 1 ST Annual Conference Copper King, Butte, MT Contact- Alec Hansen at 406-442-8768 www.mlct.org Do You Have A Community Forestry Event That You Would Like Publicized ? Contact the Montana Community Forestry Program Office at 406-542-4284! Montana DNRC Community Forestry Program Highlights New Website! The Community Forestry Program is pleased to announce that its new website is up and running with a cornucopia of new information for travelers on the information superhighway. Visit us at... WWW d n rc . state . m t. u s/fo re St ry/ CommunityForestryManagement CALL FOR presentations for the Urban Wildlife Management National Conference May 5-7, 2003 in cooperation with Urban Wildlife Working Group, The Wildlife Society, Humane Society of the United States, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Branch of htbitat Restoration • Arbor Day Farm* Lied Conference Center* • Nebraska City, Nebraska* If you would like to submit a propsal to present at the 2003 Urban Wildlife Management National Conference, contact the Community Forestry Program Office at 4®-542- 4284 for a Presentation Proposal Form. For registration information, contact National Arbor Day Conference Services at (402)474-5655, or e-mail at conferences@arborday.org SUMMER 2002 THE COMMUNITY FOREST ER PAGE 5 ) MontanaTree City USA Communities Anaconda 8 years Havre 1 2 years Billings 1 8 years Helena 1 6 years Bozeman 8 years Judith Gap 7 years Broadus 3 years Kalispell 1 5 years Butte-Silver Bow 7 years Libby 9 years Fort Benton 5 years Malmstrom AFB 9 years Great Falls 21 years Manhattan 7 years Hamilton Missoula 1 4 years Hardin 9 years Poison 1 1 years Harlowton 1 5 years Red Lodge 3 years Ronan Roundup Shelby Sheridan Sidney Twin Bridges Whiteftsh Whitehall 1 0 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 7 years 1 0 years Want more information? Call us at 542-4284 or visit our website at www.dnrc.state.mt.us/Forestry/ CommunityForestryMana^ement Growing Friends of Helena Presents... Down Poot;0: \ ) for Y^ur Afolon^ Afomo A publication providing information on tree foliage and features, appropriate growing conditions and locations throughout the Helena area where particular species may be seen. To find out how to obtain your copy, contact: Growing Friends of Helena, P.O. Box 709, Helena, MT 59624 (406) 444-6761 Don*t Let this Happen to Your Trees! Learn Why TOPPING Hurts Trees!! For more information go to the Tree Care Information’ page on the Montana Community Forestry webpage at www.dnrc.state.mt.us SUMMER 2002 THE COMMUNITY FOREST ER PAGE 6 Where To Plant Trees Planting trees around your home will conserve energy and lower the cost of utility bills. Three well-placed deciduous (leaf- losing) trees on the east, south, and west sides of a home will create con- siderable shade from summer sun and may lower cooling costs in many homes that rely upon cooling sys- tems. In addition to saving money, this con- servation of energy directly translates to less carbon dioxide produced at the generating plant that serves your house. Trees can also produce savings in cold weather. Staggered rows of evergreen trees on the northwest side of the house (or the side with prevailing winter winds) will block harsh winds and lower heating costs. Graphics and information courtesy of © AMERICAN FORESTS. To learn more, visit americanforests.org ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ Urban Sprawl <£ Urban Trees ( Know Your Resource; Tree canopy cover is a proven indicator of community health and sustainability. What is your community's coverage? Utilizing programs like American Forests' ClTYgreen software can help. Programs like these measure community tree cover and calculate the dollar value of the environmental services it provides. Set Goals: Setting tree canopy goals for regions and communities is essential. Research by American Forests inid cates that most U.S. communities should strive for an overall tree canopy coverage of 40 percent (30 percent in the arid Southwest) to ensure a healthy ecosystem and quality of life. While local conditions vary, it is recommended to achieve the 40 percent average with: 15 percent coverage in downtown and industrial areas, 25 percent in urban residential and light commercial areas, and 50 percent in suburban residential areas. Get Organized: Build coalitions of civic organizations and government institutions to develop and promote your tree canopy goals. Develop specific plans with roles for neighborhoods, and civic and business organizations. Cia>- tact American Forests atwww.americanforests.org to learn how other communities are achieving their tree cover goals. Make Policy; Insist that policymakers account for the costs and benefits of trees when planning development. R- mind them that voters pay for tree loss in the form of increased energy consumption, etc. Develop community fir- grams that protect existing trees and encourage significant new plantings with an emphasis on longerm funding and technical assistance to citizen groups. Make canopy coverage analysis a part of your area's regular environmentahi- ventory. Take Action: Most communities will need to plant new trees to reach an average 40 percent tree canopy cover. ^ Organizations like American Forests can help! Contactwww.americanforests.org to learn how! * Information courtesy of © AMERICAN FORESTS. To learn more, visit www.americanforests.org SUMMCR 2002 THE COMMUNITY FOREST ER FACE 7 Norway Maple (acer platanoides) Norway maple, Acer platanoides (plat-an-NOY-deez ) is native to Europe and west Asia, however it is widely planted throughout North American cities because of its ideal characteristics as a shade and street tree. This beautiful, broadly oval to round-headed tree grows to fifty or more feet tall and wide at a medium growth rate (10-15” per year). Norway maples have showy yellow- green flowers that cover the tree before its dark, lustrous leaves emerge in spring. Leaves are 4” to 7" long with five sharply pointed lobes that turn yellow in late fall. Maples have samaras or winged seeds. The Norway maple seeds are I V" to 2" long, very abundant and quick to germinate which calls for immediate cleanup otherwise weeding of seedlings is required. When planting a Norway maple, it is ideal to choose a site with full sun to light shade on well-drained soil. However, this species will also tolerate poorly drained, compacted soils such as those found in urban areas. Additionally, this species is highly utilized in urban areas because it is easily transplanted; well adapted to ex- tremely cold, windy, and/or drought ridden regions; and is highly tolerant of air pollution. However, there are several problems associated with this species. Shallow root systems can rob garden plants of nutrients and moisture. Shade created by the dense can- opy of this tree creates unsuitable growing conditions for other species beneath the tree. And most importantly, this species has demonstrated the ability to escape from cultivation and naturalize in minimally managed areas. In areas where invasion of natural areas is occurring, a dif- ferent species should be chosen or a seedless form of Norway maple should be planted. Sources: • Johnsen, Jan & Fech, John C. 1999. Ortho’ Meredith books: Des Moines, Iowa. • National Audubon Society Field Guide to Trees: Western Region. 1980. • University of Connecticut Plant Database if Trees, Shrubs and Vines. http://www. hort.uconn.edu/plants/index.html. Visited July 2002. • Yoth, Susan A. 2001. Taylor’s Guide to Trees. Houghton Mifflin Co; Boston. Grants For New Tree The Department of Natural Resources & Conservation Community Forestry Program is offering $500 grants for communities that become newly designated Tree City USA communities or whose designation has lapsed for two or more years. This grant may be used for a variety of planting projects and is designed to assist communities with their commu- nity forestry projects and promote and reward communi- ties for their participation in the Tree City USA program. To become designated communities must: I . Set up a T ree Board 2. Write a Tree Ordinance 3. Celebrate Arbor Day 4. Spend $2 per capita on their com- munity forestry program To qualify for this grant program, a community must ' achieve Tree City USA status as determined by the Na- City USA Communities tional Arbor Day Foundation. The Tree City USA Applica- tion must be submitted to the Montana Community For- estry Program Office by DECEMBER 3 1 , 2002- Complete the grant application (available upon request). The grant requires a 35% match ($175.00) with cash or in- kind contributions. For information on the Tree City USA program or assis- tance with attaining this designation for your community, please contact : Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Montana Community Forestry Program 2705 Spurgin Road Missoula, MT 59804-3199 Phone: 406-542-4284 www.dnrc.state.mt.us/Forestry/CommunityForestry - or - The National Arbor Day Foundation at vvww.arborday.org! TREE cm USA., THE COMMUNITY FORESTER- SUMMER2002 COMMUNITY FORESTRY PROGRAM MONTANA DNRC 2705 SPURGIN ROAD MISSOULA, MT 59804-3199 PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT # 74 MISSOULA, MT r Address Service Requested F YOU ARE RECEIVING MULTiPlE MAILINGS OR WISH TO SE REMOVED FROM OUR MAILING LIST, PLEASE RETURN LABEL OR CALL 406-542-4284. ThANKS. c The Community Forester is a newsletter published quarterly by the Community Forestry Program Staff of the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and the Montana Community Forestry Council. Please direct comments regarding the content of this publication to the Editor. Persons with disabilities who need an alternative, accessible format of this document should contact the DNRC Community Forestry Program, 2705 Spurgin Road, Missoula, MT 59804-3 199. Phone 542-4284 or Fax 542-4203. Thanks to Dinorah Hampton of Red Lodge, Montana for contributing to this issue. Contact Information: • Kelley Gundale • Community Forestry Coordinator & Editor 2705 Spurgin Road Missoula, MT 59804-3199 Telephone: 406-542-4284 Email: kgundale@state.mt.us • Mark Lennon • Community Forestry Specialist - Western Region 1 2 Fifth Avenue East P. O. Box 640 Poison, MT 59860 Telephone: 406-883-5599 Email: mlennon@state.mt.us • Jeff Roe • Community Forestry Specialist - Eastern Region 321 Main Street P.O, Box 1794 Miles City, MT 5930 1 Telephone: 406-232-2034 Email: jroe@state.mt.us The Montana Community Forestry Program is made possible through a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Please recycle this publication! c