Vol. 7, No. 4
Fall 2005
COMMUNITY FOREST PROFILE
Know Trees?
Share Your Knowledge!
as a teacher or school district ever asked you to give a “talk about trees” to a group of kids? What did you talk about? Did you send ahead a packet of information? Or did you visit the school itself? Or perhaps you feel compelled to proactively get DNR Conservation Officer Doug Sandstrom speaks with students from the White Earth forestry education into your local school or district. Indian Reservation on peoples’ effects on forests. (Have you ever heard your kid say something like, “They cut down all the trees and now all the animals will die!”) Either way, don’t be surprised if teachers, parents and citizens consider you a “tree expert.” And as all experts know, it’s good to have a plan.
Inside This Issue 2 Perspectives Column
As good tree stewards, you realize the importance of educating kids and citizens on the values of trees: for shade, wildlife habitat, energy savings, beauty, windbreaks, as a renewable resource, etc. So how do you get the message across?
4 Dispel-A-Myth: Tree Inspectors Cannot Get Access to Private Property
Here are some suggestions for educating a group face-to-face. Do not miss a single step! Before you meet with your audience: 1. Find out your audiences’ ages. 2. Find out what your audience already knows about trees. 3. Identify any misperceptions about forestry or trees you audience may have. 4. Find out the topics your audience wants to hear about.
8 Clip & Save: Tree Ordinances
Know Trees? continued on p. 3
5 Urban Forest Health: How Does Dutch Elm Disease Affect the Sugar Maple? 11 MnDOT & Deicers 13 Using Volunteers in Urban Forestry 15 STAC Info and Calendar
Visit MnSTAC on the Web at www.mnstac.org
The Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee’s mission is to advance Minnesota’s commitment to the health, care and future of all community forests. ADVOCATE • Fall 2005
Amy Kay Kerber
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By Laura Duffey
PERSPECTIVES COLUMN
“Techy” Young People in Natural Resources Careers? By Rebecca Koetter
When I was a senior in high school, I was convinced I could work for Rocky Rococo’s for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy making pizzas. Luckily, my parents had other ideas about my future and forced me to apply to some universities. At that point, I had no idea what I should choose for my life-long career, but I knew that I loved to spend my time outside in “nature,” so I chose to pursue a life working with natural resources. One may wonder, in this age of technology, why a person would choose a natural resources career. I believe that I pursued natural resources as a career for the same reasons my predecessors did: love of nature and working outdoors. For me, I imagined that my education would lead me to a life working outdoors. I now realize we’ve been in this technology era for a few decades and almost every professional person needs to understand technological applications and those applications are very useful to natural resource work. In my defense, one does not usually hear the words technology and natural resources in the same sentence! But, you could say I wasn’t prepared for the working world to come and didn’t know what future frustrations I would face with the two topics.
One may wonder, in this age of technology, why a person would choose a natural resources career.
My first experience in natural resources was with classes that did a great job at teaching fundamentals in policy, ethics, management, planning, resource inventory, and natural resource protection. These topics were delivered in a textbook/lecture fashion with minimal emphasis on technology or computer use. I lived in this low-tech bubble while I was going on field trips, having environmental discussions and completing “do-gooder” projects with other like-minded students. So, after my five years I was still convinced I wouldn’t need a lot of technology for work in natural resources. Now that I’ve graduated and my bubble has been popped, I find it frustrating that it is assumed that the younger generations involved in natural resources know everything about technology and computers. I realized this after my friends and I graduated and were looking for jobs. Almost all the job postings we looked at, outside of minimum-wage weed pulling jobs, included some sort of technological thing… “Must be fluent in etc., etc., etc. ‘technical’ program.” Now on to blanket statements: pursuers of natural resources intend a life outdoors, are typically not technologically minded and not every school or program puts emphasis on using technology. This means that not all graduates are as prepared as the job market is asking. My thought is for students to make connections and build relationships with natural resource professionals in order to facilitate a better understanding of each others base of knowledge. Something is needed to bring the two groups together and learn what expectations are practical so that students are suitably prepared for the workforce and employers actually understand what skills are available in new graduates. Rebecca Koetter is a Graduate Student at the College of Agriculture and Environmental Science at the University of Minnesota. She can be reached at band0036@umn.edu
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Know Trees? from p. 1 5. Combine your message with your audiences’ responses to steps 1-4. (Notice: your message doesn’t arrive until step five!) 6. Prepare your lesson.
While there are several forestry lesson plans out there, it’s important that you use the good ones. One of the best is Project Learning Tree (PLT). PLT is a national program that consists of a series of activity guides and a network of volunteer facilitators who train educators to use it. The PreK-8 Guide contains 96 ageappropriate activities on forestry, trees, and other environmental topics such as soils, recycling, water, and wildlife. Even though this guide was designed for preschool students through eighth grade students, I have used several activities with college students, adults, and natural resources professionals. Some examples of PLT activities include using tree rounds (“cookies”) to assess a tree’s history through its rings, “Every Tree for Itself,” which lets students enact trees in a scramble for sunlight, water, and nutrients, and “Trees in Trouble,” which guides students on a local tour to assess tree health. In Minnesota, as in all states, one must attend a PLT workshop to get a guide. PLT holds workshops all over Minnesota. Most workshops are designed for educators. Some focus on a specific topic (like fire ecology). All workshops are offered at the lowest possible cost and many are free. If you’re a natural resources professional, consider contacting PLT to bring a “How to Teach Forestry to Kids” workshop for the staff in your area. This PLT workshop not only trains you how to use the Guide, but also teaches you how to teach, how to choose age-appropriate lessons, how to teach to different learning styles (it’s likely that 2/3 of your audience learns differently than you do), and how to find out what teachers want from you.
Amy Kay Kerber
Now teach! Don’t just talk, but also draw diagrams, demonstrate a procedure, or lead an experiment. Above all, let your group get active by using an engaging, hands-on, age-appropriate activity you can lead your group in.
A group of students from the White Earth Indian Reservation participate in a cleanup of their School Forest. Besides PLT, I recommend some other great resources to use when educating about trees and forests. • The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has several additional forest programs such as School Forests, Arbor Month Partnership, Urban and Community Forestry, and Fire Prevention. Go to www.dnr.state. mn.us/forestry/education for more information and a downloadable PDF of the Teachers’ Guide to Arbor Month. • Tree Trust has “Tree Trunks” full of useful tree and forest-related materials. If you would like to borrow one for an educational program or event, call Tree Trust at 651-6445800. • Woodland Advisors are a network of volunteer citizen leaders who have been trained by the University of Minnesota Extension Service. They are responsible for passing their expertise on to local forest owners and are available and eager to assist in education events and projects. www.cnr.umn.edu/cfc/wa • Tree Care Advisors are a network of educated and trained community-based volunteers that assist the U of MN Extension Service, other State agencies, and various municipalities in promoting urban and community forestry to all Minnesota residents. www.mntca. org Bottom line- your time in the classroom can be effective, memorable and long-lasting!
More information about Project Learning Tree can be found at
www.dnr.state.mn.us/plt
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“ If you plan for a year, plant rice. If you plan for ten years, plant trees. If you plan for 100 years, educate your children.” -Chinese Proverb Laura Duffey is the Project Learning Tree Coordinator at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. She can be reached at 651/296-6157.
DISPEL-A-MYTH
Tree inspectors cannot get access to private property to inspect/ condemn diseased elms. By James Burks
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ow, you may ask, can a tree inspector, working for a city (or other governmental entity) enter private property without a warrant to look for diseased trees? After all, a person’s home is their castle and (at least until the Patriot Act) constitutionally protected against unreasonable search and seizure.
SOME TIPS WHEN ENTERING PRIVATE PROPERTY • Know your city code – especially the part that authorizes you to enter. • Clearly identify yourself and your affiliation (ID cards, uniforms, dayglo vests). • Knock loudly first. • If no one answers, loudly announce yourself before proceeding. • Watch for mean dogs or other warning signs (covered windows, accumulated suspicious trash, etc.). • If the situation merits, call for backup (animal control, law enforcement). • Complete your business promptly and leave a doorhanger or calling-card.
But, if you are a city forester trying to manage a fatal contagious disease such as Dutch elm disease (DED), you know that these diseases do not respect property lines and effectiveness depends upon thorough inspection and action. When the Minnesota Department of Agriculture was tapped to manage the then-new threat to community forests, they devised “disease control zones,” which were eligible for state aid if they embraced relevant rules and regulations. Under these, elms diagnosed with Dutch elm disease were declared nuisances and dealt with as such; that is, detected, owners notified to remove, and action forced if necessary to abate the nuisance. These actions are taken under a governmental entity’s power-of-police. So, many cities and towns incorporated this or similar language in their ordinances (and codified in the city code addressing tree health). Minneapolis, for instance, lists as nuisances any living or standing elm trees with DED or elm bark beetle infestations; likewise, any dead elms, logs, stumps, or brush with bark intact are so classified. Once declared, these nuisances are then prohibited in city code. Then, the right to enter private property is covered. Minneapolis Code (PB10-23) states “All premises and places within the city shall be inspected by employees or agents of the park board as often as is practicable whether any condition described [previous paragraph] exists therein. All reported incidents of infestation by Dutch elm fungus or elm bark beetles shall be investigated.” So, Minneapolis City Code not only enables private property searches for DED trees, but it demands them. Many cities have similar wording in their ordinance. Without the authority to search for diseased trees on private property (made possible by such enabling legislation), and the gumption to do it, a forester cannot effectively manage a contagious disease such as DED. James Burks is a City Forester in Crystal and Robbinsdale.
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URBAN FOREST HEALTH
How Does Dutch Elm Disease Affect the Health of Sugar Maple By Rich Hauer
Video killed the radio star and Dutch elm disease killed the sugar maple too. Nearly a quarter century ago, the Buggles infamously were the first video on the new cable channel MTV that played their “Video Killed the Radio Star”. That same year, in 1981, Dutch elm disease (DED) losses in Minnesota were shifted to levels that were more manageable from epidemic levels of just 5 years earlier. Annual levels decreased from a documented quarter-million to slightly more than onehundred thousand dead elms. Just as much as new technologies (e.g., cable) spawned the advent of MTV, the application of technology (e.g., sanitation, fungicides) decreased elm losses. Through both of these technologies is a common thread – resources (i.e., money, people, and equipment) and the allocation of them. They also tell a story of technology, the application of it, and adapting to change. Flashback to the present and you find that video never really killed the radio star nor did Dutch elm disease kill the sugar maple. New technology such as satellite radio has increased the scope of radio. In fact, the two purveyors of this, Sirius and XM, are continuing to gain subscribers and profitability daily. ADVOCATE • Fall 2005
The conventional radio industry as a whole has also adapted to change by revisiting business models and adapting to new competition for entertainment. Likewise, technology advances in the management of Dutch elm disease are not as striking as satellite radio, but technologies largely developed and transferred in the 1970’s appear to still work for DED management. Namely, identification and prompt removal of infected elm trees reduces elm losses. However, we need to examine the economics associated with DED management, overall urban forestry needs and budgets, and not losing sight of the urban forest and its composite vitality.
Dutch Elm disease continued on p. 6
Dutch Elm disease from p. 5 As we are all well aware, the incidence of Dutch elm disease has increased over the past several years. Dutch elm disease management costs money, whether you like it or not. Technology from the 1970’s readily demonstrated that prevention of elm losses from DED reduces the potential cost of doing little or nothing. Ineffective or little DED management leads to the costs of: • Near to entire losses of elm populations in 10 to 12 years, • Two to three times greater expenditures of money for elm removals, • Greater pulses of money to replant lost elms, and • The opportunity costs of not replanting and forgone social, ecological, and environmental net benefits. I am passionate about elms, perhaps approaching the level of DED policy and management pioneers (e.g., Dave DeVoto, Dr. David French, Jim Hermann, Mark Stennes, Donald Willeke, et al.) from the 1970’s. The gracefulness of the tree, childhood experiences with elm-lined streets, and professional experiences bestow this appreciation on me. I am also cognizant with the facts of economics and allocation of resources. It is with allocation of resources to greater losses of elms where the ironic proposition that Dutch elm disease killed the sugar maple too arises.
Effective management requires data. Understanding your tree and natural resources through population samples, complete inventories, or professional understanding from repeated observation of your community natural resources are important. Stated another way, you can manage without data but assurances of being effective (getting the job done) let alone being efficient (level of output for a unit allocation of resources) becomes less certain. Effective urban forestry also requires including and incorporating the desires of people. Finally, public urban forestry programs are in the business of allocating resources efficiently. These three ideas are consistent with an urban forest planning model that asks (1) what do we have – inventory, (2) what do we want – community goals and objectives, (3) how do we get what we want – management plans and allocation of resources, and (4) feedback – were we effective in achieving goals and how efficient were resources allocated towards that means. Adjustments to point (1) through (3) are based on feedback.
Are we focusing too-much or too-little emphasis on a problem such as DED to an overall social, ecological, and economic detriment?
Managing urban and community forests requires looking beyond any one species or problem. Integration of the urban forest into a greater natural resource basis will better serve to harmonize human-built environments with the residing ecosystem. Here is where a problem lies: Are we focusing too-much or too-little emphasis on a problem such as DED to an overall social, ecological, and economic detriment? For example, do elms exhibit a low, moderate, or high importance to an urban forest through expression of species abundance and size? An example from the Chicago Urban and Suburban Forest Ecosystem illustrates this
through American elm which is ranked 5th in species abundance (numbers of trees) and 4th in species size (extrapolated from leaf area). Yet, even though American elm is one of the highest-ranking members of that urban forest, it represents less than 8% of the overall urban forest composition.
“An Orderly Transformation of Our Urban Forest” is the title of the 1976 MnSTAC report to the Minnesota state legislature that sums very well where our focus should be. The report adequately laid out suggestions on how to abate a DED epidemic, but perhaps more importantly suggested means to recover and perpetuate the urban forest through species diversity and systematic management of tree populations. Overemphasis on DED management or alternatively little emphasis on managing this disease can likely affect an overall lesser efficiency and greater allocation of public resources. Pruning of street trees serves to illustrate the effects of over attention or reduction in Fall 2005 • ADVOCATE
attention (e.g., increased pruning cycle). Bob Miller and Bill Sylvester published a paper on the economics of pruning cycles the same year MTV went on the air. What they found was between 4 and 5 years was the optimal pruning cycle for a street tree population in the Midwest. The main economic drivers were tree condition and cost to prune a tree. Adjust the length to prune a tree (e.g., from 5 to 8 years) and you save money from less trees to prune, but you decrease the overall value of the urban forest to a greater extent from a decline in tree condition. Tree condition is an indicator of overall tree health and appearance. Alternatively, decrease your pruning cycle (e.g., from 5 to 3 years) and the greater tree condition increases the value of the urban forest to a lesser extent than the greater cost from pruning more trees annually. An unfortunate artifact of greater DED incidence in recent years is the difficult decisions with adjusting management. Perhaps increasing pruning cycles, forgoing tree planting, decreasing tree risk management inspections, or eliminating training opportunities for employees were the real decisions applied. These reallocations have costs (possibly benefits) that should be considered. What happens if you scale back or reduce tree risk assessment and someone is hurt, or worse, killed? Short-term delays in pruning trees often create longer-term costs. The utility industry has many examples of the costs of deferred maintenance, most notable the August 14th, 2003 blackout in the Northeastern United States. This was spawned by several factors including equipment failure, operator inattention, line sag from increasing energy consumption on a hot day, and overgrown trees contacting the sagging line. To avoid killing the sugar maple in response to increased burdens of Dutch elm disease requires a strategy. Some ideas to consider include:
Documentation is a product of your needs. For example, my father effectively managed a 500-acre farm operation through a pencil, notebook, calendar, checkbook, good fortune, and his mind. Modern technologies such as computers and handheld data recorders can greatly assist in answering questions of efficiency. Regardless of how you collect and analyze data, without it, your convincing arguments often go unheard. As Dr. Louis Alvarez suggested, you can be the first to observe a new star, but if you do not document its location, it is as if you never saw the star. Management of urban tree populations goes beyond management (or mismanagement) of elm populations. Integration of DED management into an overall urban forestry program is a better approach than isolation of needs and incremental increases of benefits at increasing, steady, or decreasing rates. Avoidance of prompt removal of dead elms will likely cost more in the short- and long-term periods. Likewise, reallocation of resources from current management practices to DED management can pose negative affects. A program may become effective at removing dead and dying elms in a short time period to the determinant of effectiveness and efficiency in other urban forestry activities. Finally, additional allocations of money, increased efficiency, or living with the consequences of informed decisions are options when responding to greater needs within your urban forest operation.
Rich Hauer is with the College of Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He can be reached at rhauer@uwsp.edu
• Educate people on what and why you do things, • Collectively incorporate people in the planning process through a tree or natural resources board, • Be proactive in communicating urban forest resource needs to decision makers and suggest outcomes of alternative allocations of resources, and • Document outcomes of your urban forest management.
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Tree Preservation Ordinances
By Katie Himanga
T
ree preservation ordinances have been on the books for more than a decade in some Minnesota communities. Cities adopt ordinances to protect trees and other natural resources deemed important community assets. Some tree ordinances work better than others. The key to success is an ordinance that meets the current and expected future needs of a community.
Ordinance Requirements Cities expect builders and developers to submit plans, prepared by qualified architects
When ordinances that are in place no longer work for a community, decision makers need to make changes. A good approach for tree preservation is to periodically review the ordinance. This is especially important during the comprehensive planning process. In reviewing the ordinance, consider what is your intent, what did you hope to achieve and is it working? If it is not working, try to identify the underlying problems: Are tree preservation plans of good quality, complete and consistent with the ordinance requirements?
Tree Ordinances
Do staff have the time and expertise needed to administer and enforce the ordinance? Are there policies and procedures in place for efficient administration of the ordinance? Are tree protection measures being correctly installed and monitored throughout construction? Are tree replacements effectively mitigating tree loss? Do decision makers, developers and the public understand the ordinance? Are trees and other natural resources adequately addressed in the City Comprehensive Plan?
MN/DOT
or engineers, in a specific format with specific details when they request a land use permit. The same should be true for tree protection plans. The plan should include information about what exists on a site and what the applicant wants to achieve by protecting trees. At the heart of the plan are the specific strategies that the applicant will use to protect trees that are to Fall 2005 • ADVOCATE
remain on a site throughout construction. Preservation plans also typically include a plan for replacement of trees lost during construction along with tree maintenance provisions. The plan should be reviewed for consistency with both the ordinance and an established guide or standard. You may need to put policies or procedures in place to help insure that plans are of good quality, complete and consistent with your tree ordinance or policy. A good guide for Minnesota is Conserving Wooded Areas in Developing Communities: Best Management Practices in Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 1999.
entire process, from the time a builder or developer submits an application through project completion. Does the city have a way to review permit applications and tree preservation plans in a logical, fair, and timely manner? How will the reviewer communicate with the applicant and with city staff? A professional forester, certified arborist or other tree professional familiar with tree preservation issues and techniques should have the authority to review the site and development plans prior to their approval and any construction performed. Decide who
Staff Resources An ordinance is law, but may not be adequately enforced if a community lacks the will or the resources to enforce its provisions. Each tree preservation plan should be reviewed by a qualified individual: a SAF Certified Forester, ISA Certified Arborist or other tree professional with equivalent training and experience in the preservation of trees and woodlands. Cities without qualified individuals on staff can use the services of a consulting forester or arborist for plan review. Typically the cost of such services is either built into the cost of a permit, or gets passed on to developers along with the cost of planning and engineering review, inspections and other expenses associated with development. The same is true for enforcement. Enforcement usually involves an inspection process, and when violations occur, the developer can be held accountable by the withholding of occupancy permits, forfeiting bond money, fines or stop work orders. Some cities choose to train existing staff to do inspections. Others use consulting foresters or arborists.
Administrative Policies and Procedures An ordinance has little value unless there are effective procedures in place for its administration. Consider the ADVOCATE • Fall 2005
MN/DOT
actually signs off on the project when complete. If you see areas where the process gets bogged down, put new procedures in place. Put them on paper so everyone involved in the process has access to the information.
Implementation The key to tree preservation is protecting tree root systems from damage. Cities routinely inspect construction projects to insure that grading, erosion control and infrastructure are handled correctly by developers. Tree protection requires the same level of oversight. Are the strategies agreed to in the Tree Ordinances continued on p. 10
Tree Ordinances from p. 9 tree preservation plan in place throughout construction? Tree protection usually involves fencing off wooded areas or individual trees. The fence should go up before grading begins and remain in place until construction is finished and landscaping is complete.
Mitigation On sites that were once woodland, the tree cover that remains after construction is typically fragmented. Tree replacement can mitigate some of the adverse impacts of fragmentation and tree loss. If not done carefully though, the character of the site changes dramatically, and the appearance and functional benefits of a woodland are permanently lost. Ordinances can require that replacement trees be planted after construction in woodlands. Typical requirements are for replacement of a certain number of trees for each tree lost, or a certain number of caliper inches of replacement tree for each diameter inch of tree lost. Either way, it is important to identify alternate sites on public property for trees that are difficult or impossible to fit on the original site. Another option is to allow developers to make payment to the city in lieu of tree planting on a site. If the result is better overall tree cover in the community, these may be good options. One strategy for encouraging developers to protect intact woodlands, rather than a population of big trees, is to reward them for protecting desirable trees of all sizes on a site. Give credit against required tree replacement for protecting healthy native trees that are smaller in diameter than what the ordinance defines as needing protection. This rewards the developer for protecting soil, slopes, and young trees along with trees of large diameter.
Education The challenge of an ordinance is getting people to follow its provisions. Most tree ordinances rely heavily on voluntary compliance. Compliance happens when members of the community understand and support the goals of the tree program. Education is an essential component of a tree preservation program. In addition, the exchange of practical information, unique concerns, and specific issues can lead to
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a better understanding among those involved in enforcement of the ordinance. Property owners must understand the importance of their active involvement during the construction process. They need a basic knowledge of proper tree care to successfully maintain the trees which remain on their lot. Construction workers must understand the goals of a tree preservation program and the importance of preserving a tree’s root system.
Comprehensive Plan Cities use ordinances to impact how they grow and change over time. Good ordinances help a city realize its vision as outlined in a comprehensive plan. Too often though, comprehensive plans do not adequately address natural resources including trees. As a result, some of the value of trees for water quality, supporting tax base, and other benefits go unrealized. Be sure that the comprehensive plan for your community reflects the unique assets of your urban forest. During the planning process, be sure your city gathers information about natural resources just as it does for demographics, housing, economics, transportation and other land use considerations. A tree professional can help identify the natural resource protection needs of your community. At the very least, an initial resource assessment should include information regarding vegetation types and location within the community along with identification of unique ecosystems. It may include the locations of particularly large or historic trees as well. To insure that an ordinance meets the current and expected future needs of a community, give it periodic review. Make changes as needed, especially in response to changes in the comprehensive plan of the city. Measure the success of the ordinance against the goals set for tree preservation in the community. Katie Himanga is a consulting forester. She can be reached at 651-380-9680.
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Mn/DOT De ICERS By Norm Asfeld and Kathleen Schaefer
Why does Mn/DOT apply deicing chemicals when the road is wet?
There are possibly two different reasons why we apply chemicals when the road is wet. The first one is when we are doing anti-icing prior to a snow event. We may be anticipating falling temperatures, and we are trying to prevent an icing situation that would be very dangerous to the traveling motorist. The second reason would be that as we go through a storm, the chemicals that we apply dilute and start to refreeze. We are constantly monitoring this situation, and as we see that the current solution
Why don’t we use more sand? There are a few reasons that we have scaled back our use of sand the past number of years. Sand has no melting capabilities, and therefore is ineffective for preventing the bond that happens between the snow and the roadway. Because of the amount and speed of the traffic on our freeways, it has been shown that the sand gets blown off the road almost as soon as it gets applied. It has also been proven that sand is detrimental to the environment as well. The dust from the sand causes health concerns. Also, the sand fills up our storm sewers and is very expensive to sweep up and separate the debris, etc. after the winter season.
Why does Mn/DOT use only chemicals that are harmful to the environment? While it is true that Mn/DOT uses sodium chloride, we have been testing and experimenting with many different types of chemicals that are much more friendly to our environment. The majority of our liquid chemicals have corrosion inhibitors added to the chemical. We are also
Source photo: David R. Gonzalez, MNDOT
testing various chemicals that are agricultural based and are naturally non-corrosive. The rust inhibitors that we have been using are tested to be 70% less corrosive. Mn/DOT has been aggressively pursuing chemicals that are friendlier to the environment as well as new equipment and techniques that will lessen the effects of chlorides and maintain the safety of the traveling public. Currently, sodium chloride is the most efficient and effective means of treating our roads for snow and ice control. It is also the most economical chemical we have today.
Salt works at any temperature. Salt is most effective between 15 degrees and 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Salt stops working at minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit surface temperature. For example, salt will melt 46.3 pounds of ice Mn/DOT & Deicers continued on p. 12
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Mn/DOT & Deicers from p. 11 at 30 degrees Fahrenheit and only 3.7 pounds at zero degrees Fahrenheit. This is one reason that Mn/DOT will add another chemical with a rust inhibitor like magnesium chloride in order to enhance the effectiveness of sodium chloride. Because the surface temperature can differ considerably from the air temperature, we are constantly monitoring the surface temperature in order to accomplish our job as effectively as possible.
Why is Mn/DOT applying chemical on a dry road when the sun is shining? This operation is called anti-icing. We apply a small application of liquid chemical with rust inhibitors (15 gallons per mile) on sections of roadway that have been proven to be hazardous at the beginning of a snow event, as well as bridge decks. The liquid reverts back to a solid on the road, and lies dormant in the crevices of the roadway. When a snow event begins, the chemical reactivates and keeps the roadway and bridge decks free from ice during the most critical time at the beginning of a snow event.
The salt Mn/DOT applies on the roadway is rusting out my vehicle. While salt may have had a big impact on vehicles years ago, the rust inhibitors that we use today along with the increased awareness has greatly reduced the effects of chlorides on today’s vehicles.
What else is Mn/DOT doing to reduce impacts to the environment? Mn/DOT has recently purchased two new trucks that have the ability to precisely place liquids and granular deicers on the roadway. This technology helps to keep the material on the road, where it’s needed, and out of the ditches, thus preventing over application of chemicals and additional chlorides entering our waters. All of Mn/DOT’s new snowplow trucks being purchased come equipped with side, saddle tanks that allow liquid deicers to be applied to the granular at the spinner. By getting the salt wet, either with brine or another chemical, we jumpstart the melting process, as the salt goes into solution quicker. We also see a great reduction in the amount of salt that bounces off the roadway, as the wet salt tends to stick better. By using this pre-wetting technique, we can reduce our overall salt applications by 30% or more.
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Another new piece of equipment recently purchased by MnDOT, is the Anti-Ice Box. This is a portable, solar powered unit that automatically dispenses an anti-icing liquid across the roadway whenever conditions warrant. It is currently placed on a problematic curve on a high-volume metro freeway, the location of many crashes in the past. With the Anti-Ice Box in place for the ‘04-‘05 winter season, the number of crashes in the treacherous curve was greatly reduced. The automatic application of an anti-icing liquid prior to the road becoming slippery has reduced the number of return trips and reapplication of salt by snowplows to the area. Automated bridge de-icing systems are being installed on new bridges and retrofitted onto existing bridges across Minnesota. The technology is similar to the Anti-Ice Box in that a liquid deicer is automatically dispensed onto the bridge deck, as sensors perceive the potential for slippery conditions. These systems have proven to reduce the amount of granular deicers applied to the bridge, as it is much easier to prevent the bond of ice to pavement than to melt through ice to get back to the pavement. Many of these systems apply a non-chloride/non-corrosive material, potassium acetate.
All this new technology and equipment is complicated, how do snowplow operators get the information they need? Yes, it is complicated. The old way of plowing snow, loading a truck with sand and heading down the road, is gone. Today, snowplow operators monitor the pavement temperature, the track of the storm and temperature trends. They also check chemicals for the optimal concentrations and adjust applications to changing conditions. Their job has become much more complex, so they attend post storm meetings to share ideas and discuss what worked and what didn’t. Operators regularly attend training workshops to learn about new chemicals, how and when to apply them and when not to. They have a sense of ownership and pride in maintaining their road and take an active role in installation, calibration and maintenance of their equipment. Operators understand the great responsibility they have in keeping the roads safe under very adverse weather conditions while also applying materials judiciously to minimize the impact to the environment. Norm Asfeld and Kathleen Schaefer are with the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
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Urban Forestry
By Jacob Ryg
I
t may be bold of me to say so, but all cities need trees and in all communities, from the desert towns of New Mexico to the forested reaches of Maine, people need trees in their lives. Many people in our society fail to realize what a precious resource urban trees are until their street is clear-cut because of Dutch elm disease or multiple trees slowly die or topple because of root cutting for sidewalk/curb replacement. In the past year and a half, many people in Rochester, Minnesota have come to care for our tree infrastructure so much that they have volunteered their own time and money to see trees line the boulevards of Rochester neighborhoods once again.
The accepted definition of a volunteer has three major components: done by choice, without monetary reward, and done with a benefit to the community. Volunteers can be any type of person; age, race, social class and political persuasion are irrelevant. The important thing is that they choose to serve their community. There are many types of citizens out there waiting to be motivated into voluntary tree planting. In my experience, I have observed three major types of volunteers:
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The first type is the person who is hungry for knowledge and ready to sacrifice a lot in the
ADVOCATE • Fall 2005
Bob Sixta
Many of you who receive this newsletter already know about the citizen forester program that was established in Rochester last spring. Since its inception, we have taught more than seventy citizens proper tree care techniques and planted over 400 boulevard trees. Every minute of time spent on these planting projects has been volunteer time. Through working with these people, I have learned valuable lessons about what motivates citizen volunteers to work with trees and how to effectively organize them.
name of reforestation. They genuinely believe in the cause. This person asks a lot of questions and is ready at a moment’s notice to help out anyone wanting to plant trees. It takes three to five people of this caliber to get a project going. This spring I had five people spend at least ten hours and travel across the city in order to help perfect strangers plant trees on their Using Volunteers continued on p. 14
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Another type of volunteer is one that has an interest in trees, is willing to help in their own neighborhood and is curious about getting trees established there. This second type is looking for a fun or unique way to benefit the community and likes the idea of beautifying their own neighborhood. I also lump any “political” types of people into this – it’s a great way to get their name out there and also do some community service. Volunteers in this group will be excited about the project for a briefer period of time. Their interest and involvement will likely wane without positive leadership and strong motivation.
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The last type of citizen forester volunteer is the bargain shopper. This type sees that there are some free trees and some free training available and doesn’t want to lose out. I believe this is the type of person who is attracted to anything that says “free.” They’re the people who will travel thirty miles to save ten cents on a gallon of gas. Their strongest attribute to a program is their willingness to go above and beyond for the results, even if they are a bit selfishly motivated. These volunteers are unlikely to stick with the program after they reap the benefits to themselves and their neighborhood. For this reason this group requires the strongest leadership and motivation if their commitment is to exceed the short term.
to purchase, t-shirts that say “official citizen forester,” and free tree knowledge. Many volunteers cannot believe that someone (like me) gets paid to care for city trees. People often comment that they wish they had gone into urban forestry. Sharing personal tree stories and building relationships with these people provides an important support structure for a progressive urban forestry program.
Source photo: Jacob Ryg
boulevards. These are the volunteers who stay with a program for years and who generate new ideas for growth. Wouldn’t it be great to have neighbors like that? As a city forester, it gives me a feeling of pride to have such dedicated advocates of trees watching out for neighborhood plantings.
In Rochester, we have an organization called NeighborWoods that works hand in hand with our citizen forester program. We are fortunate to have a terrific organizer, Susan Waughtal, who assists in mailings, e-mail, promotions and is a citizen forester herself! NeighborWoods is the heart of the citizen forester program and vital to the continued grant writing and continued tree inventory work. Without NeighborWoods none of these community outreach programs would be available to the public.
A final benefit of Rochester’s volunteer program is that local nurseries are starting to find that their customers are demanding properly planted trees and new species. Many of the people that used to ask for the old standbys such as maple, ash, linden and locust are now asking for ginkgo, Kentucky coffeetree, disease resistant elms and larch.
Jacob Ryg is the Forestry Supervisor for the City of Rochester, Minnesota.
All of these volunteers are important and need to be utilized to accomplish the goal of the program. There are many types of motivators – free trees, coupons for reduced priced trees
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Fall 2005• ADVOCATE
STAC INFO & NEWS
About MnSTAC The Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee (MnSTAC) was established in 1974 by a group of concerned citizens to address the health and well being of community forests. MnSTAC is recognized throughout Minnesota and the country for its expertise, advice, coordination and support for community trees. It is an organization of diverse individuals who represent a broad spectrum of tree-related interests. It fosters and supports local community tree programs across the state so healthy community forests are fully integrated into community development, infrastructure, education and management. MnSTAC Board of Directors President: Ken Simons—763/717-9366 Vice President: Michael Max, EnvironMentor Systems, Inc. —763/753-5505 Valerie Cervenka, Minnesota Department of Agriculture— 651/296-0591 Jim Hermann, Mpls Park & Rec Board/Forestry—612/370-4900 Ken Holman, DNR/Forestry—651/296-9110 Steve Nicholson, Kunde Company—651/484-0114 Gary R. Johnson, U of M/Forest Resources—612/625-3765 Robert Slater, MN Dept. of Transportation —507/529-6145 Kirk Brown, Tree Trust—651/644-5800
Calendar
URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY
Events
October 19-20, 2005, Green Makeover - Retrofitting Sites in Urban Areas to Enrich City Environments, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee Wisconsin. Contact Jim Van der Kloot at 312-353-3161 or Dreux Watermolen at 608-266-8931. October 19-23, 2005 Society of American Foresters National Convention, Fort Worth, Texas, www.safnet.org November 7-8, 2005 The Practice of Restoring Native Ecosystems, Nebraska City, Nebraska, www.arborday.org
Sprawl Costs: Economic Impacts of Unchecked Development. Robert W. Burchell. 2005. Island Press Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest. Joan Maloof. 2005. University of Georgia Press The Prairie Builders: Reconstructing America’s Lost Grasslands. Sneed B. Collard. 2005. Houghton Mifflin Company Urban Gardens: Plans and Planting Designs. Ann-marie Powell. 2005. Cassell
Websites Canadian Forests www.canadian-forests.com
November 17-18, 2005, National Urban Forest Conference, Charlotte, North Carolina, www. americanforests.org/conference
Healthy Forests www.healthyforests.gov
Southeast STAC
March 14-15, 2006, Iowa Shade Tree Short Course, Ames, Iowa, www.ucs.iastate.edu
Minnesota DNR Forest Insect and Disease Newsletter www.dnr.state.mn.us/fid/index. html
Northeast STAC
April 10-12, 2006, Trees and Utilities National Conference, Chicago, Illinois, www.arborday. org
Regional MnSTAC Committees Chair: Henry Sorensen—651/388-3625 or 651/385-3674 Sec./Treas.: Katie Himanga, Heartwood Forestry, Lake City —651/380-9680 Chair: Kelly Morris, City Forester, City of Grand Rapids —218/326-7481 Secretary/Treasurer/Technical Advisor: Dan Jordan, IRRRA Mineland Reclamation—218/254-7967
July 29-August 2, 2006, International Society of Arboriculture’s Annual Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota, www.isa-arbor.com
New Publications Flowerbeds and Borders in Deer Country. Vincent Drzewucki. 2005. Brick Tower Press Garden Your City. Barbara Hobens Feldt. 2005. Taylor Trade Publishing Plant Names Explained: Botanical Terms and Their Meaning. William Stern. 2005. Horticulture Books ADVOCATE • Fall 2005
International Society of Arboriculture www.isa-arbor.com
Minnesota Soil, Water, and Climate www.soils.umn.edu Minnesota Sustainable Communities www.nextstep.state.mn.us/ index.cfm Minnesota Tree Information www.mntrees.org National Wetlands Inventory www.nwi.fws.gov Society of American Foresters www.safnet.org Urban Forests Ecosystems Institute www.ufei.calpoly.edu
For handy up-to-date links to web sites of interest, be sure to visit www.mnstac.org 15
Minnesota Shade Tree Advocate A quarterly newsletter published by the Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee. Managing Editorial Group: MnSTAC Education Committee (Emily Barbeau, James Burks, Ken Holman, Gary R. Johnson, Lara Newberger, Jeff Rick, Mark Stennes, and Patrick Weicherding) Editor-in-Chief: Judy Slater judyslater@earthlink.net Design: Creative Services Unit, MNDNR Material in this newsletter is not copyrighted. Reproduction for educational purposes is encouraged. Subscriptions are free. Articles, news items, photos and videos are welcome. This publication was produced with the support of the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Northeastern Area; State and Private Forestry. Address inquiries to: Minnesota DNR Division of Forestry 500 Lafayette Road St. Paul, MN 55155 Printed on recycled paper using soy-based inks.
The 2006 ISA Annual Conference & Trade Show is Coming Mark your calendars for July 29th through August 2nd 2006 when the ISA 2006 Annual Conference & Trade Show comes to Minneapolis, MN. This is a once in a lifetime event that you won’t want to miss. All necessary committee chairs have begun to delve into their respective chores. If you have not yet volunteered to serve on a committee, be sure to do so. You can contact a committee chair directly or contact Ralph Sievert or Don Mueller and make your decision known. A complete list of committee chairs can be found on the MSA website at www.isa-msa.org. Of particular interest will be the International Tree Climbing Championship (ITCC) to be held in nearby Loring Park on July 29th and 30th. At this event you’ll be able to see Arborists from
Minnesota Shade Tree Advocate 500 Lafayette Road St. Paul, MN 55155-4044 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
across the world compete for the title of ITCC Champion. During the ITCC, Loring Park will be the site of the numerous educational and equipment exhibits. You won’t want to miss the Welcome Reception on Sunday evening July 30th. The educational sessions will be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center starting the morning of Monday, July 31st. The host hotel will be the Hyatt Regency on Nicollet Mall. Hosting the ISA 2006 Annual Conference & Trade Show is truly an honor for Minnesota and the tree care industry. Be sure to take advantage of this international event that will be taking place in our own back yard.
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Fall 2005 • ADVOCATE