Weird and Wonderful Urban Forest Finds

We've had some weird and wonderful urban forest finds this week! 

Do you think the homeowners are aware that this lovely vine climbing on their fence and garage is Poison Ivy?
(We left a note!) 

A silver maple trunk that appears to be swallowing a sidewalk. 

Cicada emerging from its exuvia!

Mystery Tree...any guesses?

And another cicada emerging...this time with wings visible. 

Sometimes trees give hugs back. This Silver Maple appears to be 'hugging' hydro post 15900.

© Giuliana Casimirri 2014

Hamilton's EAB problem and our urban forest

Recently, Matthew Van Dongen reported on the Emerald Ash Borer’s (EAB) swift decimation of our urban ash trees in Hamilton: Invasive beetle quickly biting into city’s ash trees (July 15, 2014). I was compelled to write a brief letter to the Spectator to draw attention to a few important points about EAB and its impact on Hamilton's urban forest. I tried to make three points in my 250-word space limit: 
1. EAB underscores why we need to plant a greater variety of trees species, and especially more native species. 
2. Our current EAB plan only covers a portion of the City-owned ash trees and many more in City woodlots and on private property are going to be lost. We have no removal or replanting plans for these trees and this will impact our overall urban forest canopy cover, and as our current forestry crews struggle to keep up with removals and replanting, it will ultimately impact our safety, air quality and quality of life. 
3.  Projects like TreesCount are low-cost ways to help communities assess EAB impacts on private and City-owned trees. Because most of our City is 'private' land - individuals homes, industrial and commercial properties and institutions - if the City is serious about maintaining or expanding our urban tree canopy cover for its various health, environmental and economic benefits, they need to consider programs that encourage and support people to plant trees in these areas. The benefits of trees on private land accrue to us all! I've included my letter to the editor below.

If you'd like to learn more about EAB, the City of Hamilton has produced a fact sheet. More information on the City's EAB management plan can be found here.

So far our urban forest inventory in Westdale south has only turned up 6 ash trees (out of about 600 trees surveyed to date). However, as Matthew's article points out, other parts of the City including the East Mountain and Stoney Creek, with their much higher density of urban ash trees, have much more to lose. 

One of the many benefits derived from collecting comprehensive urban forest inventory data, as we are with TreesCount, is that you can identify ash trees on private land that are not infected and may be good candidates for a preventative treatment program and you can also identify ash trees that are infected and should be removed before they become hazardous. It would be great to see community-based monitoring of both public and private trees expand in future years to cover neighbourhoods in Hamilton where EAB is likely to be a problem.

Ash tree in Westdale south.

Dear Editor,

I wish to provide some additional perspective on the Emerald Ash Borer’s (EAB) impact on our urban forest.

EAB’s devastation in Hamilton underscores the need to improve diversity in our urban forest. Diversity in terms of different species and age distribution is critical to buffer the future urban forest from losses due to insects, disease, drought, and climate change. It is encouraging that City ash tree removals are being replaced with native tree species. However, out of the 90 or so trees native to our area only a few are being planted. We must do a much better job of planting more varieties of native species.

It is also likely that the scope of the problem is much bigger then we think. The City’s current EAB plan and budget for ash tree removal and replanting addresses only a portion of the ash in our urban forest – an estimated 23,000 ash trees along City streets and in municipal parks and cemeteries. As your article points out, it is difficult to keep up with this work and this does not include ash trees in woodlots and on private land. We have no plan to replace these lost trees.

A Hamilton Naturalists’ Club project, called TreesCount, is assessing the health of urban trees on private land in Westdale. TreesCount will reveal the impact of EAB on ash trees in the neighbourhood and identify hazard trees before they become dangerous. However, if the City wants to ensure our urban forest is maintained they should be initiating or supporting programs that help homeowners to plant native trees.

Giuliana Casimirri
Hamilton Naturalists' Club
Urban Forest Project Coordinator

Tree Story: John Terpstra

John Terpstra, a Hamilton author and cabinetmaker, has been helping us count trees in Westdale. Inspired by Hamilton's urban forest, John wrote what he called a 'deciduary' - a dictionary of deciduous trees, called Naked Trees in 2012. Naked Trees and several of John's other books are available from Mixed Media on James St. and Bryan Prince Booksellers in Westdale. John has also generously donated a signed copy of Naked Trees to our tree story prize pack!

We asked John to tell us about his favourite tree and he penned this lovely little story about his side yard Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis). John's tree is a cultivar called 'Forest Pansy', which has purple leaves throughout the year. Eastern Redbuds are available via the City of Hamilton's Free Street Tree program and they are an excellent small tree for urban yards, providing bright pink blossoms in the early spring, pretty heart-shaped leaves throughout the year and they also resist clay soils and black walnut allelopathy!
--Giuliana

Here is John's tree story:

Redbuds Rule!

It took us many months to decide how best to obscure the pale blue vinyl siding of our neighbour’s house. I wanted to completely conceal the wall: a cedar hedge. My wife convinced me a small tree would be better. We settled on an Eastern Redbud, which we purchased from Connon Nursery last June while it was still in blossom.

Good choice. The tree instantly looked like it belonged. It was a young thing of beauty which, when its blossoms fell, began to unfurl red instead of green leaves, making it even more special.

We watered. We fertilized. It took hold, thrived and grew.

Fall came, the leaves fell. We were already looking forward to spring, when our redbud would have its first seasonal blossom in our yard. Then winter came, and was cold, and stayed long. In the spring, no blossoms appeared on the branches. Small buds were visible, but they dried up and failed to leaf. We thought we had lost our tree. 

Slowly, however, it started to come back to life. More and more buds, and leaves, started popping, and though several branches proved dead for most of their length, closer to the trunk they valiantly sprouted new growth.

In the photographs, you can see the dead branches poking their sticks into the air. We have yet to prune them, but that will happen soon. In the meantime, our stalwart little eastern redbud tree has survived its first trial by fire, or rather, ice.   

Trees Tuesday: Psychological Benefits

We’ve now discussed many of the more well-known benefits of trees: better air and water quality, energy conservation, habitat for wildlife, and aesthetic value. We’ve also mentioned the human health benefits that are linked to each of these services provided by our urban forests. But plenty of research suggests that trees affect our health in an often overlooked way. It seems that those of us with healthy urban forests enjoy numerous psychological benefits, courtesy of our beautiful trees.

Good psychological health translates into better physical health and healthier habits and behaviours. Research on this link between nature and health began as early as 1972, when Dr. Ulrich did a study that found that hospital patients that had a window looking out on nature required less pain medication and spent less time in the hospital than patients that didn’t have a view of nature. This correlation between a natural-looking environment and speedier rehabilitation has been supported by further research in clinics, nursing homes and prisons. In addition to faster recovery, lower stress levels have been measured in people viewing images of nature.

The psychological benefits of urban forests extend to the workplace as well. In a study conducted by Dr. Rachel Kaplan, employees that were able to see glimpses of the urban forest while working reported higher job satisfaction than those that weren’t. In this case, psychological benefits can translate into financial benefits for both the employees and their employers.

It seems common sense that happier people will be less likely to be involved with violence and crime. This has been investigated by researchers who surveyed residents living within the same housing project in Chicago. They found that residents living in close proximity to treed areas experienced less fear and less violence than those that were farther away from trees.

Kids can feel the difference the urban forest makes too! Contact with nature has been correlated with reduced symptoms in kids with ADHD, helping them to focus more easily. More self-discipline and less impulsive behaviour were other benefits observed in a study on girls aged 7-12 after increased exposure to a more natural environment. A current study is investigating the effects of different playground environments on children’s test scores.

The research is clear: a healthy urban forest makes for happier, healthier people. A nice natural environment just makes us feel good inside. And I think that counts for something, don’t you?

Information provided by http://www.forestry.utoronto.ca/neighbourwoods/web/ and http://nfs.unl.edu/CommunityForestry/urbanforestryintro.asp. All photos are courtesy of Giuliana Casimirri.

Also check out http://lhhl.illinois.edu/index.htm for research reports on the effects of nature on human health and behaviour.
--Mara

Tree Talk: Serviceberry

We discovered another gem of a tree this week right in Westdale’s Churchill Park. A whole cluster of serviceberry trees (also called Juneberry or Saskatoon berry) are heavy with fruit just outside the lawn bowling club. The best part: these berries are edible!

That’s right, you can eat them. I was surprised to hear that too, always having been taught to leave round red berries alone, but I can tell you firsthand that serviceberries are harmless-and delicious! They taste somewhat similar to blueberries and, like most berries, contain lots of fibre and vitamins. I’ve been snacking on them before and after our data collection sessions, and even brought a few home to my family, who was enthusiastic once I assured them that no, I wasn’t trying to poison anyone.

But enough about food-a little about the tree itself: Serviceberry is a native species that can grow well in wet and shady conditions, but is also drought and sun-tolerant. It is a member of the rose family and come in many different variations. Depending on the variation, it can grow to different sizes, anywhere from 8-20 ft. tall (so if you have limited space you can choose a smaller shrub variety). In the spring, these trees are a beautiful sight, covered in white blossoms. Around June, the purple-red berries appear, sticking around for only a couple of weeks. The leaves turn bright orange and red, making the serviceberry a beautiful tree all year round.

So if you’re looking for a great tree for your yard, why not consider a serviceberry? Plant one now and in a few years you’ll have a gorgeous tree and a tasty treat to enjoy for many years.

Thanks to Giuliana Casimirri (our very own Urban Forest Project Coordinator) for introducing me to this great species and taking the lovely photographs. Thanks also to http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/the-amazing-serviceberry.aspx#axzz369DNa0rQ and http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/tree/serviceberry/ for more information.
-- Mara

Tree Story: Peter

If you’ve been following our progress on Facebook or Twitter, then you’ve already met Peter, one of our dedicated TreesCount volunteers. He’s been a regular at our data collection sessions, always going above and beyond to offer advice and bring extra tools, even constructing his own hypsometer (a device used for estimating tree height).

 

Peter pauses for a picture during data collection.

TreesCount is only Peter’s latest project in a long list of contributions he’s made to the community and the environment. In addition to his property here in Hamilton, he owns an 87 acre farm in Cayuga. Several years ago, he planted 5,000 trees on a large portion of his farm as a reforestation project. Unfortunately, the area experienced a six week drought, and virtually all the new seedlings did not survive. Undeterred, he recently planted the same area with over 5000 trees of various native species. He’s hoping that this time around, the weather will cooperate and a new forest will begin to emerge.

Peter is also on the volunteer Board of Directors of the Ontario Woodlot Association. The non-for-profit organization provides guidance and support to private owners of woodlots to ensure that private forests are managed in a sustainable manner that contributes to our society, environment and economy. For more information, visit http://www.ont-woodlot-assoc.org/.

With expertise earned while sitting on Hamilton’s Urban Design Committee, Peter is able to offer lots of insight and ideas on how to build cities in a way that is environmentally friendly. Peter believes that better urban planning and more pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods are essential for reducing carbon emissions. He described to me his vision of developers building small communities such as Westdale rather than ever more “monoculture” subdivisions of single family homes.  They would include essential services (grocery stores, doctor’s offices, senior care facilities) within walking distance of residential areas instead of being set off in separate blocks.  This would reduce our need for cars and promote greater accessibility for everyone. What a great idea!

I’ve learned so much from chatting with Peter and hearing his tree stories. TreesCount has proved a wonderful way to not only learn about our urban forest, but also connect with passionate, intelligent individuals that are working to make Hamilton a greater, greener city.
---Mara

Trees Tuesday: Aesthetic Value

Happy Canada Day!

As Canadians, we can consider ourselves lucky to live in the country with the largest intact forest in the world. This is a great day to celebrate Canada’s beauty, and trees certainly contribute to this country’s natural splendor. But did you know that trees’ aesthetic value can also increase the property value of your home?
 

That’s right. Not only do trees filter air pollution, help us save energy, improve water quality, and provide wildlife habitat, but they’re also just nice to look at. This quality is reflected in your home’s value.

A healthy urban forest softens the look of an urban area that is otherwise made up of the hard lines of buildings. It can also reduce the glare from hard surfaces. If the forest has a high level of diversity, this adds interest, creating a unique, attractive and more ‘natural’ setting. Trees can even act as a screen from less pleasant views.

This can go a long way if you’re trying to sell your home. A healthy urban forest can make a great first impression on prospective buyers and tourists arriving in your community. Studies show that homes in neighbourhoods with plenty of trees often sell faster than homes in areas without many trees. Not only will your home sell faster, but some research suggests that if your property contains a high percentage of canopy cover, it may sell for 5-25% more money than similar properties lacking trees. As people become more aware of the benefits of having trees around their homes, this percentage may increase even further.

This benefit is not just limited to residential properties. There is evidence that people will take more time to shop along streets with good canopy cover. Also, as with residential properties, offices and apartments in well-treed areas lease more quickly than those in treeless areas. Some companies have even reported higher productivity and fewer employee absences in offices surrounded by trees.

Remember, just having a tree isn’t enough. It’s important that the urban forest is healthy, diverse and well-maintained in order to maximize the benefits. Diseased or unhealthy trees are not likely to be attractive to newcomers and may even decrease your property’s value. A lack of diversity may leave the community looking bland and boring when it could be positively vibrant with different species, colours and sizes. And don’t forget, properly pruned trees are more aesthetically pleasing and reduce the hazards associated with trees that aren’t maintained.

So why not give your neighbourhood a facelift and plant some trees? Turn your urban forest into an investment that will pay off for the entire community!

I got some of this information from http://www.forestry.utoronto.ca/neighbourwoods/web/,  http://urbanforestrynetwork.org/benefits/aesthetic.htm and http://www.moneysense.ca/property/sell/grow-your-property-value-by-planting-a-tree.
--Mara