Black Women Love Trees Too!

OK. OK. Being a black woman has nothing to do with this hub. I just thought throwing that in would get more people to check out this hub.

I am sure, however, that when most people think of treehuggers, they probably do not think of African Americans or African American women, for that matter.

It is true. I am a treehugger and I care about the environment. In this vein, I will use this hub to post items regarding the environment. I hope all interested parties will ENJOY, GET INFORMED, or LEARN SOMETHING!

Take Care. Walk More, Drive Less. Do not worry (I need to work on this myself).

Wow! It is amazing what a gypsy moth can do to a forest!

Budget cuts, gypsy moths threaten Savage River State Forest

Savage River Forest Citizens Advisory Board

Editor's note: The following letter was written to Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich and submitted to the Times-News.

Garrett County's Savage River Forest, Maryland's largest state forest, faces a catastrophic fate unless some major management changes are made in Annapolis. Gypsy moths defoliated more than 15,000 acres of trees in the county, including some 10,000 acres in Savage River Forest alone. If left unchecked, a second defoliation next year could likely kill 60 percent of the mature timber in these areas, devastating the region's forest products and affecting outdoor recreation industries. One of Maryland's most scenic areas would also be lost. Trees in many of these areas were already severely stressed by the 2002 and 2003 ice storms.

I am writing to you on behalf of the majority of the Citizens Advisory Board for Savage River State Forest to update you on the gypsy moth problem and offer some proactive solutions to mitigate this onslaught of gypsy moths.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture sprayed an estimated 14,000 acres of Garrett County forests, which was less than half of the severely defoliated acres. Most of the forest re-leafed since spring's massive defoliation. So to the casual observer, all is well in Garrett County's forests. But in reality, millions of gypsy moths have laid billions of eggs for the 2007 defoliation. Plus, an extremely dry season has further stressed these trees.

The Citizens Advisory board has identified the following problems:

* MDA is estimating the 2007 defoliation will be up to three times as many acres as the 2006 defoliation. Half of these acres will be defoliated for the second year in a row.

* MDA can only handle spraying 15,000 acres of public and 10,000 acres of private lands in 2007, and that's with adding three more staff to Western Maryland. Currently, a staff of four serves the three western counties.

* MDA's "priority" spray guidelines are based on spraying Central Maryland 15 years ago, so that residential areas get the highest priority.

* Despite objections from our advisory board, the Garrett County Commissioners and local DNR staff, the state set aside 3,000 more acres of Savage River State Forest as Wildlands in recent years to "protect" large, old trees. But 40-60 percent of the large, old trees died, three to four years after a second gypsy moth defoliation in 1990-91. The synergistic effect of gypsy moth defoliation, drought and the buildup of native insects and diseases is disastrous for older trees.

The state asks the private sector to be good stewards of its forest lands, but due to state budget cuts and hiring freezes in both DNR and MDA, there are inadequate DNR foresters and MDA entomologists to adequately manage our state forests and provide assistance to private landowners. Writing citizens' timber management plans, for example, may take a year. Also, Savage River State Forest's limited personnel struggle to generate $1.5 million in annual timber sales, while other work is postponed. (The Savage River Forest is the only entity of DNR that generates more income than its budget every year).

If DNR were being a good steward of Savage River State Forest, it would be cutting the growth (6 million board feet per year) in the general zone and generating $3 million in sales. Tree growth in the general zone has declined by 50 percent since the last forest inventory, leaving the forest unhealthy and more susceptible to insect and disease attacks. This is not an example of good stewardship. For the Maryland legislature to set aside still more sections of Savage River Forest into Wildlands (Savage Wildlands) translates into killing more big trees that were earmarked to be saved. Is this good stewardship?

MDA must give gypsy moth spraying of Wildlands top priority or DNR should return them to the general management zone, so that the areas can be actively managed for the production and protection of valuable big trees and their gene pool.

If DNR would hire one forester and two technicians for the Savage River Forest office, that office could increase its timber harvest. This would make the forest healthier and generate another $1.5 million, money which could fill the gap in the gypsy moth spray program budget. This would indeed make DNR a good forest steward.

The Value of Trees to a Community

The following are some statistics on just how important trees are in a community setting.

"The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day."-U.S. Department of Agriculture

"Landscaping can reduce air conditioning costs by up to 50 percent, by shading the windows and walls of a home." - American Public Power Association

"If you plant a tree today on the west side of your home, in 5 years your energy bills should be 3% less. In 15 years the savings will be nearly 12%." -Dr. E. Greg McPherson, Center for Urban Forest Research

"A mature tree can often have an appraised value of between $1,000 and $10,000." -Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers

"In one study, 83% of realtors believe that mature trees have a "strong or moderate impact" on the salability of homes listed for under $150,000; on homes over $250,000, this perception increases to 98%." -Arbor National Mortgage & American Forests

"Landscaping, especially with trees, can increase property values as much as 20 percent."-Management Information Services/ICMA

"One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen. This is enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people."-U.S. Department of Agriculture

"There are about 60-to 200- million spaces along our city streets where trees could be planted. This translates to the potential to absorb 33 million more tons of CO2 every year, and saving $4 billion in energy costs."-National Wildlife Federation

"Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30 percent and can save 20 - 50 percent in energy used for heating."-USDA Forest Service

"Trees can be a stimulus to economic development, attracting new business and tourism. Commercial retail areas are more attractive to shoppers, apartments rent more quickly, tenants stay longer, and space in a wooded setting is more valuable to sell or rent."-The National Arbor Day Foundation

"Healthy, mature trees add an average of 10 percent to a property's value."-USDA Forest Service

"The planting of trees means improved water quality, resulting in less runoff and erosion. This allows more recharging of the ground water supply. Wooded areas help prevent the transport of sediment and chemicals into streams."-USDA Forest Service

"In laboratory research, visual exposure to settings with trees has produced significant recovery from stress within five minutes, as indicated by changes in blood pressure and muscle tension."-Dr. Roger S. Ulrich Texas A&M University

"Nationally, the 60 million street trees have an average value of $525 per tree."-Management Information Services

To help locate New York City's heritage trees, the City Department of Parks and Recreation conducted a program called the "Great Tree Search." New Yorkers looked for trees of unusual size and age, those linked with historic landmarks, and trees of unusual species or location. On Arbor Day, they held a big party to celebrate New York City's Great Trees.

After a tornado destroyed more than 800 trees in Cardington, Ohio, citizens organized a tree restoration committee which solicited donations and memorials. Volunteers who learned of the tree planting through local newspaper articles appeared on Arbor Day to wrap trunks, water, mulch, and stake 40 large trees which were planted along major streets.