Earth Day & Arbor Day 25th

For those interested in a free tree for their school, you can skip over the wordy stuff and go to the bottom of this post...

People breathe. In breathing our bodies take oxygen, reacts it with sugar and converts it into Water, Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) and the energy we need to survive. So each one of us is a CO₂ generator. Plants photosynthesize. The process of photosynthesis takes CO_2, Water (H₂O) and with the energy of light produces sugar and Oxygen. So each plant is a very efficient tool in removing CO_2. Since 1960 the world’s population has increased from 3 billion to approximately 6.5 billion. A person exhales approximately 800 pounds of CO₂ a year, and a single tree will absorb about 50 pounds of CO₂ in the same year. I’ve found conflicting statistics as to how much the world forest has shrank since 1960, but currently about 50,000 square miles of forest are lost each year. That is a lot of trees. Even when you look at our local surroundings, there are fewer forest areas, houses have grown to fill the yards, and there are quite a few less trees then when I was a kid.

Besides helping reduce the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere trees provide quite a few other benefits. Ever seek the shade of a group of trees in the heat of summer? The leaves of trees will absorb or deflect the suns energy in the summer. There is also water vapor released by the leaves that will help lower the temperature. The temperature in the vicinity of trees is cooler than away from trees. A tree will help moderate the climate in your own yard. Although you may be grumbling about the raking in the fall, the loss of the trees leaves helps increase the amount of direct sun that your house gets in the winter time and will actually help decrease your energy needs for heating.

Trees also help improve air quality. The leaves will help filter the air and remove dust and other pollutants. A tree will also help reduce soil erosion by slowing down the force that the rain hits the ground, and their roots help keep the soil in place.

There are other benefits to having trees, and one of them is aesthetics. There’s a certain tranquil feeling that a group of trees provide. People prefer to live on a tree-lined street than some cold sterile environment. This may sound a bit touchy feely, but ask a real estate agent about how much more a home is worth with trees than one without. You’ll find that trees add an incredible amount of real dollar value into your property.

Your choice of trees is huge. First you need to look at how much space you can give your tree, and if you want the tree to be used primarily for shade, or as more of an accent ornamental. Acer rubrum, commonly known as the red maple, is one of my favorite shade trees. The red maple actually gets its name from the outstanding red fall color. The variety that I prefer is called October Glory. October Glory has a very nice dense oblong habit or shape in maturity, and the leaves tend to be a very dark green in the summer. It’s a medium to fast grower and tends to mature around thirty five feet tall. Acer rubrums tend to be very adaptable as related to soil moistures, so if the soil is a bit too wet, or if it’s subjected to drought like conditions it will tend to do pretty well.

If you have a bit more space you could consider Fraxinus americana ‘Autumn Purple’. This cultivar of the American White Ash is seedless and can grow up to three feet per year. It will mature between fifty to seventy feet tall, and will develop into an oval shape habit. Fall color can range from an outstanding deep red, maroon or purple. There are few if any trees with longer lasting fall colors.

If you are limited in space there are quite a few selections of smaller trees that are grown for a particular ornamental interest. Acer griseum, the paperbark maple, has one of the most outstanding barks out of any tree. The paperbark maple has peely cinnamon colored bark. This is a smaller tree and will mature between twenty to thirty feet in height. It also has a very nice fall color that ranges from orange to bright red. In my yard its one of the last trees to color up, and the leaves persist for a very long time.

If you would prefer a tree that has leaves that are not green in the summer, consider planting a Prunus cerasifera 'Krauter Vesuvius'. This is the darkest red leafed cultivar of the purple leaf plum and provides an excellent contrast in the landscape. In fact the leaves are such a dark purple they are almost black. The dark foliage isn’t the only benefit of this superb small tree. In early Spring it will be covered with light pink flowers. It will grow between fifteen to twenty five feet in height. You can’t have everything though. This tree like most other red leafed plants has no fall interest. The fall color is a muddied purple.

One of the first blooming trees in Spring is Magnolia soulangeana, commonly known as the Saucer Magnolia. There is a new cultivar of the Saucer Magnolia called the Black Tulip Magnolia that is absolutely stunning. Unlike the other saucer magnolias, this variety has extremely deep burgundy flowers that are quite larege with a unique tulip shape and heavy texture. Flowers will appear before the foliage in very early spring and are quick to bloom when the plant is young. It has a slender upright growth habit which makes it an excellent small specimen tree. It will grow fifteen to twenty feet tall with a six to ten foot spread.

If you would rather have a summer blooming tree, I would highly recommend Syringa reticulata ‘Ivory Silk.’ Ivory Silk is a cultivar of the Japanese Tree Lilac. It is related to the Spring blooming lilacs, but it has none of the problems associated with them. The flowers are large creamy white and are in spicy fragrant clusters. This tree will flower in the early summer and is sure to delight those who visit for an evening party. The flowers will show up great in the moon light. It will grow fifteen to thirty feet in height, and it is resistant to most insects and diseases.

We all can make a positive impact on our environment. Planting a tree is a small but important step to help bring things into balance. For those that want to take it one step further I would recommend the 4-H Master Tree

Below is the press release that appeared in last weeks Westfield Leader:

COUNTY — The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders has a
gift of free trees for Union County schools this spring. The five- to sixfoot-
tall flowering crabapple trees can be used to beautify school grounds,
add shade and contribute to Arbor Day celebrations at school.
The free trees are available, one per school, while supplies last. Along with
the tree, students, teachers and parent volunteers will receive free training in
tree care and planting. Workers from the Union County Shade Tree Bureau
and volunteers from the Rutgers Cooperative Extension 4-H Master Tree
Steward Program will demonstrate how to pick the best spot to plant a tree
on school grounds, prepare the planting hole, mulch, water and protect the
tree from vandalism.
On Monday, April 21, a training session will be held for seventh- and
eighth-grade students, high school students and their teachers. On Tuesday,
April 22, a training session will beheld for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade
students with their teachers.
Both of the sessions will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. at Williams Nursery in
Westfield. The trees will be given out after each training session, along with
a protective cage. Schools also may receive a tree without attending the
training program.
Parent volunteers who wish to represent their child’s school and receive
the training should contact their child’s principal. Parent volunteers are welcome
to attend the April 21 session. To register for a training session
or to obtain a tree for a school, contact Barbara Knapp at (908) 789-
3653 or Rutgers Cooperative Extension 4-H Agent and chairman of
the Union County Shade Tree Advisory Board James Nichnadowicz at
(908) 654-9854 or Nichnadowicz@aesop.rutgers.edu.
Arbor Day has been a national observance since 1872, encouraging
the public to plant and care for trees. It will be celebrated on Friday,
April 25