Coordinator’s Corner — June

It’s development season. You may know where, but do you know how your community’s street trees are being planted? When we plant trees, we assume that they will become community assets that provide a plethora of benefits, but if not planted and maintained correctly, trees can grow into community liabilities. Trees intended to provide benefits, …

Faces of Urban Forestry: Charlie Vogelheim

Name: Charlie Vogelheim Title: Green Cities Project Manager, Forterra Favorite Tree: I find ginkgo trees to be fascinating: the fact that they are living fossils, disease resistant, beautiful fall foliage, and have bizarre leaves. What is involved in your work of managing Green City Partnerships? The Green Cities Partnerships are a coordinated effort within regional …

A Tree to Try – Lavelle Hawthorn (a lotta love for Lavelle)

Crataegus x Lavellei At a passing glance, the Lavelle hawthorn might seem ordinary or uninteresting, but give it a more thoughtful look and the many graces of this tree become delightfully apparent. Let’s start with the tree’s crown shape, which is a bit of a mash-up. It is simultaneously V-shaped, oval-to-rounded, and irregular (or ‘free-form’ …

How Climate Change and Drought are Changing the Landscape

This article has been reprinted as it originally appeared in DNR's "Ear to the Ground" blog on June 6th, 2019: https://washingtondnr.wordpress.com/2019/06/06/is-my-tree-dying-how-climate-change-and-drought-are-changing-the-landscape/ The problem first gained attention in bigleaf maple trees, which have been dying off since 2011 in some parts of Washington and Oregon. The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the University of …

Protecting Trees During Construction: A seminar for planning and code enforcement staff

Trees are important assets in our communities with well-established economic, environmental, and social benefits; however, trees are vulnerable to negative impacts from construction activities. A new seminar from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources’ Urban Forestry Program, “Protecting Trees During Construction,” will provide a review of urban development processes and explore common strategies used …

Coordinator’s Corner — May

May is in full bloom and summer is on the horizon. I’ve heard it said that in Washington there are two seasons; winter and construction, and construction means development. At this time of year, there is a scramble to get construction underway. Most cities have a planning process to lead developers through rules and regulations …

Timely Tree Tips — A Focus on Phenology

Here we are in Spring, when trees and other plants across the state are breaking buds, blooming, and unfurling young leaves. Simultaneously, insects are either hatching or rousing from their overwintered state to take advantage of the plants. In the case of pollinators, maybe the plants are breaking dormancy to take advantage of them? Either …