Trees on Maine Street Bulletin

July/
August 2009

Two people walking between two trees and with a bicyclist and two birds flying

Trees on Maine Street Bulletin

What threatens our forest today?

The simple act of moving firewood has proven to be a
key factor in how pests are introduced to our forests. Just as 90 years ago people needed to be more careful with fire, today we all need to be more careful with firewood.

Change is not easy but
neither is dealing with the aftermath of invasive insects.

~ Charlene Donohue
Forest Entomologist,
Maine Forest Service

Image of white ash tree.

White Ash
(Fraxinus americana)
White ash is one of Maine’s most valuable timber trees and one of the 16 species of ash native to North America threatened by the emerald ash borer. Occasionally white ash also plays host to the Asian longhorned beetle. Lessons from epidemics such as the Dutch elm disease taught us that too many trees of any one species can spell disaster when it comes to invasive pests. Diversity in the urban and community forest will help ensure that if pests arrive, they won't cause the damage seen in the 1960' and '70's.

Geneticist Frank Santamour suggested the 10-20-30 rule, which states the following guidelines for planting: 1) plant no more than 10% of any species; 2) no more than 20% of any genus, and; 3) no more than 30% of any family. With pests like EAB and ALB on our doorstep, we should all consider these guidelines for future plantings.

The bark pattern of white ash resembles a woven basket; it is broken into broad, parallel ridges by deep furrows, and is dark brown. The leaves are opposite, 8–12 inches long and consist of 5–9 (usually 7) leaflets. In fall, they turn to a soft, velvety purple. The fruit is a single samara occurring in clusters.

The wood is hard, strong and tough. It is used for agricultural implements, tool handles, oars, furniture, interior finish, dowels, pulp and firewood, and sporting goods including baseball bats, hockey sticks and snowshoe frames.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.
-Chinese Proverb

Project Canopy
assists communities and nonprofit, grassroots organizations in building self-sustaining urban and community forestry programs with strong local support.

Maine Forest Service
Project Canopy

As we enjoy the height of the summer season so too do the invasive pests that pose immediate threats to our forest resources. Maine Forest Service entomologists are working diligently to educate the public about how to minimize the threats posed by three distinct pests: emerald ash borer, the Asian longhornbeetle and the hemlock woolly adelgid.

Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, is an exotic beetle that was discovered in southeastern Michigan near Detroit in the summer of 2002. The larvae feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients. Emerald ash borer probably arrived in the United States on solid wood packing material originating in its native Asia. Emerald ash borer is also established in Windsor, Ontario, was found in Ohio in 2003, northern Indiana in 2004, northern Illinois and Maryland in 2006, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia in 2007, Wisconsin, Missouri and Virginia in 2008, and Minnesota in the spring of 2009. Most recently, EAB was detected in Randolph, in the southwestern corner of New York.

While little can be done to stop the natural spread of these devastating pests, we can work together to limit the artificial spread. Encourage friends and family visiting Maine to purchase firewood locally, and limit transport of firewood to less than 50 miles. If firewood from out of state does find its way to Maine, burn all of it within 24 hours. If you have questions on insect and disease pests of trees, you can submit a clinic form directly on-line to the Maine Forest Service Insect and Disease Laboratory. Samples can also be mailed to 168 State House Station, Augusta, 04333-0168, or dropped off at the lab, located at 50 Hospital Street, Augusta. The Maine Forest Service is working to ensure that the trees and forest lands of Maine will continue to provide benefits for present and future generations of Maine people.

CONGRATULATIONS 2009 PROJECT CANOPY GRANT RECIPIENTS!

Maine’s Project Canopy recently awarded more than $100,000 to 19 communities to support local community forestry efforts. The Project Canopy Assistance Program is funded by a grant from the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Program, a national initiative designed to strengthen the connections between people and their environment.

Project Canopy assistance grants support sustainable community forestry management, increase awareness of the benefits of trees and forests, and improve the health and livability of communities through sound tree planting and maintenance. In 2009, there is a strong focus on planting trees as part of downtown revitalization efforts. Bath, Belfast, Belgrade, Dover-Foxcroft, Hampden, Machias, Madison, Milo, Old Orchard Beach and Waterville are among the communities committed to enhancing their most developed areas through sound tree planting.

In addition to supporting tree planting, Project Canopy awarded grants to Auburn, Bethel, Castine, Coastal Mountains Land Trust, Gray, Lewiston, Life Enrichment Advancing People (LEAP), Maine Sea Coast Mission and the Oxford County Soil and Water Conservation District to conduct town forest management planning, community tree maintenance, management and related education projects.

VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT FOR SURVEYING TREES

Get involved in the protection of our trees and forests! Volunteers are sought for surveying trees in your community for Asian longhorned beetle and emerald ash borer. As you enjoy walks throughout your town, keep an eye out for signs of invasive insects that may have come into the state on firewood, solid wood packing material or other wood products. These insects have been found in other parts of the country and are inadvertently being introduced to new areas. Please contact the Maine Forest Service Insect & Disease Laboratory at 287-2431 or email Charlene.donahue@maine.gov for more information on what to look for and how to survey and report your results.

The Maine Forest Service is working in conjunction with the Maine Department of Agriculture looking for invasive pests. This is just another other way to become involved.

COMMUNITY FOREST WORKSHOPS

A workshop for municipal officials, conservation commissioners, foresters and loggers, land trust members, and people interested in community forests will be held on October 16th in Bangor and October 23rd in Bath. The event will focus on how community forests can be acquired and managed to provide multiple benefits to town residents. A field trip to an area community forest will be part of the agenda. These workshops are sponsored by the Maine Association of Conservation Commissions, Maine Forest Service and Community Forest Collaborative. Look for final notice of this event, including registration information, in September.

TREE OWNER’S MANUAL AVAILABLE

The Tree Owner's Manual is now available to property owners seeking information about caring for one of the most valuable assets on their land-its trees. The USDA Forest Service created the Tree Owner's Manual to answer common questions about tree care, from planting, fertilizing, and pruning to troubleshooting signs of damage, injury, and disease. The manual also lists numerous organizations and sources of more information for keeping trees healthy and growing. The booklet is available in a simple black and white format that is easy to download and inexpensive to reproduce. The Forest Service will help organizations or businesses customize the cover of the manual with their own logo. To download a copy of the Tree Owner's Manual, or to request a customized version with a logo on the cover, visit the Tree Owner's Manual Web page.

2009-2010 MAINE REGISTER OF BIG TREES NOW AVAILABLE

The 2009-2010 edition of the Maine Register of Big Trees is now available online at: www.maine.gov/doc/mfs/projectcanopy. A print edition is also available. FMI contact: Loretta Huttman, Project Canopy Community Outreach Director (207) 623-2371.

BATH CITY ARBORIST HONORED WITH MAINSAIL AWARD

From the Times Record (Brunswick)

A quick glance through the list of Mainsail award winners over the past 29 years reads like a “Who’s Who” of Bath-area citizens who’ve made a lasting mark on the community. The award takes a broad view of civic involvement, and has led to the selection of many who contribute quietly, behind the scenes, without much fanfare or self promotion.

This year’s recipient, Tom Hoerth, is a case in point. As the city’s arborist, he’s a one-man forestry department. Hoerth admits he measures “success” by the infrequency of phone calls he gets — meaning, he’s very much on top of the job of pruning dead limbs and maintaining the health of trees in the city’s parks, so that complaints are few.

As the nomination letter resulting in Hoerth’s selection points out, Bath’s arborist defines his work in far broader terms than would be required by the typical job description for his line of work. A former classroom science teacher, Hoerth has made a point of introducing dozens upon dozens of Bath’s students to the inexhaustible and endlessly fascinating outdoor classroom to be found in nature.

Whether it’s having elementary school students plant Christmas trees that will be harvested in their senior year of high school to raise money for Project Graduation, or teaching middle school students how to do tree inventories in the city’s parks, Hoerth takes the concept of “stewardship” out of the realm of abstraction and makes it relevant to young people who will soon be finding their own place and role within a community. If not in Bath, then elsewhere, as they head out into the wide world.

As its name implies, the mainsail is the primary sail of a wind-powered vessel. It’s the sail that contributes most to the forward momentum of the sailing ship. It’s attached to the main mast, which, was shaped from a tree both tall and strong.
It’s a nice poetic touch that this year’s Mainsail Award recipient happens to be the arborist in the City of Ships. In Hoerth’s case, as his many educational endeavors illustrate, it seems fair to say that he’s always hitched his sail to the “tree of knowledge.” A worthy recipient, he is one of a long line of citizens engaged in the real work of building community.

DISTRICT FORESTER HELPS ESTABLISH LOCAL BIG TREE CONTEST

As a part of the local Arbor Week celebration in Farmington, the Farmington Conservation Commission has established a local “Big Tree” contest. Maine Forest Service District Forester Patty Cormier met with the Commission to help them set up the parameters, and the contest was announced during Arbor Week for Farmington residents. The contest is set up just like the long running statewide competition. The Conservation Commission is very excited about the competition as an avenue to get residents outside and exploring the trees around them. The word got out early about the contest and resulted in two calls for entries; one a Black walnut that could be both a town and state champion. Cormier will measure the nominated trees with the landowners, to verify dimensions to submit to the local and state lists, where appropriate. Visit the Project Canopy Big Tree webpage for more information.