Certified Urban and Community Forester
Let’s break down urban and community forestry. Urban forestry wasn’t recognized by the US until 1978. But people have been managing trees in urban environments going back to the 1800s. Urban forestry put simply is the management of trees and forests in the urban environment. Management objectives are usually different than in traditional forestry, but as urban foresters we still think about the economic, social, and ecological aspects of the trees.
Community forestry is the other aspect of this new certification. Community forestry is the communal management of forests of which communities depend on. This model is seen all over the world and can still fit with newer cities with younger trees. While not every community harvests timber or non-timber forest products, we all benefit from trees.
You’re probably already thinking of some of the benefits of trees in your neighborhood like shade, oxygen production, and aesthetic beauty. But there’s so much more. Trees increase property value, lower crime, reduce depression, mitigate erosion, filter water, reduce flooding, sequester carbon, lower the urban heat island effect, lower HVAC costs, and much more.
Trees can make our lives better but we can’t enjoy the benefits of trees if we remove them to make way for buildings, sidewalks, car infrastructure, etc. As trees get bigger their benefits grow. That’s why we need to build with trees in mind. There are many ways to build around trees and preserve their services. Urban planning has over time incorporated more of urban forestry into the planning phase. But we need to realize that trees are much of the infrastructure that is needed in expanding cities.
It’s because of these benefits that make the urban forest important infrastructure, infrastructure that is often cheaper than our human recreations of what the forest already does. As cities expand we need urban forestry professionals to guide urban planning efforts. Everyone wants to plant trees, but we need trees yesterday to keep up with the infrastructure demands of tomorrow.
The American Chestnut
The American chestnut Castanea dentata once dominated the eastern US. Considered the redwoods of the east, these trees were typically larger than the now dominate species such as oak, maple, hickory and beech.
In the early 1900s, a pathogen called chestnut blight started affecting American chestnuts, causing a canker. While American chestnut still lives (mainly through root sprouts), this canker caused mortality as the tree grows. Thus it’s rare to see them larger than 4 or 5 inches diameter at breast height (DBH).
Efforts by the Forest Service, American Chestnut Foundation and others are leading to potential blight resistance chestnuts using cross breading and gene editing.
This photo represents a relic of the past. I’m standing next to a very slowly decomposing American chestnut stump in Vinton county, Ohio.
As trees start to leaf out you may start to notice American chestnuts that are still hanging in there.
Invasive Species and Where to Find Them
How are they everywhere?
Finding invasive species very easy once you know what you’re looking for, because they’re everywhere.
But what make a species invasive? There are a few factors that make a species be considered invasive. 1. Prolific Seeding 2. Leafing Out Early and Staying Leafed Out Late 3. Reaction to Disturbance. These three factors often dictate whether a species is invasive. A species doesn’t have to be non-native to be invasive. Native wild grape vine (Vitis) can take over areas if given the opportunity along with the native spicebush (Lindera benzoin).
In Ohio, the most common woody invasives are bush honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica L), autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), tree of heaven (Ailanthus altisima), privet (Ligustrum), Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), sawtooth oak (Quercus acutissiima), paulownia (Paulownia tomentosa). Some herbicous invasives that affect Ohio’s forests include: Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) and garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata).
Control Methods:
It is likely that without control, the invasive species will out-compete native species. A combination of mechanical and chemical control will likely be necessary to control the issue. Two primary herbicides are recommended for treating the majority of these woody and herbaceous invasive species. Glyphosate (Brand name RoundUp) is great for honey suckle, stilt grass, and privet. Triclopyr (brand name Garlon 3a or 4) is great for tree of heaven and autumn olive. There are 3 primary treatment methods – 1. Foliar, 2. Basal bark, 3. Stump cut. First, foliar is spraying the leaves with a 2% concentration by volume (generally). It is practical if the plant is shorter than the applicator and assuming leaves are out but not yet wilted from autumn. It’s best used mid summer to late September when the plant starts converting sugars and transporting them down to the roots. If the plant is still pushing sugars up the leaves in the early season this can push pesticide away from the plant making treatment less effective. Basal bark treatment is spraying the lower 18 inches of the stem with a 20% concentration by volume (generally). This is not ideal if the plant is bushy and hard to spray. When a plant is taller than the applicator and a foliar application is not practical, then stump cut is a great option. This involves using a chainsaw or handsaw to cut the plant down at the stump. Spraying this stump with a 20% concentration by volume helps isolate the spray to a specific area (lowering non target spray) and is very effective at killing the plant, though cutting is an extra step and requires another tool. As long as you have a fresh cut, this method works year around assuming the treated plant is a wood plant The landowners should monitor the property as needed to keep track of populations of known invasive species.
I personally don’t use basal spray on shrubby invasives as the over spray potential is high. I prefer the stump cut method as it localizes the herbicide. But foliar doesn’t require a chainsaw. If the whole woods is invasives, I don’t feel bad using the foliar method. I just make sure I stay under my legal per-acre limits of active ingredient.
For more detailed treatment information, check out your state’s extension resources on the specific invasive.
Prescribed Fire
It all begins with an idea.
Though not the wild west, properties and homes in Ohio are not immune to the risks of fire and fire-related damage. Spring and fall are Ohio's primary "fire seasons". A step one should take to protect one's forest, and home if inside the woods, is to have a system of paths that may double as fire breaks. For the home site, maintain good access for fire vehicles, create a defensible space around your home and outbuildings by removing flammable materials such brush, leaves, sticks, and twigs; remove these from roofs and gutters too. Landscape around buildings with less flammable plants and materials, avoid evergreens by or near the home, keep an outdoor water source, and avoid outdoor burning. For more information on outdoor fire safety and fire safety around your home, Firewise brochures are available from the Ohio Division of Forestry (toll-free 877-247-8733). You may also contact your local fire department with questions about Firewise and home safety regarding wildfire.
Ohio Fire Laws
Ohio Fire Laws: ORC 1503.18 regarding kindled fires prohibits outdoor open burning statewide in unincorporated areas during the months of March, April, May, October, and November between the hours of 6:00 am and 6:00 pm. ORC 1503.18 is administered by the Ohio Division of Forestry; call toll-free 877-247-8733 with questions. OAC 3745.19 regarding outdoor burning is administered by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); EPA notification is required for many types of open burns in Ohio. Call 614-644-2270 with questions, or visit www.epa.ohio.gov/dapc/general/openburning.aspx.
Fire Regime in Ohio
Since European settlers came to America, fire has been under-utilized. Additionally with the effective anti-fire campaign led by the Forest Service and Smokey (no middle name) Bear, the use of fire as a woodland management tool has become uncommon. Traditional fire regimes in Ohio used to be every 5-15 years. These fires would have been low intensity fires that mostly burned along the ground. The presence of fire in the ecosystem would help maintain oak trees in the ecosystem. When allowed to grow without fire, red maple will frequently grow in the same space as oak trees, and it will almost always out-compete those oak trees. However, if a ground fire is introduced to the ecosystem it will kill the tops of all of the seedlings, and the oak trees will grow back quickly and vigorously because of their extensive root systems. This effect can be replicated by removing undesirable trees and shrubs through cutting, pesticides, or a combination of the two if fire is unable to be used. Fire is trying to make a come-back in Ohio with a couple of private prescribed burn companies being created. The more landowners that get on board, the more people will see the benefits of fire and be less scared of it.