Harold Bell, the primary creator of the United States Forest Service character Woodsy Owl, died in Los Angeles on December 4th. Bell, along with two USFS Rangers, came up with the concept of a plump owl mascot and presented the cartoon bird at the first Earth Day in 1970.

In 1974, Congress passed Public Law 93-318 (Woodsy Owl Act) which recognized the image: "The term Woodsy Owl means the name and representation of a fanciful owl, who wears slacks (forest green when colored), a belt (brown when colored) and a Robin Hood-style hat (forest green when colored) with a feather (red when colored), and who furthers the slogan 'Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute.'"

One USFS expert reports that Woodsy Owl is recognized by more than 80 percent of American households and has become a leading symbol for environmental protection and improvement.

More leaf information:

• Harold Bell, a Creator of Woodsy Owl, Is Dead at 90 - The New York Times
• 70's Woodsy Owl PSA Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute - YouTube

Original Woodsy Owl Image

You might want to consider this coniferous tree as your next house plant. I have had several and used one several years back as my Christmas tree. I love Norfolk Island Pine or Araucaria heterophylla and have had one growing in my home for years. There are a few tricks to growing it successfully so read my management feature.

Extension Nursery Specialist Dr. Leonard Perry says: "If you want to invest in a houseplant with a future, buy a Norfolk Island pine. It requires minimal care, and because it grows slowly will remain small and attractive for many years indoors."

Horticulturist Rosie Lerner says: "The Norfolk Island pine has grown in popularity as a live indoor Christmas tree. Its lush green twigs of soft needles provide a lovely backdrop for festive holiday ornaments."

_{Norfolk Pine Photo - Wikimedia Commons/Kurt Steuber}

Trees biologically adapt themselves to wind and ice if these destructive agents are part of an average annual growing season. Under normal weather conditions, trees sway in the wind and these movements strengthen the woody material developing the stem and limbs.

Abnormal weather conditions and storms are what damages and (directly or indirectly) kills many trees. There is just no way to protect all trees from all types of storm damage. Trees simply are not adapted to survive worst-case storms. Storm damage to trees usually comes in six ways - via blow-down, stem failure, crown twist, root failure, branch failure and lightning strike. Here are ways to minimize the damage from each of these types of tree storm damage.

USFS Illustration

May and Tom Watts' Winter Tree Finder is one of the best pocket-sized tree keys available for deciduous winter tree identification east of Rocky Mountains. I teach a course using this book as the key that supplements my winter tree identification instruction manual. Sixty-two pages are crammed full of tips and profusely illustrated with twigs and fruit that help in identifying over 200 of North America's most common native hardwoods in winter dormancy.

More Tree ID Books:

• Tree Finder - A Manual for the Identification of Trees by Their Leaves
• Audubon Field Guides to North American Trees

Cover Photo: Winter Tree Finder