Got Nature? Blog

Posted on April 28th, 2015 in Urban Forestry | No Comments »

Trees are a major part of our community environment. Although trees have been an important part of human settlements throughout history, only recently has their full value to cities and towns been recognized. Trees and green spaces play an important role in improving city living conditions and more importantly, our quality of life.

FNR Extension has a wide variety of resources to help you receive the benefits of trees.

These resources include:
– lowering annual heating and cooling costs for homes and businesses.
– planting trees for windbreaks in open areas.
– prevent soil erosion.
– improving urban drainage systems.
– improving air pollution.
– how hospital and nursing home patients benefit from trees.
– increasing wildlife.
– how trees can add to and increase real estate.
– how trees improve economic value.

Trees provide as many environmental, aesthetic, and monetary benefits as there are communities. View Urban Forestry and Arboriculture.

Check out our FNR Videos which include:
Urban Forestry at Purdue University
Underhand Chop Demonstration
Springpole

Free publication downloads at The Education Store, Purdue Extension Resource Center. Includes:
Tree Installation: Process and Practices
Tree Pruning Essentials
Trees and Storms

Additional Resources:

Indiana Arborist Association (IAA)

The Indiana Arborist Association (IAA) strives to enhance the quality of life for Indiana residents by encouraging the planting, maintenance and preservation of trees. IAA seeks to do this by increasing public awareness of the benefits provided by well maintained trees, and promoting the advantages of working with qualified professional arborists who use current industry standards. IAA endeavors to efficiently serve the needs of its members by fostering opportunities for training and the exchange of ideas, and encouraging high ethical standards among its members and in the industry at large.​

To find an arborist near you, verify credentials and where to find more information on trees view:

International Society of Arboriculture (ISA)

Through research, technology, and education, the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) promotes the professional practice of arboriculture and fosters a greater worldwide awareness of the benefits of trees.

US Forest Service Webinars

The US Forest Service is a multi-faceted agency that manages and protects 154 national forests and 20 grasslands in 44 states and Puerto Rico. The agency’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.

Faculty and staff in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR) are engaged in environmental planning around the state. Extension programs help managers and decision-makers improve Indiana’s natural resource management and environmental planning. We deliver programs to help communities consider how to plan for their unique and life-sustaining environmental resources and provide education and technical assistance to plan commissions. Programs are developed and delivered in collaboration with the Purdue Extension Community Development Program and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant. Some of the programs FNR faculty and extension staff have developed in collaboration with our partners include:

American Citizen Planner – Indiana (ACP-IN)

American Citizen Planner – Indiana provides training to Indiana citizen planners who currently serve or plan to serve on area or advisory plan commissions. The program features 31 topics detailing core planning theories, practices, and processes. A comprehensive assessment and four virtual training events reinforce the content learned in the units. The program is hosted by a local Purdue Extension educator for either a county or a region.

Conservation Through Community Leadership (CCL)

Communities face many challenges, and many of these are their natural resources. The Conservation through Community Leadership program serves as a roadmap for communities tackling complex land use and natural resource management challenges. The program provides information, tools, and resources to help communities work with diverse stakeholders.

Enhancing the Value of Public Spaces (EVPS)

The Purdue University Extension program, Enhancing the Value of Public Spaces, addresses public spaces and their role in enhancing the quality of place by helping regions, communities and neighborhoods plan and prepare for a sustainable future. The Indiana-based curriculum is designed for use by decision makers and local leaders with oversight and management of community public spaces such as parks boards and planning commission members, public officials and their staff and members of organizations whose missions provide services related to programs or management of public spaces. The program provides a framework for collecting data on community assets and using that data to plan public spaces improvements.

Green Infrastructure and Hazard Mitigation

Communities face several challenges and complex decisions related to natural hazards, which are increasingly exacerbated by climate change. The program supports a collaborative community planning approach to evaluate the relevance and effectiveness of existing community policies and to identify goals, motivations, and barriers for hazard mitigation planning, focusing on water resources, flooding, and green infrastructure.

Land Use

The Purdue University Land Use Team provides research-based resources and educational programs for Extension professionals, government officials, citizen planners, and residents on land use issues impacting their communities. Land Use Team efforts are underpinned by a timely and rigorous professional development system that prepares Purdue Extension professionals to effectively serve on Plan Commissions.

Rainscaping Education Program

Rainscaping is a combination of sustainable landscape design and management practices that prevents polluted runoff from reaching water bodies — directing stormwater to be absorbed by plants and soils. The program provides training and resources on rainscaping practices that can be installed in residential settings or small-scale public spaces projects.

Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy for Community Planning brings resources for general renewable energy, solar and wind. This includes: community planning guidebooks for renewable energy, solar development, landowner leasing for solar, qualifications for a wind lease, wind farm impact statements and much more.

Sustainable Communities

Extension programs that support sustainable community development strategies are available to communities throughout Indiana. These support decision makers with evaluating, prioritizing, and implementing sustainability strategies for their communities.

Manufacturing and Marketing Eastern hardwood Lumber Produced by Thin Kerf Band Mills​This full-color, soft-cover book brings together a lifetime of sawmill experience and technical training to help readers solve lumber manufacturing problems and save money. It includes chapters on wood quality and characteristics, softwood lumber grading, logs for fine face veneer, wood residues and potential markets, sales techniques and more. It is a comprehensive reference guide for those who manufacture and market Eastern hardwood lumber in the United States. While it’s written for owners of small, home-based lumber mills, the information is also useful for traditional lumber manufacturers.The author has spent 30 years in close association with both the hardwood lumber and veneer-producing industries, as well as with the users of hardwood products. He has participated in hundreds of plant visits, organized and conducted many educational seminars and written extensively.

This 380-page book was produced in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service.

View sample pages of the book or place an order through The Education Store, Manufacturing and Marketing Eastern hardwood Lumber Produced by Thin Kerf Band Mills.

Resources
Lumber from Hardwood Trees, The Education Store
The Education Store, Purdue Extension Resource Center (Find apps, publications, videos and much more)

​​Daniel Cassens, Professor of Wood Products
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University

Posted on April 27th, 2015 in Forestry, Urban Forestry | No Comments »

Question: I just finished cutting down the last of my backyard oaks due to oak wilt. I have also lost several redbuds due to verticillium wilt. I would like to replant a tree in the spot where the oaks and redbuds were, but I would like some advice on the most resistant tree I can find. I live in Crown Point, IN, primarily clay, on a slope, with heavy brush on my property lines. I know most people would say NEVER plant again once wilt has been detected, but I thought I might ask before giving up (and moving all my shade plants). Do you have information/research on an appropriate and sturdy replacement shade tree?

Response: In general, replanting of oaks in an old oak wilt disease center does not result in disease occurrence in the replanted trees. Root grafts are not thought to form with the dead, diseased oaks. It does not appear that the fungus is transmitted outside the primary phases of transmission: vector-borne via insects (e.g., Nitidulidae) and xylem-limited disease spread via live root grafts of infected trees (MacDonald et al., 2009). This does not mean, of course, that the young oak trees are immune to oak wilt as they grow and age over time; rather, it simply means that oak wilt is not sitting dormant in the soil waiting to attack newly planted or germinated oak seedlings.

Thus, it is only through insect spread from active oak wilt centers in the vicinity that disease would occur in replanted oaks. Healthy oak trees are not susceptible to oak wilt in an infected area. Bur oak, white oak and other members of the white oak family are resistant to the fungus and can be planted in oak wilt centers. For additional prevention measures, plant tree species other than oaks to guarantee no infection from the disease.

Resources
Oak Wilt, The Education Store
Diseases in Hardwood Tree Plantings, The Education Store
Tree Installation: Process and Practices, The Education Store
Forest Health Problems Impacting Indiana Forest Resources​, Indiana Department of Natural Resources

Lindsey Purcell, Urban Forestry Specialist
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

Commercial Greenhouse and Nursery Production: Alternative Options for Invasive Landscape Plants​Ornamental plants provide many environmental and ecological benefits to landscapes and urban areas. They can be aesthetically pleasing, reduce stormwater runoff, lower carbon dioxide and pollutants, alleviate the urban “heat island” effect and provide habitats to pollinators, birds and mammals. And in the last 20 years, consumers and the general public have become much more aware of these benefits. The urban environment is different than most locations in a plant’s native range. It is an ecosystem unlike any other due to extreme environmental pressures, so landscapers and homeowners must use a wide range of plant material that will survive in these unique and often harsh environments. Horticulturalists have continued to discover and introduce plants to broaden the plant palette. Unfortunately, a few of these landscape species can escape into wild areas and create ecological problems in unintended areas such as forests and woodlands. In Indiana, a few frequently used landscape plant species have invaded these natural areas and are displacing native species.

For these reasons, the green industry must begin to produce and use different landscape plants that can replace the invasive species. This publication lists potential alternatives to some of the most notorious and damaging invasive plants in Indiana.

For a free download of the full publication, visit Commercial Greenhouse and Nursery Production: Alternative Options for Invasive Landscape Plants.

Resources
Native Trees of the Midwest, The Education Store
Shrubs and Woody Vines of Indiana and the Midwest, The Education Store
FNR/Purdue Extension YouTube Video Playlist, Asian Bush Honeysuckle, Burning Bush and Multiflora Rose
Purdue Plant & Pest Diagnostic Laboratory (PPDL) (Send in samples or photos)

Lindsey Purcell​, Chapter Executive Director/Certificate Liaison
Indiana Arborist Association

Rosie Lerner, Horticulturist
Retired

Posted on April 23rd, 2015 in Forestry, How To, Urban Forestry | No Comments »

The Community & Urban Forestry’s Tree Steward Program is designed for homeowners, tree board members, municipal employees, community members, volunteers, students, Master Gardeners and anyone that has an interest in learning more about trees and giving back to their community forest.

Trainers include City Foresters, Certified Arborists, Foresters, Purdue Extension Agents, District Conservationists and other natural resource professionals.

Participants gain knowledge on a variety of community forestry and tree care-related topics, ideas on how to share their knowledge in their communities and an introduction to local and state tree care professionals.

Topics include:

  • The Scoop on Soils
  • How Does a Tree Grow? (Tree Physiology)
  • Tree Identification
  • The Right Tree for the Right Place (Tree selection and placement)
  • Proper Tree Planting
  • Caring for Your Trees
  • Threats to Trees: Pests and Disease Diagnosis
  • Pruning Do’s & Don’ts
  • Identifying Tree Defects
  • Benefits of the Urban Forest
  • Why Urban Woodlots are Important
  • Volunteer Opportunities

For more information, take a look at the Tree Stewards Handout​ or the Tree Stewards Brochure.

When: Thursday, May 28 and Friday, May 29, 2015, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Where: Hayes Arboretum, Nature Center, 801 Elks Rd., Richmond, IN 47374
Cost: $30, includes lunch and refreshments
Registration: Deadline to register is May 21, 2015. Register online using the Indiana DNR events registration form.

Resources
​​Plant For The Sun – Choose, Plant Trees Wisely for Energy Efficiency, Got Nature?
Indiana’s Urban Woodlots, The Education Store
Indiana Community Tree Selection Guide, Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Indiana Department of Natural Resources

Lindsey Purcell​, Urban Forestry Specialist
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University​

Posted on April 22nd, 2015 in Urban Forestry | No Comments »

​Question: ​Weeping willow, six years old and 9″ diameter. Wet, clay ground and thriving. Late last summer, I noticed the leaves were dead suddenly, and the bark on the trunk was completely loose and falling off. No other trees or shrubs within 50 feet (black walnut, sycamore, maple or rose of Sharon) were affected. No obvious sign of insects, boring, trails, worms, etc. What happened?

Answer: When a tree starts to lose leaves, especially in the spring when they should be expanding for the new growing season, it can be puzzling. Often, this is a sign of trouble that can be caused by biotic or abiotic issues but not always a major cause for alarm. The dropping leaves can be a symptom of foliar diseases which weakens the tree, or it could be the results of an insect pest feeding on the petioles of the leaves. There are many pests which can cause leaf drop.

Another possible cause is the response to abiotic disorders which is typically a complex of issues. Leaf drop can occur on trees that have been exposed to prolonged wetness in heavy, clay soils. Some tree species like wet soils but not prolonged wetness without drainage. If trees are exposed to continual wetness, their roots can become diseased and cause the leaf drop. Additionally, it has been noted that trees that were planted improperly, especially if planted too deep, can result in several physiological issues such as decline and dieback.

If trees reveal symptoms of premature fall color, yellowing of leaves or unusual leaf drop, it may be necessary to send in a sample for diagnosis. The Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory (PPDL) provides this service by a very capable team of pathologists, entomologists and extension specialists to analyze plant issues in the landscape. This is an inexpensive approach to investigate the issues and lead to the best possible curative measures. Protocol for submitting plant samples can be found on the PPDL website.

Resources
Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center
Relationships Between Advance Oak Regeneration and Biotic and Abiotic Factors, Songlin Fei, Associate Professor of Measurements and Quantitative Analysis
Diseases of Landscape Plants: Leaf Diseases, The Education Store

Lindsey Purcell, Urban Forestry Specialist
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University

Posted on February 6th, 2015 in Alert, Disease, Forestry, Gardening, Urban Forestry, Woodlands | No Comments »

​Trees in Rice Cemetery in Elkhart, IN, were cut down due to verticillium wilt, a disease causing discoloration and wilt of branches. The fungus causing this disease spreads through roots. Many trees in the cemetery have been marked with a red dot and will be removed. If all goes well, new younger trees will take their place in the fall. If you have witnessed verticillium wilt, please notify the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Resources
Rice Cemetery Trees Cut Down Due to Verticillium Wilt as Elkhart Forestry Workers Fight to Save Those Left, The Elkhart Truth
Verticillium Wilt of Shade Trees, The Education Store, Purdue Extension’s resource center
Diseases in Hardwood Tree Plantings, The Education Store
Forest Health Informer, Indiana Department of Natural Resources
How to Check for Verticillium Wilt, July “In The Grow” (Q&A), Indiana Yard and Garden – Purdue Consumer Horticulture
What are Invasive Species and Why Should I Care?, (What to do if you see any disease) Purdue Extension-Forestry & Natural Resources Got Nature? Blog

Diana Evans, Extension and Web Communication Specialist
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

Posted on December 11th, 2014 in Forestry, How To, Urban Forestry | No Comments »

Instalacion de arboles: Proceso y practicasThis is a Spanish-language version of our helpful how-to guide, Tree Installation: Process and Practices, which helps in choosing, planting and maintaining trees. It includes a 12-step planting process, Indiana native tree and utility-friendly tree charts, information on Midwest hardiness zones and detailed tree-planting graphics and photographs. View it in The Education Store today!

Resources:
Tree Installation: Process and Practices, The Education Store
Native Trees of the Midwest, The Education Store
Shrubs and Woody Vines of Indiana and the Midwest, The Education Store
Planting Forest Trees and Shrubs in Indiana, The Education Store

Lindsey Purcell, Chapter Executive Director
Indiana Arborist Association

Posted on September 24th, 2013 in Forestry, Got Nature for Kids, Urban Forestry | No Comments »

Fall leaves.The display of color we enjoy each fall is explained by understanding plant pigments, the physiology and anatomy of leaves, and the influence of climate and seasonal weather conditions. Fall weather conditions favoring formation of bright red autumn color are warm sunny days followed by cool but not freezing nights.​ As days get shorter and temperatures cooler in the autumn, important physiological processes are triggered that make conditions for chlorophyll production less favorable.

Check out the Why Leaves Change Color publication for more details along with other hardwood tree information.

Resources:
Intro to Trees of Indiana videos, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR)
An Introduction to Trees of Indiana, The Education Store, Purdue Extension’s resource center
Native Trees of the Midwest, Purdue University Press
Shrubs and Woody Vines of Indiana and the Midwest, Purdue University Press
Forest Improvement Handbook, The Education Store
Trees and Storms, The Education Store, Purdue Extension’s resource center
Tree Risk Management, The Education Store
Planting Problems: Trees Planted Too Deep, Video, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube Channel

Lenny Farlee, Extension Forester
Hardwood Improvement Regeneration Center (HTIRC)
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

Got Nature?

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