Tree Blog

Pawpaws!

2009-02-08T16:40:00.001-08:00

Long time no see (er - read?)! ReLeaf is starting to wake up after a long winter hibernation, to get us in the tree planting mood, here's some really awesome news about one of Ohio's coolest trees:

Pawpaw Endorsed as Native State Fruit

Here are some more Pawpaw related sites:

Ohio Pawpaw Festival

Ohio Pawpaw Grower's Association

Integration Acres

If you're a "pawpaw virgin" the best time to sample a delicious pawpaw is at the Ohio Pawpaw Festival in September!

Shop Smart, Save Forests and Plant A Billion Trees

2008-04-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

The Earth's Best Defense, the Natural Resources Defense Council, has a nifty PDF file of a printable wallet card with info on the most "green" tissue products (hint: Kleenex is not one of them). You may have a hard time finding some of these products in Athens, but try checking out the Farmacy, Kroger's natural foods section or Whole Foods (the closest one is in Columbus) . Also check out the article The Giving Trees in NRDC's their online magazine, OnEarth. The article can be found here.

If you can't get to C-bus for some recycled tissues or toilet paper, try buying recycled computer paper to print your homework on. Use both sides of paper before recycling it!

Buying used textbooks can save you some cash and help forests. If you want to be even thriftier (in a green way) try sharing the cost of a used textbook with a classmate or checking out your books at the library. Textbooks can be requested from OU or other Ohio university libraries through OhioLINK and are eligible for renewal up to four times for three weeks each (just make sure to renew your books BEFORE they're due).

The Nature Conservancy has a new campaign: Plant A Billion Trees. Similar to the United Nations One Billion Tree Campaign headed up by founder of the Green Belt Movement and my tree-hero, Wangari Maathai; the Nature Conservancy plans to plant a billion trees in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil in the next seven years. For every dollar donated, a tree is planted. Simple enough, check out their site, make a donation and add their widget to your Facebook profile.

Trees: A Visual Guide by Tony Rodd and Jennifer Stackhouse

2008-03-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

From Treehugger

"If a picture is worth a thousand words than Trees by Tony Rodd and Jennifer Stackhouse is the library of congress. Beautiful images embrace the reader, weaving a tapestry of trees life on earth. The eye candy images, are accompanied by well thought out and executed diagrams that explain the world of trees from the microscopic to the ecosystem.

The pictures really do steal the show, and set this book apart. But for those more text inclined, the snippets by each photo and diagram are a steady stream of factual information. The sheer magnitude of content and the glamorous pictures has me flipping through the entire book every time I sit down for a read. Not a book to read cover to cover, but one that can spark as well as satiate curiosity about the world of trees. Truly a provocative look into the life of humanities most valuable ally on earth."

Check it out at Amazon , I tried to find it through OU's Library and OhioLink, but neither of them currently have it.

Esta! and Tu b’Shevat… a perfect pairing for ReLeaf

2008-01-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

Hey ReLeafers - you're all invited to celebrate Tu b’Shevat with us this
Wednesday at 7PM in the Baker Center Front Room.  Check out the info below and
our event page:

http://ohio.facebook.com/event.php?eid=11947445041

Co-sponsored by the Office of Sustainability, ArtsMidwest and ReLeaf for OHIO.
Coming from Israel, a crossroads of different cultures, it is only natural that
the musical group Esta embodies the variety of ethnic musical influences
including Israeli, Mediterranean, Balkan, African, Asian, Celtic and Western
flavors. Enjoy this unique opportunity to experience the Israeli music scene and
learn about the Jewish holiday of Tu b’Shevat. All for free!

The holiday has become one of rededication to the ecology of the denuded land,
with the planting of trees taking center stage in the celebration. Jews outside
of Israel contribute money to plant trees there and/or plant trees in their own
communities. We’ll celebrate with music, information about the benefits of tree
plantings and tree/Tu b’Shevat related goods! Bring friends!

Meetings this quarter will rotate between Tuesdays at 6PM and Fridays at 4PM.
The first meeting will be next Friday, January 25th at Perks for coffee.  The
following meeting with be Tuesday, February 5th (I’ll send a reminder e-mail out). 

Hope to see you all Wednesday!

Peace, Love & Trees,
Courtney

NYC Passes Plastic Bag Recycling Bill

2008-01-17T10:28:00.000-08:00

"Last week, New York City took a giant step forward in the fight against plastic. New York's City Council passed a bill requiring large stores and retail chains to collect and recycle plastic shopping bags. According to a New York Times report: "New York is by far the largest American city to enact so broad a measure to limit the environmental impact of the bags. Altogether, each year the country is estimated to use 86 billion bags, which end up blowing down city streets, or tangled in the stomachs of whales, sea turtles and birds, or buried in landfills where they enjoy free rent for 1,000 years."

Other cities like Melbourne and San Francisco have banned bags outright. San Francisco was the first city in North America to ban non-recyclable and non-biodegradable bags made from petroleum products. Africa has moved toward a continent-wide plastic bag ban, and just last week, China's cabinet issued a directive banning their production, prohibiting stores from handing out free plastic bags after June 1st and imposing fees on their usage. People in China use up to 3 billion plastic bags daily! Help keep the momentum going here in the United States and just say no to plastic bags!"

http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/default.asp

"Mo" Udall - Pretty cool guy

2007-12-20T12:18:00.000-08:00

"Morris King Udall was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1961. He served as chairman of what is now the Committee on Resources for over ten years. As well as serving in the House of Representatives for three decades, Udall ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976...

...Udall was one of the most creative and productive legislators of the 20th Century. He championed the rights of Native Americans and Alaska Natives and used his leadership in Congress to strengthen tribal self-governance. His love of the environment resulted in numerous pieces of legislation moving through Congress."

http://www.udall.gov/

Memorable quote - “What kind of society, given the choice between recycling a mountain of paper and denuding a mountainside of trees would make a decision to do the latter? The answer: our kind. And it is time to change that.” Morris K. Udall

Happy Holidays to all ReLeafers & Treehuggers - get ready for more tree planting fun in 2008!

Living Christmas Trees Stay Year-Round

2007-11-30T12:39:00.000-08:00

By DEAN FOSDICK
For The Associated Press

Posted: Nov. 12, 2007
Updated: Nov. 13, 2007

NEW MARKET, Va. — If you're dreaming of a green Christmas, you can start with a living Christmas tree.

Haul it home, decorate it, stack presents beneath it, celebrate around it and then - rather than drag it to the curb with the discarded wrapping paper - place it into a hole in the yard and enjoy it as part of the landscape for many holidays to come.

Living Christmas trees made up a very small percentage of the 28.6 million real trees sold last year, said Rick Dungey, public relations manager for the National Christmas Tree Association in Chesterfield, Missouri Although the group doesn't keep specific data on living trees, Dungey said the trees are more popular in warm areas, where they seem to survive better.

The relatively few nursery operators who sell live trees generally market them "b&b" (with the roots balled and burlapped) or in pots, Dungey said.

"Containerized trees are grown in tubs sunk into the ground on the Christmas tree farms. Rather than get a mechanical digger and excavate a big root ball, they just haul up the container," he said. "Balled-and-burlapped varieties have a bit better survivability but they're bulky and a real load to handle."

Steve Mannhard, owner of Fish River Trees, a 45-acre choose-and-cut operation near Summerdale, Alabama, says he gets a lot of repeat business for living trees from customers who plant them in their yard or donate them to churches, schools or neighbors. Live Christmas trees are cleaner and safer than the precut varieties when watered properly, he said.

"They will eliminate a lot of the mess or the needle drop you have with cut trees. People will tolerate that but they're not crazy about it," he says. "And the greenery on a living tree won't burn. It's like putting lights on an outdoor tree."

Living trees cost about as much as the precut versions if customers are willing to drive to Mannhard's farm to pick them up. Prices for the balled and burlapped varieties are similar.

"White pines sell here for $50 to $60," said David Daniken, owner of Daniken Tree Farms in Pocahontas, Illinois "Norway spruce go for $70 to $75."

Mannhard said his customers are planting the trees together as a post-Christmas family event.

"Children are getting trees named after them. That will be a strong emotional tug for those children after they grow up to go back and look at that tree and remember when their parents, grandparents and themselves put it there," he said.

And the symbolism can hit home as soon as Easter: "When a tree is planted after the holidays and it begins to grow again in the spring, it becomes a symbol of rebirth."

Plan well ahead if you intend to bring a living Christmas tree indoors:

--Find a suitable post-holiday planting site, one capable of supporting a tree that can grow 40- to 60-feet high. Dig your hole before the ground freezes rock hard and then mulch it heavily to keep the area from refreezing.

--Choose only native trees that can survive the indoor-outdoor handling and that fit readily into your yard. "Fraser firs are a popular Christmas tree in the East," said George Kessler, an extension forester and assistant professor at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina "A lot of people will plant them in areas where they have no business being. ... Just because someone is selling them locally doesn't mean they will grow there," he said. "Get a native tree or one that's proven to grow in your area."

--Don't over-water. "One of the biggest problems people have with living Christmas trees is over-watering while they have them inside," Kessler said. "That's easy to overcome. Put a hollow tube down into the container the tree is in and use that for watering. You don't have to water a living tree as often as a cut tree. You'll drown it if you leave it in standing water."

--Give the tree some time to readjust when you take it outside after the holidays. "You must transition the tree when taking it from indoor, 72-degree temperatures back into the cold," Kessler said. "Keep it in a garage or porch out of the wind for a few days but plant as soon as you can. Don't wait until spring. Water it until the site is ready."

--Be prepared to nurture a living Christmas tree at least two years, especially in drought-stricken regions like the Southeast, Kessler said. "The first year is always critical on water. The root system is wrapped in a ball and is out of proportion with the size of the tree that you have. That continues even into the second year. Regular watering is important until the tree is established."

You can contact Dean Fosdick at deanfosdick(at)netscape.net.

http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/house_and_home/story/2032304/

Create Peace Project

2007-11-18T06:01:00.000-08:00

New Leaf Paper

2007-11-16T07:45:00.000-08:00

"New Leaf Paper leads the paper industry in the development and distribution of environmentally superior printing and office papers. We offer more than 30 spectacular product lines of coated, uncoated, and board grade papers and all are environmental leaders. Printers, designers, corporations, businesses, and nonprofit organizations choose New Leaf Paper for our high quality, affordability, and environmental responsibility."

New Leaf Encore, 100% post-consumer content, processed chlorine free computer paper available at Kinko's in Athens for $7.99 plus tax.

Monday, November 12th Tree Planting

2007-11-12T18:00:00.000-08:00

Fall Quarter '07 Tree Planting

2007-11-07T05:51:00.000-08:00

ReLeaf for OHIO

Tree Planting

When: Monday, November 12^th 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Where: Behind White’s Mill (At the intersection of S.R. 682 and S.R. 56 on the Hocking River just west of Athens.)

Bring (if you can):

-          friends!

-          shovels

-          rakes (for leaves)

-          gardening gloves (if you want them)

-          dress warmly (and for rain, if it looks wet out!)

For more information:

http://ohio.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2313049615

"If you are thinking a year ahead, sow a seed.
If you are thinking ten years ahead, plant a tree."
Chinese poet, 500 BC

Tree Planting Nostalgia

2007-11-06T06:02:00.000-08:00

2007-10-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

COMMENTARY: Behind the Greens:

10 Questions for activist Julia Butterfly Hill

Interviewed by Brita Belli

At age 33, activist Julia Butterfly Hill is already an icon of the environmental movement. Following a car crash in 1996, Hill found herself in Northern California, seeking direction. There she became enamored of the towering, ancient redwood trees living there, and was stirred to action when she found that they were about to be felled by the Pacific Lumber Company. So Julia climbed a 180-foot tall, 600-year-old redwood and lived there for 738 days in a four-by-six foot shelter built with the help of the Earth First! volunteers who drew her into their fold. She called the tree Luna. After her years in the tree, the lumber company relented, and Luna, and a three-acre buffer zone, were preserved. The tree was attacked by a chainsaw-wielding lunatic in 2001, but it seems to be recovering. Hill’s environmental dedication is legendary, and she continues to inspire and motivate through her own organization, Circle of Life, committed to supporting the interconnectedness of all living things. Luna, a movie by Participant Productions, based on Hill’s book, The Legacy of Luna, is in the works.

E Magazine: What is the most pressing environmental issue in 2007?

Julia Butterfly Hill: The most pressing environmental issue in 2007 is actually our disconnected consciousness. All the incredibly devastating issues facing our world today are actually symptoms of a disease. I call this disease “Separation Syndrome.” When you rip a plant from its roots of connection it begins to die. As we have ripped out the roots of our consciousness of connection, so too are we beginning to die. The environmental crisis is the outward manifestation of what is inside of us. The outer landscape is the reflection of our inner landscape. A simple way to see that none of us are immune or free from this disease is to look at a prevalent statement like when we say we are “going to throw something away.” Where is “away?” There is no such thing. We are all culpable in this disease. Therefore, we all can become the healers our society so desperately needs by looking at every single thought, word, and action, and asking ourselves, “Is this healing or hurting, restoring or destroying?” and shifting our choices to be more connected to this phenomenal, interconnected, sacred web of life of which we are a part.

What is your greatest environmental fear and why?

I do not choose to waste one precious moment of my life dying in fear. Fear kills off the life of the moment. Therefore fear is a death to the sacred gift and miracle of each breath. This does not mean that I do not have moments where I am afraid. Rather, it is to say that I choose to live my life from the courage of my heart. Fear makes us hide, become apathetic, judge, and point fingers. There is no vision in fear. There is no possibility in fear. There is no responsibility in fear. There is no power in fear.

My first winter while living in Luna, I experienced the worst storms in the recorded history of California. At its most intense, winds were gusting 90 miles an hour, my tarp roof and walls had been completely torn apart, I was getting pummeled by rain and sleet, and getting thrown around by the wind. I was more frightened than I have ever been in my life. In this moment, I found the most profound state of grace when I embraced life to its fullest by embracing death. In that moment, I found a power and joy that is beyond words. My heart grieves deeply at the devastation we have wrought on our planetary family. I choose to address this with love in action.

Who is the most significant environmental figure of our time?

I have so many people whom I admire and appreciate their work for the planet that I could fill pages with names. Some of them include Wangari Maathai, Dr. Vandana Shiva, Arundhati Roy, Billy Parish, Evon Peters, Dune Lankard, Janine Benyus, Joan Baez, John Quigley, Daryl Hannah and the late David Brower.

Are you a vegetarian? Why or why not?

I am a JOYOUS Vegan! I never say I am Vegan without adding the word “Joyous” to it because when some people hear “vegan,” they think things like rigid, boring, bland, angry, and judgmental. I LOVE life. I love celebrating my connection with Creation through the mindfulness of what I eat. Ultimately, I want people to eat with awareness and mindfulness, which means that first and foremost, eat local, local, local. People who say they are vegetarian because of animal rights but then have their food shipped from hundreds to thousands of miles away are not recognizing the enormous impact on animals (including human animals) from energy consumption.

I have walked in lands destroyed by oil extraction and I am clear that animals are being killed, maimed, and suffering terribly because of this process. I support indigenous people’s rights to live as one with the land and to eat animals for food. After living with a tree for two years, I am clear that plants and all life communicate. I recognize that the vegetables I eat deserve my humble gratitude and respect for my taking their life for food. I do not see any aspect of life as more sacred than any other. To say that I am more sacred or important than a plant is to be a part of the disease of disconnect that is at the heart of the destruction of the beauty and health of our world. I am clear that our forks and plates are weapons of mass destruction or tools of mass compassion based on the choices we make.

As an eco-advocate you undoubtedly try to walk the talk. But what do you have the most trouble changing about yourself or your lifestyle?

I recognize that my biggest challenge is to remain awake and in integrity in my daily life. So much in our society is geared towards making unconscious and harmful choices. I have to remain vigilant and mindful every moment of every day. I am committed to always looking for how I can live in more alignment and integrity with the vision of the world I wish to live. I am committed to always looking for how to ever reduce my footprint on this beautiful planet. These commitments are challenged every day as societal structures work to numb me and make these commitments difficult to live.

Who could be the environmental movement’s most unlikely allies?

The environmental movement needs to take a really hard and deep look at race, class and gender. Until it is ready to deal with its inherited racism, privilege and gender-biased power structures, it will never be the ally it needs to be. We are always looking at how to get “others” to join us. We need to look at what it truly takes for us to be the embodiment of healing disconnected consciousness. The more we embody this healing and integrity, the more we will be, and thus manifest, the allies we all need.

Which environmental group do you most admire and why?

I admire the grassroots, local groups across the country and around the world. While I appreciate the work of larger organizations, I find them to be resource intensive and very difficult for people to actively engage and be empowered in making a difference in their own communities.

Which green trend do you most distrust?

I am not a fan of huge corporations (i.e.: Shell, McDonald’s and Wal-Mart) who have “green” campaigns. Ultimately these are corporations that are designed to make a huge profit from exploitation of the planet and all its life, including humans.

I also challenge the idea that we can somehow buy our way to sustainability. The path to planetary health is in walking away from consumption and towards reducing our ecological footprint. This does include being mindful of what we buy, but first and foremost REDUCING what we are taking from the Earth. The average American consumes approximately14 generations worth of resources in one single generation. We are a society of addicts, and we are going to have to heal our addiction to consumption if we are to heal the wounds we have and continue to inflict on our planetary home.

What’s your favorite Earth-friendly mode of transportation?

My favorite Earth-friendly mode of transportation is my bicycle! I am so joyfully car free! I ride my bicycle just about everywhere. If my destination is a bit too far for me to ride, I take public transportation which is my second favorite Earth-friendly mode of transportation.

How could the environmental movement reinvent itself?

I do not feel that the environmental movement needs to reinvent itself. Rather, I feel what it needs is to take the time to be with nature’s rhythms and wisdom. Everything we need to know and do is already and always present in the natural world of which we have forgotten we are profoundly intertwined. We have forgotten the “nature” in our “human nature.” Our disconnection is all over our lives, language and actions. I do not see separate movements (i.e.: environmental, human rights, animal rights and spiritual.) I see that we are all facets of the same movement towards a world that works for all. It is not “our” Earth; it is “us” Earth. It is WE THE PLANET. When we truly get this and begin to act accordingly, the planetary crisis will heal as we heal the human crisis of our hearts and spirits, and shift our lives to BE the world we wish to see.

CONTACTS: Circle of Life

BRITA BELLI is Managing Editor of E.

Help Us Build A Forest

2007-09-25T18:46:00.001-07:00

Specialty Books & The National Arbor Day Foundation are replanting a forest in the United States and are allowing US colleges & universities vote for which one (which will then be named after the school). OU is currently in 46th place with 14 votes (go us!).

Check out the website, vote, and be sure to sell your books back at the end of the quarter and always try to by used!

"Fill the Forest and Your Wallet

Buying used books is like recycling! And it's good for the forest in so many ways. For starters, you're using a book that already exists instead of claiming the life of a living tree in order to make a new one. That's more trees for the forest and less stress for the environment. On top of that, when you buy used books we say thanks by planting more trees. So now you're building a new forest! And finally, because used books are cheaper, you save some money! (That one's more for you than the forest, but by now you’ve earned it!)"

ReLeaf on Facebook

2007-09-25T14:26:00.001-07:00

Check out ReLeaf for OHIO on Facebook!

Green Tip from Union of Concerned Scientists

2007-09-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

Ensure a Strong Future for Forests
September 2007
Read this issue of Greentips online

Forests provide habitat for more than half of all species living on land, help filter pollutants out of the air and water, and prevent soil erosion. They also play a major role in regulating global temperatures by absorbing heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in their cell walls. Unfortunately, the global benefits provided by trees are threatened by deforestation.

Earth loses more than 18 million acres of forestland every year—an area larger than Ireland—according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). When trees are cleared, their stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere. As a result, tropical deforestation is responsible for about 20 percent of total annual global warming emissions, making it second only to fossil fuels in terms of climate impact.

The best way to reduce emissions from tropical deforestation is to help ensure these trees are not cut down in the first place. Your purchasing decisions can play a role in this effort:

Wood: When buying wood products, look for labels that indicate the wood comes from sustainably managed forests. There are several forest certification programs in place worldwide; see the related links for a description and comparison of each. For home improvement projects, you can avoid new wood products altogether by using reclaimed wood for floors and wood-free materials (such as composite resin boards) for decks or play areas.
Coffee: Make your daily cup o’ joe using shade-grown coffee beans, which are grown under a forest canopy. In addition to supporting the preservation of forestlands, shade-grown coffee requires less fertilizer and pesticides to grow compared with coffee grown under full sun.
Paper: While most U.S. papers are not made from tropical woods, reducing overall demand for virgin paper can have a global impact. You can support forest-friendly paper by buying paper made from sustainably harvested timber, a high percentage of post-consumer recycled content, or wood-free fibers such as kenaf.

Planting trees, while not a substitute for deforestation, can provide important climate benefits, especially in urban areas. In addition to absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, trees cool the air by providing shade and transpiring water from their leaves, which help reduce air conditioner use (and subsequent emissions from electricity production) during the summer months.

ReLeaf in Planet OHIO News

2007-09-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

Spring Quarter 07 Article

ReLeaf's First Tree Planting 03-31-07

2007-09-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

"On Saturday, March 31, twenty volunteers braved the wind and rain to plant 1400 white pine and short leaf pine seedlings. The project was coordinated by Courtney Denning of ReLeaf for OHIO and Sonia Marcus, Resource Conservation Coordinator at OU with help from the First Presbyterian Church of Athens.

The seedlings used in this tree planting project were provided by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry. Every year, the State Tree Nursery produces and sells two million trees. These trees, called “Ohio Conservation Seedlings” serve a variety of purpose from fueling the pulp wood markets for paper, to growing wildlife habitat, preventing erosion and adding color and character to backyards around the state and beyond.

The seedlings planted in this project will help to stabilize the soils along the highway. They will absorb storm water thereby reducing flooding along Richland Ave. They will make the south entrance into the City of Athens more green and appealing. Ohio's Conservation Seedlings are unique in that seed is collected locally in Ohio from desirable trees that have shown longevity and productivity over decades. The seedlings then have the right genetics to withstand local conditions that include odd Ohio weather and various pests and diseases."

- Ann Bonner, Urban Forester, ODNR Division of Forestry