City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/115252
A Sacramento Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, where Flavio observed Joe successfully making the case for removal of a Pyrus calleryana. areas and row after row of containerized nursery plants on micro-irrigation systems. I saw a number of species that we commonly use in Rio, including crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica), queen palm (Syagrus romanzofiannum), magnolia (Mechellia champaca), plumbago (Plumbago capensis) and Bouganvillea. The visit was an enlightening experience and I am grateful to both Haydi and Jeff. Later in the day I visited Old Sacramento on the Sacramento River. This area held the first urban forestry project in Sacramento, where trees were planted and replaced on the riverbanks to slow flooding to hold the soil. A unique characteristic of this part of Sacramento is that the actual elevation of the City was raised by as much as 10 feet (3.05 m) after the city's founding in an effort to prevent flooding damage. In some areas the sidewalks were matched to what were once second stories of these historic structures. Underneath these "hollow" sidewalks were tunnels leading to the original building entries. In this area of Sacramento, all trees are planted in large concrete containers, manually irrigated, and cared for by Urban Forestry staff. ef On day four we arrived at Joe's office in time to see the forestry crews readying for the day's work. Both treeplanting staff and pruning crews were gathering equipment and supplies. Crews pay close attention to personal protective equipment (PPE) and are well trained 36 to use them. Trucks are equipped with sensors that allow crew leaders to electronically check the equipment to be sure it is operating properly. Crews are able to depart only after this checking process is completed. Trucks are also equipped with GPS to allow supervisors to quickly locate and track crews. We then paid a visit to the USFS Western Center for Urban Forest Research in the City of Davis. Here I met Dr. Greg McPherson and Paula Peper, both well-recognized researchers and experts on urban trees and the authors of numerous scientific publications. We discussed the importance of trees in large urban centers and how to maximize the benefits they provide. Greg and Paula provided me with a number of publications and research papers to bring back to Brazil and share with my staff at the Foundation. Meeting them was one of the many high points of my visit. We spent the afternoon touring North Natomas, a newer area of Sacramento, most of which was built within the last several years. New street tree plantings were numerous, though the homes and lots were smaller and offered only limited space for front and backyard trees. Joe told me that this higher density is a new trend in housing and is meant to reduce automobile traffic and pollution. Large trees are planted in parks and elsewhere, as most of the front yards can only accommodate very small trees. That evening I accompanied my host to a Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. Joe was there to City Trees