City Trees

September/October 2014

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: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/378697

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3 0 6 / % 5 " # - & 'BMM1MBOUJOHBOE'BMM"SCPS%BZ$FMFCSBUJPOT ÌÞÊ/Àiià 7HY MIGHT MUNICIPALITIES WANT TO MOVE THEIR FALL PLANTING ANDOR !RBOR $AY CELEBRATIONS TO FALL &IVE YEARS AGO THE #ITY OF &ORT 7ORTH 4EXAS MOVED ITS OFFICIAL !RBOR $AY CELEBRATION FROM THE TRADITIONAL TH &RIDAY OF !PRIL TO .OVEMBER 4HE DATE WAS MOVED BOTH TO INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE OPTIMAL TIME TO PLANT TREES AND TO KICK OFF OUR #ITYS TREE PLANTING SEASON -OST PEOPLE THINK OF TREE PLANTING IN SPRING WHEN THEY ARE VISITING NURSERIES AND CULTIVATING THEIR GARDENS (OWEVER IN SOUTHERN STATES LIKE OURS WHERE THE GROUND NEVER FREEZES THE OPTIMAL TIME FOR PLANTING A TREE IS IN THE FALL !S DAYLIGHT LENGTH DECREASES TREES BEGIN TO MOVE SAP AND SUGAR STORES TO THEIR ROOT SYSTEMS AND IN WARMER STATES LIKE OURS THE SOIL STAYS WARM ENOUGH THAT TREE ROOTS WILL GROW THROUGH THE WINTER "UDDING OUT IN SPRING TAKES A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF CAR BOHYDRATE STORAGE AND WHEN WE PLANT IN THE SPRING ROOT DEVELOPMENT COMPETES WITH FOLIAGE AND SHOOT GROWTH FOR AVAILABLE CARBOHYDRATES !NOTHER STRESS FACTOR IS THAT PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN MOST TREES STOPS ONCE AMBIENT TEM PERATURES REACH DEGREES & # (IGHER TEMPERATURES CAUSE SUM MER GROWTH RATES TO SLOW DRAMATI CALLY (ERE IN 4EXAS THOSE DEGREE DAYS COME ALONG BEFORE THE OFFICIAL ONSET OF SUMMER 4HIS PUTS SPRING PLANTED TREES AT A DISADVANTAGE GOING RIGHT INTO SUMMER AFTER BEING PLANTED "Y CONTRAST TREES PLANTED IN THE FALL HAVE A MORE ESTABLISHED ROOT SYSTEM BY THEIR FIRST SUMMER AFTER BEING PLANTED AND WILL HAVE LESS HEAT AND DROUGHT STRESS AS A RESULT 7E HAVE FOUND THAT GROWTH RATES OF SPRINGPLANTED TREES CAN BE ONE TO TWO YEARS BEHIND FALLPLANTED TREES OF THE SAME SIZE AND SPECIES 7E HAD SOME APPREHENSION THAT A FALL !RBOR $AY WOULD NOT BE SUP PORTED BY LOCAL NURSERIES AND BY THE 0ARKS AND #OMMUNITY 3ERVICES !DVISORY "OARD WHICH SERVES AS &ORT 7ORTHS 4REE "OARD )N PREPARA TION WE GATHERED SUPPORT FROM THE !RBOR $AY &OUNDATION AND THE 4EXAS &OREST 3ERVICE ! LIST OF 4EXAS CITIES THAT CELEBRATE A FALL !RBOR $AY WAS COMPILED AND PRESENTED TO THE 4REE "OARD WHICH AGREED UNANIMOUSLY TO MOVE OUR OFFICIAL !RBOR $AY !FTER THE VOTE ONE "OARD MEMBER DECLARED h)TS ABOUT TIMEv !NOTHER BENEFIT OF FALL PLANTING AND FALL !RBOR $AY SPRING IS USUALLY AN EXTREMELY BUSY TIME FOR THE &ORT 7ORTH &ORESTRY 3ECTION 3PRING STORM RESPONSE CAN TIE UP RESOURCES FOR SEVERAL DAYS AT A TIME %ARTH $AY -AYFEST AND OTHER SPRING FESTIVALS ALSO REQUIRE &ORESTRY 3ECTION PARTICIPATION AND COMPETE FOR BOTH RESOURCES AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION #ELEBRATING !RBOR $AY IN THE FALL HAS BEEN A WINWIN FOR &ORT 7ORTH )T HAS INCREASED PARTICIPATION PROMOTED AWARENESS OF THE BENEFITS OF FALL PLANTING AND INCREASED PLANTING SURVIVAL RATES 3TAFF IS NO LONGER STRESSED BY CONSTANTLY hSPRINGINGv INTO EVENTSAND !RBOR $AY SIM PLY hFALLSv INTO PLACE ±.FMJOEB"EBNT$JUZ'PSFTUFS1BSLTBOE$PNNVOJUZ 4FSWJDFT'PSU8PSUI5FYBT ÊVÀÜ`Ê}>ÌiÀÃÊÕ`iÀÊÌiÊÃÌÀVÊÊ*iÌiÀÊ-ÌÊÛiÊ">Ê+ÕiÀVÕÃÊÛÀ}>>®ÊÊ ÛiLiÀ]ÊÓä£äÊÌÊViiLÀ>ÌiÊÀÌÊ7À̽ÃÊvÀÃÌÊv>ÊÀLÀÊ>ÞÊ iÀiÞ°Ê*ÌÊLÞÊ i`>Ê`>ÃÊÊ

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