Green Gift Monday

This November brought in a storm of emails from companies trying to promote their products for the holidays. In an effort to maintain the quality of this website, I have ignored all but one of these requests. The Nature Conservancy contacted me about their Green Gift Monday project.

After researching the project I decided that it was in spirit with the goals of this site and I wanted to pass the info on to you. The idea is, rather than investing in plastic gadgets and all the other junk the stores are pushing on you, consider gifting your money toward a worth while cause. The options include adopting trees in Brazil, adopting rainforest in Costa Rica, establishing habitat for hummingbirds, Adopting land in the United States, and many others. Also, when you participate in these great causes you typically recieve some sort of gift pack with information and other fun stuff specific to the cause (for more info check out the site).

The Tree Leaf Identification Tool

I am excited to share with you The EarlyForest.Com Tree Leaf Identification Tool. The Tree Leaf Identification Tool sorts the EarlyForest.Com tree-leaf-photo-database into easy searchable categories. This guide is designed to grow with EarlyForest.Com as new leaf photos are added, so check back often, it is always improving and expanding.

Select the category that best describes the leaf that you are trying to identify.

Author's Note : Tree leaf terminology can become complicated with dozens of terms used to describe a leaf's arrangement, shape, texture, margin, base and tip. In order to simplify the leaf identification process I have reduced the leaf shapes into the intuitive categories shown in the chart above. The subtle variations between "Toothed" and "Lobed" (especially in the oaks) can leave one guessing at how to classify their leaf. Generally, this guide uses "toothed" to indicate small ridges along the edges of the leaf while "lobed" is used describe overall leaf shape. In addition, not all leaves can be easily classified as opposite or alternate, and compound leaves can sometimes appear to be simple when pulled from the tree. When confusion arises I suggest going with your first guess then exploring more than one category to broaden your search.

Johnny Appleseed Festival 2009

A few weeks ago I made a trip back to my hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana to visit family and go to the Johnny Appleseed Festival. The Johnny Appleseed Festival and Park are so finely interwoven with my childhood that I can hardly imagine one without the other. The park lies on the banks of Saint Joseph River just a couple of miles upstream from where I grew up.

For one weekend each September the park is transformed into an American Frontier Encampment that is reminiscent of the early 1800s. Hundreds of vendors from nearly every State in the country come together to make it the largest festival in Indiana.

Most Americans have heard of Johnny Appleseed, relating him to American Legends such as Paul Bunyan and John Henry, but what many people may not realize is that he was a real man named John Chapman. John Chapman traveled through much of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois establishing apple tree nurseries.


Johnny Appleseed's final resting place is on a hilltop in Johnny Appleseed Park, which was once the Archer family cemetery on the old Archer Farm.


Just down the hill from the grave site, merchants in period clothes serve dozens of varieties of apples to curious customers.


Woodworkers, potters, weavers and a dozen other types of craftsmen sell their goods and put on a show of their work.

Campsites dot the landscape where the vendors spend the night on cots in canvas tents.

Honest Abe takes the stage to give a speech between musicians and other acts that fill the day with entertainment.

Obviously child labor was not a concern in the early 1800s. This boy stirs some beef stew with what appeared to be a wooded oar while 6 adult men (just off camera) stood watching him.

If you are looking for cotton candy and funnel cakes I suggest going to the circus. All of the food at the Johnny Appleseed Festival is hand made over a campfire. The two boys in the photo above press apples in an old fashioned wooden machine and make hot apple cider. Other vendors sell baked goods, homemade candies, smoked meats, stews, and other treats.

To me, nothing quite tops sitting in the grass with a caramel apple and enjoying the sights and sounds of the Johnny Appleseed Festival on a cool Autumn afternoon.

The Forests of The Great Smoky Mountains

I spent some time in The Great Smoky Mountains this summer with my family. It was a rare reminder of my childhood adventures, traveling around the United States and exploring the breathtaking National Parks. The only difference is that now I am the father and I have a family of my own. It makes me stop to wonder what sorts of experiences my son will have someday with his children. Will the vast wilderness still exist for them to explore? It is likely that most of it will, but what I saw this summer reminded me that our forests are far more fragile than we often assume.

Nestled into our cabin just outside of the all-day/all-night carnival of Gatlinburg, TN the mountains seemed to be teeming with life, but 4,000 feet above a different scene played out. Standing tall upon the highest peaks of the Smoky Mountains resides the noble Fraser Fir. These trees thrive in conditions that few other trees could survive, but like the American Chestnut before it, nature has turned against it (will a little help from humanity). The slopes, once covered in a blanket of green, are now punctuated by thousands upon thousands of dead and dying trees.

The view from the Clingmans Dome clearly shows the ruin upon the mountain side. The tiny Balsam Woolly Adelgid (Adelges piceae Ratzeburg), a parasite accidentally brought over from Europe in the early 1900s has infected the fir trees, slowly destroying the population. Efforts have been underway for decades to save the trees but no solution has proven effective for solving the problem on such a massive scale. Sprays have shown that they can protect the trees, but only when applied liberally. Unfortunately it would be impossible to spray the entire forest. Other measures against the Adelgid involve bringing in beetles to feed upon them, but no significant impact has yet been observed.

As the Fraser Fir trees whither on the mountain tops a new threat has been creeping into the valleys. Across America the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae) a close cousin to the Balsam Woolly Adelgid has been spreading. It has taken hold along the eastern coast of the United States from Georgia to Maine and has spread inland as far as Tennessee and Kentucky. While the pest is native to eastern Asia and the western edge of the United States, the trees in those regions have adapted natural defenses to protect themselves. The Canadian/Eastern Hemlock and the Carolina Hemlock do not have the ability to fend off the pest and are killed within a few years.

Some groups, like the Friends of the Smokies and SaveOurHemlocks.Org are working hard to do what they can to protect the Hemlocks from the Adelgid threat. You can help by keeping your eyes open for possible infestations and contacting your state and county if you suspect anything. It is also important not to collect trees from the wild and bring them into your community. You could be spreading the pests without knowing it, even if the plant looks healthy at the time. For more information on how the treat trees on your property or ways to help visit the links below.

Resources:

National Parks Service - Great Smokey Mountains

National Parks Service - Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

SaveOurHemlocks.Org

FriendsOfTheSmokies.Org

US Dept of Agriculture - Forest Insect & Disease Leaflet 118 - Balsam Woolly Adelgid

How-not-to prune Understory Trees

In response to Wednesday's post at Dallas Trees, which defines the difference between large tree, canopy tree and small tree, I decided to share a few photos. Arborist Philip Erwin explains that some property owners have been known to disfigure non-canopy trees in an attempt to establish a canopy effect.

These photos are a perfect case study for such an attempt. The trees in topic are in fact Goldenrain Trees (click link for photos of what Goldenrain Trees should look like) that have been mutilated into what can only be described as Dr. Seuss Trees. While the trees may continue to live the aesthetic damage to them will be permanent. It is unfortunate that such damage is being done on a regular basis by uneducated people claiming to be professionals. (I will save the horrors of "tree topping" for another post.)

A Guide to Growing Trees from Grocery Store Fruit

Background: Why all this fruit?

Every time we visit the grocery store we pass by shelves loaded with fruit from trees without considering why a tree bothered to produce that fruit. It is not by chance that many trees bear fruit. Fruit takes a tremendous amount of energy to produce for an organism trying to survive in a competitive world. Fruit is produced for one simple reason alone, reproduction. The plant's goal is to produce offspring.

The fruit's role in tree reproduction differs slightly from plant to plant, but generally there are two reasons for it. The first reason is to protect the seeds. Many seeds are not ready to grow the moment they leave the tree. They rely on the fruit around them to protect from drying out and exposure to extreme temperatures. The second and primary reason for fruit is transportation. Trees can not get up and walk around so they have to develop clever ways move their seeds. Fruit can act as a bribe to those who are mobile. It is a way to hire animals to do the moving for them.

Selection: Grocery Store Trees

A lot of the fruit that you find in the grocery comes from trees.

Apples, Pears, Peaches, Cherries, Nectarines, Plums, Oranges, Grapefruit, Tangerines, Lemons, Limes, Pomegranates, Apricots and others all come from trees and can all be used to grow trees. The grower should be aware that the fruit from a seedling will not be identical to the fruit that the seed came from, just as you are not identical to your parents. The grower should also be aware of the tree's natural growing climate. While some trees may require tropical conditions all year, others will need a cold season to go dormant. Do a little research on your fruit and check your hardiness zone. If you want to get serious about growing tasty fruit from seeds I suggest visiting NAFEX, The North American Fruit Explorers.

Process: Preparing the seed

I have used this method to successfully grow trees from apples, cherries, and a variety of citrus including oranges, grapefruit, limes, and clementines (most clementines are seedless, but occasionally you find one that is not). This is not the only method for growing fruit trees, nor is it ideal for all fruit types, it is simply a method that I have developed that works well for me.

Step One: Select the fruit.

Pick out a piece of fruit that is ripe but not rotten. I have had the best luck with growing organic fruit and fruit from the farmer's market, but any should work.

Step Two: Gather seeds.
Remove the seeds from the fruit. (Children should request the assistance of an adult when using a knife.) Take care not to cut through any seeds. Damaged seeds should be discarded. Don't forget to eat the fruit!



Step Three: Clean the seeds.
Using a clean towel wipe away all fruit debris and rinse thoroughly.


Step Four: Soak the seeds.
Pour a glass of warm water an allow the seeds to soak overnight. If possible place the glass somewhere that is warm but not hot. (I usually leave the glass on my desk under an incandescent lamp) This process helps to wake up the seed and alert it to changes in its environment, it also helps to soak away any remaining fruit.

Step Five: Clean the Seeds again

Remove the seeds from the glass and rinse with clean water. Cleaning the seeds is the most important step because any left over fruit will mold and destroy the seed.

Step Six: Plant the seeds and watch them grow

Plant the seeds 1/4 inch deep in clean potting soil. Keep the soil moist but not wet. Place the pot in a sunny window. If it is summer place it outside and provide shade from full midday heat. Do not let your seedlings dry out. Once they have sprouted they are very vulnerable and need time to establish their roots. A lot of the growth that is occurring at this time is below the soil, so do not try to transplant them right away. Some trees may take years before they start to produce fruit and some may never produce fruit if the conditions are not right. In the meantime learn about your plant and be patient, the reward of eating and sharing fruit grown from your own tree will be worth it in the end.

These are a few of the trees that I started last year. Right now they are over wintering under my AeroGarden lamp. Next summer I will repot them and move them out into the sun.