I. Announcements

• A Prince Among Trees
• Rule at the End of the Road?
• Fire Rages On, Changes Attitudes
• 2003 National Urban Forest Conference Keynote Speakers Announced
• San Diego Press Conference Invokes Greener Thoughts from Mayor

II. What's Happening?

• Eye On the Buckeye
• City Trees Grow Twice as Large as Rural Trees, Study Says
• Californians Hate Air Pollution, Love Cars, Says Poll
• Built to Fight, These Elms Ward Off A Deadly Foe

III. Activities and Links

• American Forests' Feature Creature: The Grizzly Bear
• Tree Trivia
• Environmental News from ENS-news.com

A Prince Among Trees

Every year, the Crown Prince Albert of Monaco holds an annual fundraiser golf tournament called the Monte Carlo Invitational Pro Celebrity Golf Tournament. When the 2001 tournament was cancelled in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he founded The Living Memorial Tree Foundation (LMTF), established in New York as the principal charity benefiting from the 2002 Tournament. The LMTF will work with American Forests throughout the next year to plant nearly 3,000 trees in New York City as part of the Memorial Trees Campaign.

It is Prince Albert's wish that the LMTF fund the planting of trees as Living Memorials to the victims of 9/11 in New York - a city his mother, actress Grace Kelly, loved and he enjoyed. With the help of American Forests, the LMTF will sponsor the New York City Department of Parks and Recreations' Memorial Grove in Manhattan. Located near City Hall, the Manhattan Memorial Grove features five surviving trees removed from the area dubbed “Ground Zero.” Each tree now grows at this new site to symbolize the perseverance of America.

In addition to the memorial grove near City Hall, the LMTF will also sponsor the planting of 2,880 trees in woodland parks throughout the city of New York. American Forests' Historic Tree Nursery will grow these trees for planting this fall and next year. A fall dedication of the Manhattan Memorial Grove is planned.

"We’re so happy to be part of Prince Albert’s plan to honor those who died on 9/11 in New York City," says Deborah Gangloff, American Forests Executive Director. "These trees will symbolize the strength of the city, and its resilience. Making New York greener is the best tribute we can pay to those who gave their lives."

The trees planted by the LMTF and American Forests are in addition to the 3,500 trees American Forests has planted and will plant with Eddie Bauer as part of our Memorial Trees Campaign.

Keep reading ForestBytes for more updates about the Memorial Trees Campaign, and the efforts of the LMTF in New York City. For more information, you can email us at info@amfor.org.

Rule at the End of the Road?

The "roadless rule," an often-challenged Clinton-era policy, which blocks development of nearly one-third of our national forests, has been struck down again by a federal judge and could wind up before the Supreme Court.

Imposed in the final days of the Clinton administration, the rule blocks road construction in 58.5 million acres of remote forest as a way to stop logging and other commercial activity.

Environmentalists praise the rule as important protection for dwindling public lands. The timber industry and Republican lawmakers criticize it as overly intrusive and dangerous, as it could leave millions of acres exposed to catastrophic wildfire.

Mark Rey, the Agriculture Department undersecretary who oversees the Forest Service, said the Bush administration wants to protect roadless values while ensuring that the rule will not be subject to the repeated court challenges that have marked the policy.

"We wanted to amend it, not end it," Rey said in the report. "That's still our desire."

Since its adoption in January 2001, the rule has faced a series of legal challenges by Western states and the timber industry. Twice, federal judges have struck it down; most recently in a Wyoming case decided this month.

Meanwhile environmentalists have appealed the ruling and filed an ethics complaint against Wyoming’s Judge Brimmer. They say Brimmer holds significant investments in oil and gas industries and therefore stands to benefit from his ruling.

Read ForestBytes for updates on this story, or tell us what you think about the decision by writing us at info@amfor.org.

Fire Rages On, Changes Attitudes

Residents' attitudes toward living in the forests are changing as wildfire becomes a major threat. Homeowners worried about loosing their homes, are taking more drastic actions to protect their homes.

Homeowners are installing metal roofs, trimming hanging trees limbs, clearing unruly undergrowth and creating defensible space around their homes by removing potential hazards - even if it means removing some of the trees that helped lure them in the first place.

The concept of providing ample room between the home and potential flammable hazards gained momentum in recent years, as fire threatens many western forests. People have begun to recognize wildfire as a real and dangerous issue, and they are taking action.

To find out how you can prepare your home, visit www.firewise.org for tips.

August Wildfire Update:

Montana:
Wedge Canyon- Flathead National Forest
25,225 acres burned
1,291 firefighters
47% contained

Trapper Creek Complex- Glacier National Park
20,500 acres burned
269 firefighters
40% contained

Robert- Flathead National Park
24,400 acres burned
945 firefighters
40% contained

Idaho:
Hot Creek-Boise National Forest
26,560 acres burned
550 firefighters
60% contained

Washington:
Fawn Peek Complex- Okanogan Wenatonee National Forest
76,549 acres burned
1,022 firefighters
57% contained

Keep reading ForestBytes for updates and the latest breaking news about wildfires in the United States. Is there a fire burning in your area? What steps are you taking to prevent wildfire from threatening your home? Email us at forestbytes@amfor.org.

2003 National Urban Forest Conference Keynote Speakers Announced

American Forests is pleased to announce the keynote speakers for the 2003 National Urban Forest Conference. The conference will be held in San Antonio, Texas on September 17-20, 2003.

Speaking on Thursday, September 18, 8:30am-noon:

Robin Thompson, the USDA Forest Service’s Associate Deputy Chief of State and Private Forestry will provide welcoming remarks from the USDA Forest Service and its Urban and Community Forestry program.

San Antonio Mayor Ed Garza, will discuss the opportunities and challenges of managing San Antonio while trying to make it a greener, more livable city.

Mark Rey, Undersecretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment, will present urban forestry issues from the national perspective, with special emphasis on the role of the USDA Forest Service.

USDA Forest Service Regional Urban Forester, Ed Macie, who is also Acting Project Leader for the Southern Center for Wildland Urban Interface Research and Information for the USDA Forest Service, will discuss the single greatest risk to the future of forest sustainability - changing land use patterns and urbanization. Macie will offer a ten-point call to action to address people-related environmental challenges in our forested landscapes.

Other featured guests include representatives from Anheuser-Busch, Davey Tree, ESRI, Texas Forest Service, and City Public Service.

Speaking on Saturday, September 20, 1:30-3pm:

Vice President of HortScience, Inc., Jim Clark, will unveil preliminary findings and recommendations of the National Assessment of Current Urban and Community Forestry Programs. This project evaluates the breadth of urban and community forestry programs in the U.S. and the effectiveness of the USDA Forest Service in supporting them. HortScience, Inc. is a horticultural consulting firm in Pleasanton CA.

William Sullivan, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Human-Environment Lab at the University of Illinois, will discuss the profound social consequences of tree loss for people living in urban areas and the considerable evidence available to reverse this trend. Sullivan will examine the compelling social benefits of urban forests also providing attendees with ways we can make our cities greener.

American Forests is accepting registrations today - online at www.americanforests.org or by contacting Donna Tschiffely at (703) 904-7508 or donna@amfor.org.

San Diego Press Conference Invokes Greener Thoughts from Mayor

During American Forests’ recent press conference in San Diego, the city’s Mayor Dick Murphy said that the economic benefits of an "urban forest" reinforces the need to plant more trees in the city.

The study completed by American Forests and paid for by the city, state and federal governments, found that trees covered 13 percent of San Diego last year, a 27 percent decline in tree coverage since 1985.

Murphy said the study demonstrates the importance of having an urban forest.

"I believe we need to see trees as a critical part of our urban infrastructure," he said, likening trees to sewer lines and roads.

He said the study validates a city goal set last year to plant 100,000 trees along city streets and in other public areas by 2020. So far, volunteers have planted more than 5,000.

The 100,000 trees planted in San Diego will become part of the mayor’s 10-step plan to clean up the city. Other items include environmentally friendly goals of reducing traffic congestion, pursuing energy independence, and open space acquisitions for species conservation.

Compared the areas on the maps showing tree losses to city planning documents. She said areas with the most development over the last 19 years were the areas with the most tree loss.

Local biologist Mitch Beauchamp suggests another culprit could be pests, such as the red gum lerp psyllids, which have infested and killed thousands of eucalyptus trees throughout San Diego.

The American Forests study reported that if San Diego were to increase its tree coverage to 25 percent, the city could save $23 million a year in erosion and air-pollution control.

Eye On the Buckeye

Officials in Ohio raised an eyebrow recently when they found out that the largest Ohio buckeye, the state tree, was in Kentucky. State foresters created a call to action in every statewide newspaper to bring the crown for the biggest buckeye home.

"We are confident there is a bigger and more stately buckeye tree in Ohio," says Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources’ John Dorka. "It’s just a matter of finding it."

Ohio boasts 13 national champion trees, but none of them are buckeyes. The state has two native species of buckeyes - the yellow and the Ohio. By the deadline for American Forests' 2004 National Register of Big Trees, nominations were being collected and submitted by Ohio state officials. If any of these nominations prove to be larger than the humongous148-foot-tall tree growing in Kentucky, the state of Ohio will finally have the National Champion Ohio buckeye.

Incidentally, Ohio officials would like to point out that while Kentucky may have the Ohio state tree’s champion, the National Champion Kentucky coffeetree grows in Madison, Ohio.

City Trees Grow Twice as Large as Rural Trees, Study Says

Scientists studying urban pollution have discovered to their amazement that trees in New York City's concrete jungle grow twice as large as those in the countryside. But if you think pollution is good for tree growth, you would be wrong.

The researchers blame the rural trees' stunted growth on higher sustained levels of ozone originating in the city. The study by Cornell University and the Institute of Ecosystem Studies traced the growth of identical cottonwood trees in both kinds of locations. The findings appear in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.

Ground-level ozone, a precursor of smog linked to respiratory ailments in humans, is known to slow the growth of some plants. Even though one-hour peak ozone levels can be high in New York City, the study revealed that cumulative ozone exposures at the rural sites were up to 50 percent higher than in the city.

Once ozone is blown out of the city to the countryside, where nitric oxide concentrations are low, the ozone remains in the atmosphere longer. And as ozone's precursors drift toward the country, they produce even more ozone. Scientists not involved in the research said the findings suggest that scientists need to look more closely at the secondary effects of urban pollution on rural areas.

Scientists planted genetically identical cottonwood trees from cuttings taken from the same tree at seven sites: four in New York City's boroughs, three in rural Long Island or upstate New York. To eliminate the possibility that soil variations could account for any growth differences, soil from rural sites was moved to some of the urban test plots and urban soil was moved to rural areas. The trees were planted in pots buried in the ground and were watered the same amount. All the trees were grown near pollution monitoring equipment so the researchers could gauge pollutant levels.

Over three growing seasons, trees grew robustly in New York City, while those in rural areas lagged far behind. Later experiments in controlled settings found the same trees, when exposed to high levels of ozone, indeed grew half as large.

Californians Hate Air Pollution, Love Cars, Says Poll

Californians, long famed for their love affair with the automobile, are quick to blame other people’s cars for the serious threat of air pollution, according to a new poll.

The Public Policy Institute of California recently released a study showing that 58 percent of Californians consider air pollution a "serious health threat," and 68 percent believe there has been little to no progress in dealing with the problem over the last 20 years.

But while 47 percent of the state's residents cited vehicle emissions as the top contributor to California's notorious yellow-brown smog, only 44 percent said they were "very" or "somewhat" concerned that their own cars polluted too much.

"Californians are dependent on - and attached to - their automobiles," the study's authors said in a statement.

They found that 73 percent of employed California residents drive to work alone, while only 4 percent consider a car's potential for polluting the environment as the most important factor when purchasing a new vehicle.

Two-thirds of adults surveyed reported two or more registered cars in their home, while only 7 percent said they do not drive.

The survey also found that Californians were more supportive of costly environmental protection than the rest of the nation. Asked whether the environment or economic growth should be given priority, 65 percent of state residents chose the environment compared to 47 percent in a recent national poll.

The telephone survey of 2,002 adults by the nonprofit and nonpartisan research institute was conducted from June 4 to June 15.

Built to Fight, These Elms Ward Off A Deadly Foe

In an Ohio meadow, a group of gangly saplings grow, representatives of the genetic future of the American elm. They may be the only hope for a species that once lined city streets. A hope that these trees might one day improve the American elm’s ability to fight off Dutch elm disease.

USDA Forest Service researchers in Ohio are planting seedlings grown from cuttings of five tolerant elms identified by the US National Arboretum and Princeton Nurseries. Scientists are hopeful that these trees will produce seeds and new trees, so they can study the evolution of the Dutch elm disease.

Before the devastating epidemic of Dutch elm disease killed off most of our nation’s American elms 70 years ago, they were known as fast-growing urban favorites with leafy canopies - tolerating air pollution, road salt and weather extremes. Although the number of elm trees killed by the disease is unknown, estimates range near 90 percent. Today, A few cities, such as Minneapolis and Washington, D.C., are vigilant about protecting their remaining trees.

The few elm giants still standing in the United States are likely not immune, just lucky. The country's largest elm, in Buckley, Michigan, died from Dutch elm last spring.

"It was 112 feet tall and had a 115 foot-wide crown" creating the false hope that size made it invincible," says Deborah Gangloff, executive director of American Forests. "Surviving trees should be protected, but genetic research is needed to preserve the future of the species."

American Forests' Feature Creature: The Grizzly Bear

American Forests' August Feature Creature: The Grizzly Bear (Photo Credit: Lynn Rogers).

Getting its name from the long outer hairs tipped with white or silver, giving a grizzled look, the grizzly bear is one of the nation’s most intriguing and treasured animals. Reaching weights of 1500 pounds and seven feet long, the grizzly bear is characterized by the hump in its shoulders, created by the mass of muscles used to control the forelimbs for digging and fishing, and by its slow, swinging walk. Despite its size, the grizzly bear can run at speeds up to 35 mph. In the winter, however, these bears typically put on about 400 pounds of fat and become very lethargic.

As omnivores, grizzly bears feed on a variety of plants and berries as well as fish, insects, and small mammals found in the northern states of their current range, including Idaho, Montana, Washington, Alaska, and Wyoming, as well British Columbia, Canada.

The bears are now considered a threatened species, with only 1,200-1,400 wild grizzlies left in the United States, and are concentrated in only a few small regions. With the help of American Forests’ Global ReLeaf project, Idaho’s Caribou-Targhee National Forest, located near Yellowstone National Park, will plant six thousand whitebark pine seedlings to help reforest an area burned by fire. The whitebark pine seeds are a source of food for the grizzly bear, as well as many other mammals and bird species.

To learn more about American Forests’ Global ReLeaf program visit, www.americanforests.org.

Question: Question: One acre of trees takes in as much carbon dioxide from the air as that produced by driving a car 26,000 miles and produces enough oxygen for how many people to breath each day?
A) 5
B) 10
C) 2
D) 18
(From www.fs.fed.us)

If you answer correctly, you will be automatically included in the August 31 drawing to win a tree! One lucky winner will receive a Historic Tree (species depends on your local climate) from American Forests' Historic Tree Nursery.

Fun Fact: The Mangrove tree, a species found in Florida, thrives in salty environments. These trees secrete excess salt through their leaves and block absorption of salt at their roots.

July's Answer: Cottonwood! July's drawing winner is Kathleen Werkhoven!

You can do your part to help the environment today by joining American Forests. Not only are 25 trees planted for you in a damaged ecosystem or forest restoration project, but you will also receive:

• A free subscription to our quarterly magazine
• A free Big Trees calendar
• A window decal

Join Today! Visit http://www.americanforests.org/

"Yellowstone National Park is Removed From UNESCO's Endangered List"
http://www.enn.com/direct/display-release.asp?objid=D1D1366D000000F4D5125C53A3D98FA4

Don't forget to forward this information to friends or colleagues.

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PLANT TREES WITH American Forests:
http://www.americanforests.org/global_releaf/

BECOME A MEMBER OF American Forests: http://www.americanforests.org/membership/

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American Forests: People Caring for Trees and Forests since 1875.