„ „ .. „. . rw, , . „ immur Fanning SatuMay, February 2,1991-029 How Do Your Community Street Trees Look? GUY TEMPLE Union Co. Agent A few weeks ago, most cooperative extension staff from across Pennsylvania were at Penn Slate University for our annual conference. This conference pro vides many things to many staff people. For many it is an oppor tunity to see old friends, as well as to make new friends with new staff. Some of our new staff mem bers really make old-timers like me envious. They seem to know so much more than I did when I first began my extension career many years ago. However, there are other important reasons for attending the conference. Cooperative Extension is unique in that staff always have access to the latest information and training from a great diverse university and the HtSlfAllli Metatron Milk Meter Better Management Today Means Higher Profit Tomorrow Automatic Cluster Removal (ACR) Qptional Stlmulation/Pulsatlon Westfalia Milkin WESTFALIA SALES ENGINEERS Eastern A ! Southeaatem PA ' MD, DE, NJ, WV, VA I Robert E. Turner I 717-677-9301 | Mobile j 717-873-1778 i Western PA Eastern OH, A WMtirn NY ■ Stan Carlisle J 216-527-2220 Mobile j 216-388-3570 < DAIRY FIELD I TECHNICIAN J John Bayless 717-397-8368 Mobile 717-578-3861 BEDFORD. PA J&-BAKER AGRI-SYSTEMS John Baker 814-623-2113 people that staff that vast complex that makes up Penn State University. One of the several training ses sions I attended this year related to something most of us take for granted each day the trees of our communities. Professor Henry Gerhold, professor of forestry genetics at Penn Slate, was our instructor and he related how his research can, and is, being used. Gerhold is not one of those young, new staff researchers. He has spent many years working on one subject trees. His many hours of study, research, and data collection are now paying benefits to all of us in Pennsylvania and beyond. My notes indicate some of the information he provided extension staff members from across Pennsylvania. If you have trees on your street. Equipment And Computer Sales Centers Adame, Cumberland, Franklin, Fußon, Western York Countlaa WALTON'S DAIRY SERVICE Gary Walton 717-382-7606 EA9T9N.BA FANCY FARNOW FARMS AG EQUIP. CO. John Ackerman 215-282-8828 HAMBURG. PA SIIARTLESVILLE FARM SERVICE Dala Wenger 215-488-1025 LEOLA. PA PA: Laneattar, Lebanon, Berks, Cheater Dauphin, Eaatarn York Countlaa MD: Hartford County FISHER A THOMPSON, INC. Amos Flahar, Rick Thompaon 717-658-3307 WEIIR'S DAIRY EQUIPMENT Mark Wahr 717-966-1396 SEGA'S DAIRY SERVICE 717-468-7806 HIGH-TECH DAIRYING Extending The Lead In Milk Metering And Take-off Technology ... With Metatron And Automatic Cluster OXFORD. PA W A J DAIRY SALES Bill Quhl 717-829-2869 WALNUT DAIRY A BARN EQUIPMENT Jonas King 717-527-2681 Levi Stoltzlua 717-436-9429 TROY. PA DAIRVLAND SALES A SERVICE Mike Kelley 717-297-4126 LONGENECKER IMPLEMENT Dale Longenecker 814-793-3731 LYCO DAIRY SERVICE Robl. Waltz- 717-494-0410 Stave Waltz- 717-494-0706 MD: Washington, Frederick Counties I WV: Barkley, Jefferson Countiee I PARADISE- P INTERSTATE DAIRY EQUIP. CO. | Lloyd Ranek Willie Plunfer | 717-667-6361 301-2934146/301-862-2647 I property values rise and utility bills shrink. Trees make our neighborhoods and towns look better, and psychologists extol their positive effect on our emo tions. Unfortunately, many of Pennsylvania’s street trees are dying. Most of these trees were planted when our towns and cities were just starting, before paved streets, sidewalks, sewers and water pipes were installed, according to Gerhold. To make way for progress, branches, tops, and roots have been cut, making the trees unattractive and more susceptible to disease. Gerhold and others have been developing ways that communities can adapt trees to those types of conditions. Gerhold is the driving force behind the Municipal Tree Resto ration Program, a cooperative Removers Carrol), Fr#d#rlc*, Howard, Hartford, Monfgomaiy Count!#* FOGLE’S DAIRY FARM SALES & SERVICE Oava Fogla, Dala Fogla, Mark Johnaon 301-795-5670 c: — SPECIAL WESTFALIA DEALERS ' FOR THE AMISH DAIRYMEN I WINTER ROAD DIESEL I SERVICE I Tim Stoltzfua | Ana. Sarvlca | 717-725-3690 effort of the Bureau of Forestry, Penn State, power companies, and local communities to improve the appearance and health of urban trees and in some cases to replace them. Now entering its fourth year, the program helps local com munities improve their street trees through education and technical assistance. Gerhold indicated a successful community tree-care program begins with careful analysis of the planting site. Street conditions, include roads, utility lines, soil and amount, and types of air pol lutants have to be examined. The examination will reveal the kind of environment in which you’ll be planting. Then you can choose the kind of tree best suited to those conditions. Choosing the right tree for an urban area is a complex task even for experienced arborists. The most difficult part of the choice is interpreting biological informa tion about the many different types of trees available. A good or bad choice will affect the appear ance, health, and cost of maintain ing the tree for a long, long time. To make that task easier for communities replacing trees, the tree restoration program recently published a collection of street tree factsheets, which provide characteristics and color photo graphs of 122 different trees, as well-suited to the northern U.S. and Canada. Forest scientists, arborists and nursery workers from many states helped compile and collect information on differ ent species and varieties. The USDA Forest Service provided financial support. The factsheets summarize the advantages and the limitations of each tree, describing appropriate site conditions and proper planting and tree care. The trees are classi fied according to their “hardiness zone,” a figure used to indicate the northern and southern limits of a tree’s optimum environmental conditions. The information included in the publication is especially applica blew to planting trees in towns and cities. According to Gerhold, “Street trees were our main con cern because they require the most careful selection in relation to stressful sites, space constraints and maintenance.” But the fact sheets are also very useful in selecting trees for a less severe site, such as a front yard. We had the opportunity to review the factsheels. Each facts heet includes the trees common and scientific names, height, width, shape, foliage type, flower and fruit, as well as a description of the appearance and other noteworthy features of the tree. Space left after each entry allows for notes and personal observa tions by community tree person nel. The publication is m loose leaf binder format and makes it easy to add additional information obtained from other sources. The factsheels are color-coded by tree size, enabling users to quickly find a dec that won’t be too (all or too short for the avail able space. For example, only short trees between 25 and 40 feet should be planted beneath utility lines, according to the professor. To find a short or medium sized tree, look at the entries coded green or green and yellow. If a taller tree is needed, those coded red are more appropriate. We are all indebted to dedicated researchers such as Dr. Gerhold, who spend many years collecting data that enables us to more easily improve our communities by planting trees that are more adapt able to the present conditions in our communities. His main work is completed, although new trees are always being evaluated for possible addi tion to the list. He graciously pro vided us with the information and as extension staff members our work is to get that information out to community leaders who are interested in improving the trees of their communities. I have partially completed that effort by presenting that informa tion. If some of you community leaders or officials are interested in finding out more information about trees for your community, we could probably have Dr. Ger hold attend a meeting somewhere in the region to further discuss street trees. We could also probab ly call on Jeff Mizer, Snyder County extension agent, and Jim Reilly, Bureau of Forestry, to work with Dr. Gerhold and with you. The publication Street Trees Factsheets is available for $17.50 from our publication Distribution Center, 112 Agricultural Admi nistration Building, University Park, PA 16802.
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