News From The Field

Hort Answers from U of IL Extension

2008-03-04T13:05:00.001-06:00

HortAnswers is a new website by the University of Illinois Extension that provides basic information about plants and their pests and diseases for Zones 4-6. You can search by plant, pest/disease, or problem.

Best Careers of 2008- LA is one!

2008-03-04T09:40:00.002-06:00

US News and World Report lists 31 careers that have "strong outlooks and high job satisfaction".

Landscape Architect- Smart Specialty: Ecosystem Restoration

Green Industry Economics Blog

2008-02-22T11:29:00.000-06:00

Economist Charlie Hall's new blog, Making Cents Of Green Industry Economics offers insight into how things such as the tax rebate, falling consumer confidence, and the weak dollar will affect the green industry.

"Why "Making Cents"? Because as margins get tighter and tighter in the Green Industry due to market conditions becoming increasingly competitive, a few cents per pot/plant can make a world of difference! Stay tuned to this site for up-to-the-minute information regarding economic factors affecting your business and strategic responses to enhance profitability!"

Rising from Ashes- Furniture from Lost Trees

2008-02-22T09:13:00.002-06:00

The Chicago Furniture Designers Association (with the Illinois EAB Wood Utilization Team) presents a traveling exhibition featuring furniture made from salvaged ash lumber.
The exhibition is scheduled to be at the Morton Arboretum August 22- September 7, 2008

For more information go to www.risingfromashes.org

2008 Chicagoland Flower & Garden Show

2008-02-22T08:52:00.002-06:00

March 8-16, 2008
at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
5555 N. River Rd., Rosemont, IL

Theme Gardens by Chicagoland landscapers and designers
Teaching Garden with hands-on demonstrations
Hands-on Workshops with 'Potting Parties'
Gardening Seminars
Garden Gourmet culinary demonstrations
Garden Marketplace -100-plus exhibitors
Photography Garden

For more information go to: chicagolandflowerandgarden.com

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T13:40:00.002-06:00

Do you ever wonder how we got from the martyred Saint Valentine in ancient Rome to the cards, candy and teddy bears of today's Valentine's Day?

Well, here is a little time-line if you are interested:

3rd Century, Rome- the death or burial of St. Valentine (with his own mysterious legends)
5th Century, Rome- the pope declares February 14th St. Valentine's Day (Some believe this was an attempt to 'christianize' pagan holiday. The goddess of women and marriage was celebrated on Feb 14th and the fertility festival Lupercalia began Feb 15th)
Middle Ages, France and England- People believed that Feb 14 was the start of the mating season for birds
17th Century, Great Britain- the holiday gains popularity
Mid 18th Century, Great Britain and US- friends and lovers give each other small gifts or notes
Late 18th Century, Great Britain and US- printed cards became popular with new printing technology
1840s, United States- mass-production of valentines by Esther A. Howland
Today- celebrated in the US, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia, (the second largest card-sending holiday of the year – about one billion valentine cards sent annually) with an explosion of pink and red that begins the day after Christmas

Did you know...
February was also the official start of spring in ancient Rome, and a time for spring cleaning and purification. It is fitting that this month we are Enamored with Amelanchier, an ornamental tree with pure white spring flowers, in our article 'Serviceberry- A Sweet Sign of Spring'.

2007 Living With Trees Awards

2008-02-11T14:01:00.000-06:00

The Land Conservancy of McHenry County's annual 'Living With Trees' Award Program was started in 2006 to recognize individuals, organizations, businesses and local governments that have demonstrated outstanding efforts to preserve remaining oak woodlands and savannas of McHenry County.

The Award Winners:

The Village of Lakewood
For the resolution passed by the Village Board to indicate support for the reforestation program and commitment to maintain the Project Quercus trees that were planted or a period of at least 99 years

The Village also has an excellent tree preservation ordinance that requires replacement plantings of nut-producing native trees. Lakewood is also on the Project Quercus Steering Committee and is one of the pilot sites for the 2007 plantings.

McHenry County Conservation District
For the study in 2007 that documents the changes in the McHenry County's oak woodlands since the the 1830s.

Volunteer Nancy Schietzelt
Volunteer Nancy Schietzelt coordinated the 2007 Project Quercus program, from mailing letters to potential volunteers and site sponsors, to setting up scouting the planting sites for appropriateness for planting oaks, to coordinating the four planting events. Nancy organized the tools, the people, and the 102 Oak seedlings planted (donated by Glacier Oaks Nursery).

The Living With Trees Award is sponsored by McHenry County Nursery, Glacier Oaks Nursery and McHenry County Soil & Water Conservation District

Energy Conservation through Trees Act

2008-02-11T13:28:00.000-06:00

The Alliance for Community Trees (ACT) is working with Congresswoman Matsui of California on a bill to help utility companies and nonprofit organizations plant more trees to shade and reduce energy spent on air conditioning. The program is modeled after Sacramento Municipal Utility District's program to provide free trees and instruct how to plant them to save energy.

See the Energy Conservation Through Trees Act

PLANET's 2007 Environmental Improvement Awards

2008-02-04T14:38:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Moore Landscapes, Inc of Northbrook for four awards:

O'Hare Plaza, Rosemont
Woodfield Corporate Center, Schaumburg
311 S Wacker Dr (east of Union Station and south of Sears tower)
Harbor Point Condominiums, Monroe Harbor

Other local award winners:

Brickman, Long Grove- Private Residence in Barrington Hills, The Fairmont, and The Merchandise Mart
Clarence Davids & Co., Matteson- Eustace Residence
James Martin Associates, Inc., Vernon Hills- Gochnauer Residence, Caldarelli Residence, and Landmark Town Homes
Mariani Landscape, Lake Bluff- The Prairie Retreat
Green View Design Group, Normal, IL - Henrich Residence

Update: Saving McHenry County Oak Groves

2008-02-04T10:00:00.000-06:00

February 4, 2008
The Chicago Tribune came out recently to our sister company Glacier Oaks Nursery to interview Joe and Mary about Project Quercus. The article ran today in the Tribune:

McHenry County coalition works to return oaks to full splendor
In McHenry County, coalition taking steps to restore shrinking forests
By Carolyn Starks- Tribune staff reporter

"The oak saplings at Glacier Oaks Nursery in Harvard are bundled like children in a snowstorm inside warm tunnels that will help them thrive until spring. They may look fragile, but their spindly branches carry a heavy burden.

Conservationists are counting on these baby trees as a small step in helping assure that mighty oak forests remain rooted in McHenry County..."

12/29/07
Another article on Project Quercus in McHenry County:
'County's Oak Population Getting Bare'
Northwest Herald, 12/28/07

The following is a breakdown of oak forest coverage in McHenry County by the year.
1838: 143,000 acres.
1872: 72,000 acres.
1939: 26,350 acres.
2005: 18,000 acres.

12/17/07
This month, an article titled 'Group Out to save McHenry County's Oak Groves' was published in the Daily Herald about the Land Conservancy of McHenry County's efforts to preserve oak groves through education, ordinances, and restoration.

"When 17th century French explorers first arrived in the area northwest of present-day Chicago, they marveled at the region's vast oak groves, writing that it was as if a higher power planted each tree individually to maximize their beauty.

Hundreds of years later, the beauty of those groves remains in what is now McHenry County, but ecologists fear that may not be the case for much longer.

With the increasing pressures of development, poor management and sparse efforts to replace dying trees, the number of oaks has fallen precipitously, down to just over 10 percent of what it was when European settlers arrived in the 1830s.

Fearing it may be now or never for McHenry County's oaks, a group of governments, environmental groups and arborists are banding together to save what's left.
"Not only have we cut down a lot of trees for construction, but a lot of what's left out there is sick and dying," said Lisa Haderlein, executive director of the Land Conservancy of McHenry County. "People are going to have to intervene to change the situation."

That was the philosophy behind the Land Conservancy creating Project Quercus (Latin for oak), a joint effort of nurseries, villages, state and federal agencies and tree-related businesses to save McHenry County's remaining oak groves."

Beeson's McHenry County Nursery and Glacier Oaks Nursery have been involved in Project Quercus and grow the oak seedling for planting at sites across the county. For more information, see TLC's Winter newsletter.

Natural Landscaping Seminar

2008-01-31T13:36:00.003-06:00

Mark your calendar,
The Wildflower Preservation and Propagation Committee's 16th annual seminar 'Backyard & Beyond' is Saturday, February 23, 2008 at the McHenry County College Conference Center

Informational Topics include:

'Project Quercus: The Future Mighty Oaks of McHenry County' - Ed Collins of MCCD and Lisa Haderlein of The Land Conservancy
'The Home Landscape, Naturally'- Keith Nowakowski, author of 'Native Plants in the Home Landscape'
'Birds of the Chicago Region'- Joel Greenberg, author and naturalist

There will also be exhibitors of natural landscaping products, services, art and books.

Beauty in the Winter Landscape

2008-01-31T11:49:00.001-06:00

From the New York Times, an article on Piet Oudolf- garden designer, nurseryman, author, and leader in the naturalistic and sustainable gardening movement. Oudolf designed public and private gardens around the world, and was a part of the design team for gardens in Millennium Park in Chicago. The articel describes Oudolf's work with North American native prairie plants to create well-composed gardens that are beautiful not only in bloom but also in the dead of winter.

Looking out over his perennial meadow, Mr. Oudolf articulated it this way: “You look at this, and it goes deeper than what you see. It reminds you of something in the genes — nature, or the longing for nature.” Allowing the garden to decompose, he added, meets an emotional need in people. “You accept death. You don’t take the plants out, because they still look good. And brown is also a color.”
A Landscape in Winter, Dying Heroically
By Sally McGrane, Published New York Times: January 31, 2008

Green is the Color of Money

2008-01-30T10:29:00.001-06:00

Defining Sustainability- In a letter to the Greenhouse Grower BenchRunner one grower commented on the overuse of the word ‘Sustainability’

“...Right now with the economy, drought, high fuel prices, soaring health costs and insurance, it's not sustainability anymore, it's "SURVIVABILITY." How can y'all keep asking growers to spend money to just about totally revamp their operations when they are on the verge of closing or getting gobbled up by a mega grower?”

The editor responds with more information and suggests
“It would be good for the industry to adopt common language or a definition of sustainability that puts profit front and center instead of a quiet assumption”
and offers a definition for the green industry
“Producing and selling greenhouse or field crops in a manner that provides a profit for the business, minimizes the impact upon the environment, maximizes employee well-being and benefits the community."

How do we promote sustainability without it coming off as Greenwashing? (see Project: Green Industry’s take on the term)

A big part of The Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association is finding answers to that question. MELA, (an organization of industry professionals and individuals that promotes environmentally responsible landscaping and practices) is bringing people together to discuss how to educate the green industry and the public.

MELA’s annual Conference is Thursday, February 28, 2008 at the Chicago Botanic Garden. ‘Healthy People, Healthy Profits, Healthy Planet’ will offer information on how sustainable landscaping can be good for people and good for your business.

The confusion most businesses have with sustainability is not understanding that it means ‘Efficiency’, which is a ratio of Inputs/Outputs. The more efficient a company the more sustainable the practices of the company. When we look at the Inputs we must ask what are the True Costs, not just the price. By starting at the beginning of the manufacturing process, including the extraction of minerals, production of energy, and treatment of labor we can look at what pollutants (what economists call ‘externalities’) are being created and ask if those costs are being included in the price.

If ‘sustainable’ practices are followed there should be less ‘pollution’ created that society must pay for, either in pricing or increased social costs (such as health care, global warming, or increased mortality) If all businesses attempted to follow ‘sustainable’ (most efficient) practices the overall costs to everyone would decrease even as our populations continued to grow. (The biggest sustainability question is of course population growth.) For small businesses who are concerned about survivability on a short term basis sustainable practices have to translate into immediate efficiencies that can be implemented.

Never forget that ‘Green’ is the color of money.

More EAB News

2008-01-30T09:56:00.000-06:00

Ash borer found in Homewood trees
January 28, 2008 by Carla A. Mullady, Southtown Star

The emerald ash borer has been found in three trees in the Calumet Country Club area in Homewood....

Invasive pest threat prompts state ag department to ask consumers to check wooden planters
January 25, 2008 Winona Daily News

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is asking consumers for help in tracking down wooden planter boxes from Indiana that might be hiding a tree pest called emerald ash borer.
Officials made the request after learning that the boxes made from potentially infested ash wood were improperly shipped to Minnesota in violation of a federal quarantine.
The planter boxes in question are labeled “Nature’s Own Planters” by Lawson Products. They are about 24 inches by eight inches in size, and made from ash tree slabs with bark attached...

Ash borer fells a Wilmette tree -- and 90 more are set to fall
Winter proves a good time to inspect leafless limbs, take action against insect
January 17, 2008 By Tara Malone- Tribune reporter

Less than two years and a half-mile from where the metallic-green pest first appeared in Wilmette, arborists this month took down another tree infected by the ravenous emerald ash borer beetle.

A 50-foot tree that overlooked Lake Avenue for more than three decades was sliced apart and fed into a wood chipper stationed along the residential street. It was the first of at least 90 Wilmette ash trees that are being removed from public land in the coming weeks -- a big loss that's an urgent reminder of the borers' widespread reach across the Chicago area and the Midwest...

Timber Thieves

2008-01-21T10:58:00.000-06:00

Timber Thieves Strike at Heart of Lands Held Dear
Published New York Times: January 20, 2008

"Across the country, trees are disappearing in cases that are often small in scale but largely unsettling, probably prompted by the rise in timber value and the increase in worldwide demand for American hardwood — particularly from builders in Europe and China. The total value of the American log export market has more than doubled since 2000, industry experts said, and it continues to grow.
In the United States, forests are not being illegally logged on a systemic scale, as is the case in countries like Indonesia, Malawi and Brazil, where unauthorized harvesting has led to serious deforestation and attendant environmental problems. Here, the issue is often scattered and intimate, and often affects homeowners, parks and public forests.
In Flint, Mich., for instance, thieves last month stole black walnut trees from the grassy landscaped edge of a main city street. Earlier last year, people were snatching saplings from a city park there as soon as they were planted." MORE

Most Wanted:
Arkansas- Pine
Kentucky- Oak, Chestnut, Cherry
Northeast- Maple
Midwest- Walnut

The History of Our Native Oaks

2008-01-14T14:12:00.000-06:00

The oak-hickory forests and oak savannas of northern Illinois historically supported a world of living things- thousands of species of plants, animals, insects and other creatures. Open woodland communities dominated by White, Bur and Red Oaks, as well as other nut bearing trees, were teeming with life. Natural fires kept understory plants in check, allow enough light to filter through for acorns to germinate and oak seedlings to grow slowly but steadily to dominate the canopy.

Today only a fraction of these old woodlands remain. In the next 15-20 years, most of our oak-hickory woodlands may be lost. The remaining trees are old, and many are 200 or more years old. The life cycle of a naturally growing oak can be measured in 100’s of years.

What happened?
Established oaks+ new construction= dead oaks
We try to save the old oaks by building around them, but we irreparably disturb their root systems by filling, compacting and drainage changes. We prevent the tree from taking up water and nutrients it needs to survive.

When humans curbed the natural fires of the woodlands and savannas, other fire-sensitive native trees that were previously kept under control (such as box elder, ash, and sugar maple) move in along with invasive exotics like buckthorn. The understory grows denser, altering the habitat, and the old oaks that survived are now unable to reproduce, and the savannas and woodlands as they were, begin to decay and die. This not only decreases the tree diversity of the region, but it also eliminates one of the best food sources for wildlife. Acorns are a valuable food source for multitudes of birds and animals.

The Chicago area is still booming with growth, with homes and facilities expanding to support the population. The oak woodlands and savannas and the community of life they support are under pressure from the changing land use surrounding their habitat. They rarely survive development, and they are not reproducing successfully in the natural areas that are left.

The oaks we see today are ancient survivors of drought, heat, cold, fire and human interference, but they are dying out due to age and environmental stress. With few young trees to take their places, we are likely to see a dramatic change in the landscape across the region, which will impact the health, character and economy of the region- and the entire Chicagoland area.

Resources:
The Next Generation of Oaks - January 2008 Green Buzz- Research and Development article

The Chicago Wilderness- Atlas of Biodiversity

Native Trees for North American Landscapes by Guy Sternberg
The Land Conservancy of McHenry County

The Land Conservancy of McHenry County Illinois or
Glacier Oaks Native Plant Nursery (Container Oak Grower) for more information on Project Quercus

2008 Urban Tree of the Year

2008-01-11T12:05:00.000-06:00

Nyssa sylvatica (black tupelo or black gum) is the Society of Municipal Arborists' Tree of Year for 2008

spectacular fall color
fissured coal black bark
tolerates shade, wet sites, salt spray, heat, drought, pollution
relatively pest and disease free

Nyssa is a beautiful native tree, but like many native trees has a taproot that makes it difficult to transplant, but can be successfully grown and transplanted in containers.
More information on GO Trees-Container Trees

Past Trees of the Year:
2007- Baldcypress
2006- Kentucky coffeetree
2005- Chanticleer pear
2004- Autumn Blaze maple

Tornado

2008-01-10T08:42:00.000-06:00

We survived the tornado without a scratch, however, some of our neighbors were not so lucky . Thankfully no one was injured.

Battling Buckthorn

2008-01-09T12:51:00.000-06:00

On January 4, 2008 Chicago Public Radio aired a segment:
Hainesville Residents Fight Off Buckthorn

Residents of Lake County’s oldest village, Hainesville, have declared war. They’re doing battle with chain saws and herbicides – hoping to recreate the landscape that charmed settlers in the early 1800’s...

In the segment, Dave Coulter of Native Restoration Services in Round Lake IL, was interviewed on his experience with battling buckthorn and his 5 year contract with the Village of Hainesville to restore and maintain the habitat around the lake. Great work Dave! Click here to listen

Atlas of Biodiversity

2008-01-07T10:37:00.000-06:00

Chicago Wilderness has available for download (or print)
'Atlas of Biodiversity'

The publication includes color maps and photos, and loads of information on the history of living things in the Chicago region, including the Geology, the plant and animal communities of the Prairies, Woodlands, Wetlands, and Water, and the effects of humans on the natural world.

The Secrets of the Forest

2008-01-02T10:55:00.000-06:00

Harvard Forest, a 3,000 acre forest labratory in north central Massachusetts, is tracking the forest's breathing to determine how carbon dioxide flows in and out. Scientists found that more carbon is being stored than released, and much more is being stored in the soil than previously thought. The questions they would now like to answer are why the forest is storing carbon faster and faster over time, why the carbon is going into to soil, and how long it will continue to do so.

"The forests of the world are currently taking up 25 percent of all the carbon from burning fossil fuels, and we would very much like to know whether that's going to continue or whether it could turn around, and the forests put that back into the atmosphere."

In a Forest's Breath, Deciphering Climate Clues
by Dan Charles, NPR, All Things Considered, December 31, 2007

Climate Change Predicted to Drive Trees Northward

2007-12-24T13:22:00.000-06:00

"The most extensive and detailed study to date of North American tree species concludes that expected climate change this century could shift the trees’ climatic ranges northward by hundreds of kilometers and shrink the ranges by more than half. The study, by Daniel W. McKenney of the Canadian Forest Service and his colleagues, is reported in the December issue of BioScience." MORE

An Atlas of the Next Chicago Region

2007-12-21T14:25:00.000-06:00

Maps in the Public Square, an online exhibit, part of Chicago's Festival of Maps, is an interactive map that shows the Chicago Region changing over time. It was put together by Openlands, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, and Chicago Metropolis 2020.

Thousands of Tree Species at Risk of Extinction

2007-11-28T08:07:00.000-06:00

New Information Revealed About Danger To Oak, Maple Species

LISLE, IL (November 19, 2007) – Seventy-eight species of oak trees – cornerstones of natural and urban landscapes – are globally threatened with extinction, including 17 species that are under threat in the United States, according to an as-yet unpublished report from international experts. Additionally, 19 maple tree species are either “critically endangered” or “endangered.” Sara Oldfield, Secretary General of London-based Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), revealed the data when addressing conservationists and others at The Morton Arboretum.

“Ecosystems and species are under threat, there’s no doubt about it,” Oldfield said. “Plants are often overlooked in biodiversity debates. Often, animals are discussed, but what about the plants on which they depend?” she asked.

Oaks and maples join magnolias, conifers, ginkgo, and others on the “Red List.” This document, from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), lists species that are threatened with extinction in the wild – even rating the seriousness of each species’ situation with categories such as critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable. MORE

Genetically Engineered Trees

2007-11-21T09:46:00.000-06:00

Through Genetics, Tapping a Tree’s Potential as a Source of Energy
By Andrew Pollack
New York Times: Published November 20, 2007

"It might be true that “only God can make a tree,” as the poet Joyce Kilmer wrote. But genetic engineers can fundamentally redesign them.

Aiming to turn trees into new energy sources, scientists are using a controversial genetic engineering process to change the composition of the wood. A major goal is to reduce the amount of lignin, a chemical compound that interferes with efforts to turn the tree’s cellulose into biofuels like ethanol."

Pros:

possible source for energy
the trees also absorb carbon dioxide
trees can be harvested as needed (versus other crops)
could save at least 10 cents/gallon in ethanol costs
increased interest and money for tree research
domesticating trees would save natural forests from being cut down

Cons:

decreased lignin may lead to weak trees vulnerable to pests and diseases
the public may resist the attempt to turn trees into a row crop on the same level as corn or soybeans
Forests are more visually appealing and better for wildlife than tree plantations
transgenic trees could easily spread to the wild
long term nature of trees makes it impossible to see the long term consequences