About Forestry

Using Botanical Markers and Tree Characteristics for Tree Identification

2009-12-28T10:29:48Z

A tree identification manual with a key is certainly helpful during a tree's growing season but not as helpful during winter. Developing your overall observation skills and sizing up a tree will be invaluable during the dormant season even as the twig key is tucked away in your warm library. Get to know a tree and its parts, or "markers", and how these parts look in every season - especially in winter.

More on Botanical Markers and Tree Characteristics

More winter identification information:

Persistent Oak Leaves - Photo by Steve Nix

Using Botanical Markers and Tree Characteristics for Tree Identification originally appeared on About.com Forestry on Monday, December 28th, 2009 at 10:29:48.

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Hiring a Tree Service

2009-12-25T02:00:08Z

How to Hire a Tree Service

An all-purpose handyman driving around you're neighborhood in a pickup truck with a chainsaw may not be suitable for work demanding such a high level of responsibility, says About Landscaping Guide David Beaulieu. He also may not be bonded and with no insurance to protect either his service or your property.

David also insists you be wary of hiring tree services requesting payment in advance or who wish to begin work without having drawn up a free estimate of the cost. In fact, consumers should demand not only an estimate but also a written contract, laying out precisely what the tree limbing job entails and for how much.

Discussion: Should This Man Cut His Own Tree?

Hiring a Tree Service originally appeared on About.com Forestry on Friday, December 25th, 2009 at 02:00:08.

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Boots Preferred by Woodsmen

2009-12-22T01:23:49Z

"Your feet are the only two feet you got for your whole life and they will always be the ones who take you where you need to go. Treat them like kings because without them your face would be in the dirt." - Tyson Schultz, Oregon Logger

I ask a group of loggers and foresters several years ago what brand of boot they favored. I tallied their votes in a poll and have listed the top boots in order of popularity. Here are some great recommendations if you need a new pair of boots or plan to give a pair for Christmas.

Photo Courtesy Red Wing Boots

Boots Preferred by Woodsmen originally appeared on About.com Forestry on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 at 01:23:49.

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A Beginner eCourse on Using Your Holiday Chainsaw

2009-12-21T02:02:51Z

Chainsaws are being purchased and given as gifts over the holidays with very little thought to how they would be operated and with absolutely NO training. Acquainting yourself with a chainsaw before it is purchased (or rented) can save time and trouble and can make the experience much safer. Worry about getting the perfect power saw AFTER taking this beginners eCourse.

I've created lessons that break the chainsaw eCourse into four major content areas. The lessons will come to you in the form of a daily email newsletter. Take this eCourse, then get out and cut some wood...

A Beginner Chainsaw eCourse

A Beginner eCourse on Using Your Holiday Chainsaw originally appeared on About.com Forestry on Monday, December 21st, 2009 at 02:02:51.

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Avoiding Ice and Snow Damage to Trees

2009-12-19T04:13:08Z

You can avoid much of the tree damage a winter storm can bring by following a few tips I provide. Thoughtful planting of the correct tree and correct annual pruning can go a long way in protecting your landscape investment as well as your personal property.

Arkansas Ice Storm - Jim Zornes Photo

Avoiding Ice and Snow Damage to Trees originally appeared on About.com Forestry on Saturday, December 19th, 2009 at 04:13:08.

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How Much of a Tree is Actually Alive?

2009-12-18T05:29:44Z

Just 1% of a tree is actually alive and composed of "living" cells. Nearly all of every tree you see is composed of non-living tissue and very little of a tree's volume is "living" tissue. The major living or growing portion of a tree is a thin film or skin of cells just under the bark (called the cambium). Other living cells are in root tips, the apical meristem, leaves and buds.

The overwhelming portion of all trees is made up of non-living tissue created by a cambial-hardened wood cells on the inner cambial layer. Sandwiched between the outer cambial layer and the bark is the ongoing process of creating sieve tubes which transport food from leaves to roots.

Learn more about a tree and it's parts.

Angel Oak on John's Island, South Carolina - Photo by Steve Nix, Licensed to About.com

How Much of a Tree is Actually Alive? originally appeared on About.com Forestry on Friday, December 18th, 2009 at 05:29:44.

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AZ Trees Not EZ To Identify

2009-12-17T16:30:11Z

A poster from Arizona sent this great picture of six tree leaves in or near his yard. He needed to identify them so that they could be managed and protected from pests and adverse site conditions. This post on my Forestry Forum, called Tree or a Weed?, is a real test on our leaf identification skills. We would love your help if you recognize any of these trees.

AZ Trees Not EZ To Identify originally appeared on About.com Forestry on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 16:30:11.

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How Tree Diseases Are Spread

2009-12-16T08:47:22Z

Most tree diseases are transmitted using either a soil/root avenue or a wind/insect avenue. Some diseases can travel using either of these methods.

Insects and wind can carry many tree diseases from tree to tree (air-borne) if the condition of the tree provides a comfortable home for the pathogen. Soil-borne organisms move pathogens through the soil (water-borne), taken up by tree roots and spread by root grafts to other trees.

To prevent and control these diseases, you first have to identify the disease, then take measures to limit or remove the elements that provide disease transmission.

25 Common Tree Diseases

American Chestnut Blight, USFS/FIDL Photo

How Tree Diseases Are Spread originally appeared on About.com Forestry on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at 08:47:22.

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Woodsy Owl Creator Dies at 90

2009-12-14T09:27:04Z

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:

Original Woodsy Owl Image

Woodsy Owl Creator Dies at 90 originally appeared on About.com Forestry on Monday, December 14th, 2009 at 09:27:04.

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How to Manage and ID Norfolk-island Pine

2009-12-12T03:50:22Z

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}

How to Manage and ID Norfolk-island Pine originally appeared on About.com Forestry on Saturday, December 12th, 2009 at 03:50:22.

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