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WE EXTEND OUR SINCERE CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILIES AND LOVED ONES OF THE 19 BRAVE FIREFIGHTERS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES BATTLING THE YARNELL HILL FIRE ON JUNE 30, 2013 IN YARNELL, ARIZONA.
MAY THEY REST IN PEACE.
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3rd Quarter, 2013 - In This Issue:
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 | 2013 Arbor Day Celebration Group Photo.
Photo Credit: Josh Hudson, AZSF |
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FREMONT COTTONWOOD
Populus fremontii
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Photo Credit: David Thornburg
National Champion Fremont Cottonwood.
Location: Skull Valley, AZ
Circumference: 557 Inches
Height: 102 Feet
Crown Spread: 150 Feet |
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The Fremont Cottonwood (also known as Western or Gila Cottonwood) is a rapidly growing riparian tree native to the US. It is typically found at low altitudes throughout the Southwest and California. It is a recommended tree for revegetating areas where invasive saltcedar has been removed.
FUN FACT: The Fremont Cottonwood is named after its discoverer, General John Charles Fremont (1813-1890). General Fremont was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States in 1856.
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TREE CARE TIP OF THE QUARTER
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ITS LIKE AN OVEN OUTSIDE. DOES MY TREE NEED MORE WATER?
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Now that summer is upon us and days over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of the state are common, we need to be conscious of watering our trees.
During the summer months, plants can use 5 times as much water as they do during the winter. It is imperative that you adjust your watering schedule to water once a week.
Remember, native and arid adapted plants require much less water and might require no supplemental watering at all.
Signs of under-watering:
- Soil is dry
- Leaves turn yellow/brown
- Leaves droop, wilt, or curl
- Leaves drop off the tree
The diagram below displays basic plant water use throughout the year:
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 | Plant water use throughout the year.
Artwork: John C. Richardson |
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TREE INSECT OF THE QUARTER
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PALO VERDE ROOT BORER
Derobrachus geminatus
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Adult Palo Verde Root Borer.
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The Palo Verde Root Borer is definitely one of those insects that will give you the CREEPS.
Commonly mistaken as a cockroach, this insect spends its larval (grub) stage underground reaching 5 inches in length and attacks the roots of many desert trees including palo verde. Once the summer rains occur, it emerges from a 1 inch wide hole as the black beetle we are used to seeing. Adult beetles can reach up to 3.5 inches long.
There is no urgent need to manage this insect. The best practice is to properly care for your trees as this insect typically targets those that are stressed. Keeping your patio lights off at night will also help prevent this beetle from giving you an unexpected visit.
FUN FACTS:
They are great flyers as they fly around as adults to find mates.
Roadrunners and coyotes are two common predators.
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WHAT CAN TREES DO FOR YOU?
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Every year, one acre of trees absorbs enough carbon to offset the emissions of a car driving 26,000 miles!
Want your home to be worth more money?! Trees have been known to increase property values by up to 37%!
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TREE QUOTE OF THE QUARTER
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"Someone's sitting it the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."
-Warren Buffett
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What do you think of our newsletter? How are we doing? We would love to hear what you think.
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State Foresters Office
1110 West Washington, Suite 100
Phoenix, Arizona 85007-2935
Phone: 602-771-1400
www.azsf.gov
Flagstaff District
3650 Lake Mary Rd.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Phone: 928-774-1425
Phoenix District
2901 W. Pinnacle Peak Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85027
Phone: 623-445-0274
Tucson District
3237 E. 45th St.
Tucson, AZ 85713
Phone: 520-628-5480
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Smokey with students at Granada Primary School in Phoenix, AZ
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The shifting of the seasons from spring to summer brings to Arizona the typical high temperatures we expect, which will soon be followed by the monsoon rains. Arizona residents and visitors become especially grateful for the cooler forests in the high country and the shaded pathways provided by our hard-working urban forests during this time of year. Arizona's urban forests contribute to communities in a variety of ways - creating wildlife habitat, providing shade, improving air quality, slowing stormwater runoff, and improving community livability. Did you know that approximately 6,016 square miles of Arizona land are classified as "urban" or "community"? The USDA Forest Service estimates that this area alone supports approximately 47.2 million trees.
The Arizona UCF Program has a couple of projects underway that are aiming to quantify the benefits and environmental services of these urban forests. In May, we completed tree sampling across 210 random points in the City of Phoenix with our partners (City of Phoenix and Davey Resource Group). Data collected will be analyzed with air quality data provided by the Maricopa County Air Quality Department, and final results are expected this fall. We are also currently working on a statewide initiative that will combine urban forest inventories completed in communities throughout the state. This project is just getting started, but we hope to have some initial results available in mid-2014. Stay tuned!
So as the temperatures creep upward and you begin day-dreaming of spending your days floating on the water or lounging in the hammock under the shady tree, remember that this is also Arizona's peak fire season (typically May through September). Fires in Arizona can seriously impact our wildland urban interface areas. There are many ways that communities can prepare for and protect themselves from fires; and the Firewise program provides helpful preventative information for property owners and community leaders. About eighty-five percent of fires in Arizona are caused by people; as you plan your recreational activities for the summer, please remember Smokey Bear's messages. Take some time to visit www.smokeybear.com for a fire prevention refresher.
We hope you have a wonderful and safe summer!
--Alix
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FIRST COMMUNITY INVENTORIED IN MULTI-STATE
i-TREE ECO PROJECT
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DRG technicians measure a plot in a natural area within the City of Phoenix.
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Throughout the month of May, the Arizona UCF Program completed an inventory of 210 random plots throughout the City of Phoenix with our partners Davey Resource Group (DRG) and the City of Phoenix. Technicians were in the field collecting data ranging from tree species and height to land use and ground cover. The data collected in each plot will contribute to a multi-state project funded by the USDA Forest Service that utilizes i-Tree Eco to provide critical links to ecosystem services provided by our community forests.
This project aims to meet the following goals:
1. Produce community forest assessments in four (4) targeted municipalities that quantify current ecosystem services being provided (including improved air quality, energy conserved, carbon sequestered, and much more);
2. Develop and implement municipal goals, planning tools and community forest strategies (planning, development and management) that are recognized by environmental regulators as mitigating factors for air quality;
3. Develop planning tools and outreach materials and use these tools through traditional and non-traditional partnership forums to increase awareness and develop similar projects and efforts throughout the Southwest and the United States.
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DRG technicians measure a plot along a busy Phoenix road.
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With the data collected in the project, we hope to improve the urban forest, environmental health and community livability. The partnering communities next in line to be inventoried are El Paso, TX; Las Cruces, NM and Albuquerque, NM.
i-Tree is a state-of-the-art, peer-reviewed software suite from the USDA Forest Service that provides urban and community forestry analysis and benefits assessment tools. i-Tree helps communities of all sizes to strengthen their urban forest management and advocacy efforts by quantifying the environmental services that trees provide and assessing the current structure of the urban forest.
John C. Richardson is an ISA Certified Arborist and the Editor of Urban Tree Talk. He is currently a Forest Program Specialist at the Arizona State Forestry - State Forester's Office in Phoenix, AZ. He can be reached at 602-771-1420.
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THE ARBORETUM AT FLAGSTAFF RECEIVES RECOGNITION FOR THEIR LONG-TERM DEDICATION TO "GREEN" HEATING SYSTEMS
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The Arboretum at Flagstaff Greenhouse.
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The Arboretum at Flagstaff recently received a plaque from the Biomass Thermal Energy Council, in recognition for their use of a wood pellet boiler in heating their greenhouse. Installed in 2003, the boiler uses wood heating pellets to heat the 1,070 sq. ft. greenhouse year-long, but especially in the winter months. The wood pellets are made from compressed wood chips which are dried to specific levels prior to the pelletizing process. Coincidentally, the wood heating pellets that fuel the boiler at The Arboretum are manufactured in Show Low, AZ, using wood chips from the by-products of forest improvement activities in the White Mountain Region of Arizona.
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Facilities Manager, Dee James, stands next to the wood pellet boiler owned by The Arboretum at Flagstaff.
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Dedicated to using renewable heating sources, The Arboretum at Flagstaff commissioned the boiler in 2003, with support from the US Forest Service and Arizona State Forestry. While the fuel source is identical to the wood heating pellets used in residential applications, the capacity of the boiler system is much larger to accommodate the heating needs of The Arboretum's greenhouse.
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Assistant Director, Elizabeth Vogler and Facilities Manager, Dee James in front of the Green Heat Registered Site plaque from the Biomass Thermal Energy Council.
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The recently awarded plaque from the Biomass Thermal Energy Council, identifies The Arboretum at Flagstaff as a non-industrial institution that has committed to using renewable energy. With the awarding of the plaque, The Arboretum at Flagstaff is now part of the Green Heat Registered Site program. At the time of participating in the program, The Arboretum was only the fourth site in the nation to receive the distinction.
The Arboretum at Flagstaff opened for the summer season on May 1 and visitors are welcome Wednesday through Sunday between 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Do not delay because The Arboretum's summer season ends October 31. Additional information can be found online at the Arboretum's website; www.thearb.org
Patrick Rappold is the Utilization and Marketing Specialist at the Arizona State Forestry - Flagstaff District Office. He can be reached at 928-774-1425.
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WARMER WEATHER AND COTTON ROOT ROT IN ARIZONA
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Photo Credit: Mary Olsen, University of Arizona
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Cotton Root Rot or Texas Root Rot, Phymatotrichopsis omnivora
(also known as, Phymatotrichum omnivorum), is a soil-borne fungus that rots the roots of a wide range of susceptible plants and mature trees. It is perhaps most known for attacking cotton; thus its common name. It is found in most soils in central, southern and western Arizona. Susceptibility mainly depends on the soil's previous exposure to the fungus and new fungus spread. For this reason landscape plants may be at a greater risk in areas developed over heavily infested agriculture fields, such as atop a former cotton field. The fungus mainly occurs at elevations below 5,000 feet, is typically found in relatively small areas, and is often distributed in and around river basins and washes. When temperatures increase, infected trees will rapidly wilt and die while dying leaves remain attached to the tree. Healthy plants at colder temperatures will decline more slowly. Other surrounding trees may also exhibit similar decline. Identification of Cotton Root Rot, which should be done by an expert because of the difficulty in diagnoses, is critical to determining the survivability of surrounding trees.
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Know of any upcoming events? Have any suggestions for future
topics/newsletter articles? Know someone who would like to receive this newsletter?
Please email the Editor at
Urban & Community Forestry Staff
Alix Rogstad - Program Manager -
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this
institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)
Arizona State Forestry Mission - Manage and reduce wildfire risk to Arizona's people, communities, and wildland areas and provide forest resource stewardship through strategic implementation of forest health policies and cooperative forestry assistance programs.
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Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved.
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