News and Opinion about Trees and Forests

Remembering Moosewood Bill Harlow

03.21.2013

Cross-posted at Native Tree Society.   Many of us are familiar with the books by William Harlow, including the classic Textbook of Dendrology (Harlow and Harrar), Fruit Key and Twig Key and other forestry books. This reminiscence is sparked by several pictures from one of Harlow’s books posted on Facebook by Chris Budesa. When I [...]

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Herald-Leader Article

12.01.2012

Tom Eblen, of the Lexington Herald-Leader has a good story about the state of Lexington’s urban forest.  My original report on the condition of our urban forest is here.

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Killer frost arrives

11.15.2012

Yesterday morning, our lettuce and spinach was coated in frost, the leaves stiff. The roses down the street were stiff and cracked when I touched them. Fall has ended and, from a plant’s standpoint, winter has begun. On the nights of November 12-13 and November 14-15 2012, the temperature dipped below 28F at about 3am [...]

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The longest autumn, coming to an end

11.12.2012

I don’t remember an autumn that has lasted as long as this one in Central Kentucky.  After the severe drought in the early summer, we had a wet late summer and fall.  Trees in the urban area of Lexington and in surrounding forests began showing bright colors in August.  Now, on November 12, there are [...]

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An urban forest in peril

11.12.2012

Update:  Tom Eblen, Lexington Herald-Leader, has an excellent story on this subject in the December 2 newspaper. The urban forest of Lexington, KY is in serious decline as a result of extremely poor management. Large amounts of taxpayer money are spent to plant and maintain trees in Lexington’s parks and on its streets, but we [...]

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Will fruit trees freeze in Spring 2012?

03.19.2012

About half the fruit trees in Kentucky are in bloom. Plums, peaches, apricots, some cherries and others are in full flower or nearly finished. Most pears and apples have not yet broken bud. Will these trees produce fruit this year, or will they succumb to a late-spring frost? Based on the calendar alone, it is [...]

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A biofuel future for poplar

03.01.2010

Poplar trees (genus Populus, not to be confused with yellow-poplar, Liriodendron tulipifera) are among the fastest-growing trees in the world, and represent a diverse wide-spread genus of trees.  Poplars are grown in plantations for pulp and paper, and have great potential as feedstock for biofuels production. Poplars have a lot of advantages as experimental plants, [...]

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Goldspotted oak borer, a new threat to California forests

03.01.2010

The goldspotted oak borer, Agrilus coxalis Waterhouse (Coleoptera:Buprestidae), is adding to the woes of California’s magnificent oak forests.  While sudden oak death is killing oak and other trees in the northern part of the state, the oak forests of the southern part of the state have escaped damage due to the dry conditions that prevent [...]

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Maple sap flowing in Maine

03.01.2010

The annual maple sap flow has begun early in parts of Maine. According to the Bangor Daily News, mild day and night temperatures and a lack of snow is having a strong effect on Maine’s maple syrup industry.  The average start date for sap flow in Maine is March 20, with central Maine beginning March [...]

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Pawpaw in flower

05.28.2009

Pawpaw, Asimina triloba, is a small understory tree very common in Appalachian forests. The fruit, prized by people and possums alike, has a custardy texture and flavor. The fruit, as well as the tree, is called Hoosier banana, at least in Indiana. Pawpaw is a member of the family Annonaceae, an important family of mainly [...]

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