News & Announcements
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Trees and Air Pollution – It’s a complicated relationship, but a healthy oneAh July – the heart of summer and a great month to get outside and explore your urban and community forests and other natural areas. But the air quality in our urban areas, especially at this time of year, can be unhealthy. The good news is that while the relationship between trees and air pollution is complicated, overall trees have been shown to have a positive effect on reducing air pollution, making your outdoor activities healthier and more enjoyable.
May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. Did you know trees help prevent asthma and other respiratory diseases? Trees filter particles out of the air we breathe, which decreases our risk of respiratory illnesses, including asthma. One study found that in 2010, trees removed 17.4 million tons of air pollution across the US, which prevented 850 human deaths and 670,000 cases of acute respiratory symptoms.
Just as Ireland is famously known as the Emerald Isle for its lush green landscapes, so are those communities that plant and enhance their urban forests. In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, it’s not an exaggeration to say that “it’s a lucky thing to have trees!”
Trees for American Heart MonthThis effect on health also has economic impacts. Having quality, well-managed green spaces near where people live and work could return an annual savings of $1.2–$2.3 billion related to healthcare for cardiovascular disease and $1.3–$2.6 billion for hypertension. Coupled with other nature-provided health benefits, this is an overall savings of $11.7 billion per year in avoided health care costs! It is critical and economically savvy to have high quality, nearby nature in our communities that is available to everyone.
Trees Help You Stay In ShapeOne of the easiest and cheapest ways to get exercise is to walk or run in your neighborhood or local park. People are willing to walk to their destination versus drive if a route they can take has greenery and natural features like trees.
A Stress-free gift to yourself this holiday seasonFood. Family. Gifts. Travel. The winter holidays can be enough to send anyone into a tailspin. But one of the simplest and least expensive ways to enjoy this time of year can be one of the best. Go outside, and find yourself a patch of nature. That’s it. That’s all.
This video captures the 2018 New Jersey Arbor Day celebration and celebrates tree diversity. The NJ Tree Foundation’s co-founder and former Board President Roni Olizi was honored with the Joyce Kilmer Award during the ceremony.
Thurmont Community Park: An Emerald Ash Borer Success StoryThe Town of Thurmont is a small community of 6,500 residents in the mountains of western Maryland. Despite its size, the town’s Community Park is a hub of activity, popular for daily use and is also home to Colorfest, an annual craft fair which brings 125,000 visitors to Thurmont every October. Named for the colors of the season, Colorfest attendees gather under the golden leaves of the park’s ash canopy to enjoy not only the crafts, but also the beautiful fall foliage.
In winter 2017 PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) in partnership with PA Department of Corrections (DOC) piloted an arboriculture program at the State Correctional Institution (SCI) Rockview’s Forestry Camp in Bellefonte, PA. Throughout November and December of 2017 ten classes were held, each class was based on the chapters in International Society of Arboriculture’s (ISA) Arborists’ Certification Study Guide; 15 men received 18 hours of training. The ISA donated Study Guides which allowed the men to review and study the material further on their own time outside of class. We wanted to continue to engage participants so we listened to their feedback and responded by holding a 3-day Tree Climbing School taught through the gracious willingness from Penn State Extension Arboriculture Instructor, James Savage. Rockview’s Forestry Camp is unique, a minimum security housing unit surrounded by about 2500 acres of forested land and a 100+ tree nursery; and the men that live at Forestry Camp have daily responsibilities resembling that of a typical work-day that range from land-care and tree nursery management to equipment operation and repair. The arboriculture program simply compliments the hands-on experience the men at Rockview’s Forestry Camp are already receiving. The overall, and continually evolving, program, facilitated by DCNR employee, Shea Zwerver, seeks to provide employable skill to inmates nearing release, in arboriculture. There is a nation-wide demand for skilled-workers in the tree care industry in the U.S. By teaching inmates tree-climbing skills and lessons in arboriculture the goal of the program is that it will give participants a marketable edge to find work upon reentry and in an industry with livable wages.
In Maryland, any person who performs tree care work on a tree twenty feet or taller for compensation is required to be a Maryland Licensed Tree Expert (LTE). Work is defined as trimming, pruning, removal and spraying. This consumer protection law was established in the mid1960’s as a means to protected citizens from fraud. Currently there are approximately 1,400 LTEs licensed by the Maryland Forest Service. Interestingly, there are Maryland LTEs located throughout the lower 48 states.