Relax: The Solution to Cicadas and Trees

Posted on May 13, 2013 by


The hype is everywhere: We are being invaded by 17 year cicadas which emerge from the ground by the thousands every 17 years.The cicada nymphs hang out in trees, shrubs, and other plants, and then molt into adulthood. Adult males congregate in loud choruses, and fly together in search of females.

Should you be concerned about damage to your trees? Yes and no. The cicadas will feed on your tree’s leaves (see photo above by Steve Young) and egg laying by mated females does damage tree bark. The female cicada excavates a channel in small twigs or branches and deposits her eggs in the slit, effectively splitting the branch open. The ends of affected branches will brown and wilt. For most trees, there is no need to be concerned. The tree will look damaged for the rest of the growing season, but will bounce back next year. What to do?

Relax. Don’t spray insecticide. Marvel at the wonder of the spectacle of millions of cicadas visiting us. Your trees will survive as most trees have, for hundreds of prior visits by cicadas over the years. Continue reading →

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Tree Canopy Fund Accepting New Applications

Posted on May 7, 2013 by
The trees are planted for you - and the children do the watering.

The trees are planted for you – and the children do the watering.

Arlington County is offering a deal to homeowners that looks too good to be true. But don’t let that fool you: It is a great deal and county homeowners should jump on it!  It’s called the Tree Canopy Fund and it’s run by Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment and the Arlington County Urban Forestry Commission. Land developers in Arlington bankroll the TCF. The money is used to buy young trees and pay for their installation on the property of participating homeowners.

ACE encourages homeowners to apply as a group, such as through a civic association, homeowner’s association, or church or synagogue. Applications from individuals not affiliated with a group will also be accepted. Contact your civic association president or neighborhood list serve to find out whom to get in touch with to put in your request for a tree. If no one is coordinating the effort, take the opportunity to spearhead it yourself. Register at: http://www.arlingtonenvironment.org/community-action/trees/

And get the word out to your neighbors to put in their requests.

For a detailed description of the site needs for each of the 35 tree species offered, go to: http://www.arlingtonenvironment.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tree-Canopy-Fund-Species-Available-2013.pdf

And finally, if you have any questions, contact ACE at trees@arlingtonenvironment.org

The Tree Canopy Fund is an innovative way to boost the county’s tree canopy, which has been in decline for decades. Over the past 30 years, more than 3,000 acres of county land went from heavy tree cover of over 50 percent to low tree cover of less than 20 percent due in large part to vigorous real estate development and severe storm events. Continue reading →

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Beautiful Trees: Reevesland White Oak

Posted on May 3, 2013 by
White Oak on historic Reevesland property in Arlington. Photo by Dennis Dimick

White Oak on historic Reevesland property in Arlington. Photo by Dennis Dimick

 

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2013 TreeSteward Graduates Setting Down Roots

Posted on May 3, 2013 by
New TreeStewards learned the art of pruning during class

New TreeStewards learned the art of pruning during class

Removing infestations of invasive weeds like bamboo and English ivy, leveraging the efforts of county workers to prune trees on public lands and disseminating information to local residents about the proper care of trees are some of the main goals of the 2013 graduating class of TreeStewards.

On April 24, 15 Arlington, Alexandria and Falls Church residents marked the completion of their 14-week training with a graduation ceremony at the Fairlington Community Center on S. Stafford Street.

TreeStewards, which began operating in 2001, now has 64 active member volunteers. The mission of the group is to advocate for trees.

Members are required to complete the training class for a minimal fee. The class covers such topics as basic tree care, proper planting and pruning techniques, tree identification and tree protection during construction.
TreeStewards are required to volunteer 30 hours a year in the service of trees.

Training classes are offered annually in early spring.

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Majestic Tree Recognition in Arlington County

Posted on April 28, 2013 by
Champion Nyssa sylvatica (Black gum) gracing a house on 8th St. S

Champion Nyssa sylvatica (Black gum) gracing a house on 8th St. S

Arlington County has a number of programs designed to recognize its most outstanding trees, for the purposes of rewarding owners for maintaining them, encouraging owners to continue to do so, and for generally increasing public awareness of trees for their beauty and their benefits to the environment. Tree Steward John Wingard works with the County primarily on the Notable Tree Program through the Arlington Beautification Committee. He prepared the attached summary of these programs for a recent Tree Steward class, and it is posted on this website for future reference by Tree Stewards and the public.

In addition, Arlington County Forester Vincent Verveij recently developed an interactive map of the County’s current Champion, Notable and Significant Trees. This is a very handy tool for Tree Stewards and the public to easily identify recognized trees in their respective areas. It will assist in identifying whether a tree is already recognized in some way before it is nominated for Champion or Notable Tree status.  Find the map at http://gis.arlingtonva.us/gallery/index.html, and it’s the fourth map in the rows.

If a tree on the map has been removed or severely damaged for whatever reason, that fact should be noted when the map is next updated. Therefore, if a Tree Steward notices that such an event has occurred, you are urged to notify John Wingard at jamanwin at Comcast dot net, or Vincent Verweij at Vverweij@arlingtonva.us

For a complete description of the Champion, Notable and Speciment tree designations read more Continue reading →

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Tree Canopy Fund Education: April 29 & May 11, 2013

Posted on April 18, 2013 by
Your selected tree is planted free of charge by professionals.

Your selected tree is planted free of charge by professionals.

If you live in Arlington, you can have a shade tree planted in your yard, condo, apartment building, or other private property for FREE. Select from more than 30 native tree species provided through the Tree Canopy Fund.  The fund is administered by ACE and the Arlington County Urban Forestry Commission. Proposals for the 2013 grant cycle are due Friday, June 21 and all groups must register online before submitting a proposal. Details are available at http://arlingtonenvironment.org/community-action/trees/

This year, TreeStewards and Master Gardeners are offering two free, programs to assist applicants in selecting the best tree for their sites:

Tree Canopy Fund Information Session. Monday, April 29, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Fairlington Community Center, 3308 S. Stafford Street, Arlington. This program will provide an overview of the tree canopy fund application process and a presentation by the TreeStewards with guidance on how to select the best tree for the space.

Tree Selection Guidelines.      Saturday, May 11, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Fairlington Community Center, 3308 S. Stafford Street, Arlington. This program conducted by Virginia Cooperative Extension will provide information on tree selection and a guided tree walk. Please register to attend by calling the Master Gardener Help Desk at 703- 228- 6414 or email to mgarlalex@gmail.com. Program will be conducted rain or shine.

Both educational sessions are open to anyone interested in how to select a tree, but the actual trees are only provided to Arlington residents.

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Trees Endangered: Millennium Project at Arlington National Cemetery

Posted on March 25, 2013 by
Citizens showed up to tour the site where trees will be removed on March 13, 2013

Citizens showed up to tour the site where trees will be removed on March 13, 2013

By TreeSteward Christina Campanella

At the edge of a steep drop off in the northwestern portion of Arlington National Cemetery a group of TreeStewards, Master Naturalists and other community activists from Arlington and around the region stared grimly at the forested area just across the chasm. There stood Arlington House Woods, one of the – if not the – last old-growth forests in Northern Virginia. Many of the trees in Arlington Woods, which is adjacent to the cemetery and under the control of the National Park Service, are more than 230 years old.

These old-growth trees will remain standing. But hundreds of younger trees  — that grew up after being clear cut in the Civil War and have served as buffers to their old-growth cousins — will be felled to make room for new burial grounds. As the group gazed at the thick wall of leafless trees, Army Col. Victoria Bruzese, the cemetery’s chief engineer, extolled the virtues of the Millennium Project, an ambitious expansion of the military cemetery, the iconic final resting place for those who served and died for their country.

The project, as proposed, would result in the felling of 732 living native trees that local conservationists say serve as a buffer around Arlington Woods and its old growth trees. “These trees are irreplaceable in our lifetime,” says Joan Maloof, founder and executive director of the Old Growth Forest Network, an information and tree advocacy group based in Quantico, Md.

These woods are ideal habitat for birds and wildlife. Red tailed hawk photo by Steve Young

These woods are ideal habitat for birds and wildlife. Red tailed hawk photo by Steve Young

Continue reading →

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