Boston Flora

Tag: trees

  • Fridays, February 1 – February 15, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Tree Care for Gardeners

    Whether you are an amateur or professional horticulturist, you are a steward of the landscape, and probably spend more time than anyone among the flowers, shrubs, and trees. This Berkshire Botanical Garden course taught by Tom Ingersoll is designed for those who might not necessarily be first to climb 100 feet up a Northern Red Oak or wrangle the chainsaw to fell a 36″ dead American elm. The goal of this three part class is to empower horticulturalists to better understand the largest plants in the landscape. Learn the basics of tree biology and identification, the tree’s role in the ecosystem, proper selection, siting, planting considerations, pruning of young trees, fertilization, pest identification and when to call in the Certified Arborist. The classes begin February 1 at the Berkshire Botanical Garden, from 1 – 5. BBG members $175, nonmembers $185. Register online at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/tree-care-gardeners

    Image result for tree in a garden

  • Thursday, October 25, and Saturday, October 27, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – Framework Trees of New England

    Forests are a dominant feature of the New England landscape. This two day New England Wild Flower Society course on October 25 and 27 from 10 – 5 at Nasami Farm in Whately, and other field sites, covers the history, changes in composition, and ecology of the region’s forest from the Ice Age through European settlement. Learn to identify native trees, their habitats, and their communities. Explore the impact of past natural and human disturbances on the landscape and learn how current forestry practices shape forest communities. Taught by forester Jonathan “Yoni” Glogower, and co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions, the cost is $216 for sponsor members, $254 for nonmembers. Register at www.newenglandwild.org.

    Image result for Yoni Glogower

  • Tuesdays, October 2 – October 30, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Master Tree Steward Training

    Learn the skills essential to urban and community forestry and become tree stewards in your community at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Tuesday nights, October 2 – 30, from 6 – 9. Topics covered include basic pruning techniques and safety, tree identification and biology, proper tree planting and care, tree pests and diseases, tree health assessment, and urban soil challenges. To complete this program, participants must commit to at volunteering for at least 20 hours in the urban forest of Worcester or at Tower Hill Botanic Garden.

    Coordinated by Worcester Tree Initiative

    Session 1:
    Introduction to the program/Welcome
    Basic Pruning Techniques & Safety in the Field – Classroom Training
    The Value of Urban Trees
    Hands-on Indoor Pruning
    Field Tree ID

    Session 2:
    Hands-on Outdoor Tree Pruning
    Tree Biology
    Tree Diseases/Fungi
    Tree ID

    Session 3:
    How to Properly Plant a Tree
    Tree Establishment and Ongoing Tree Care
    Tree Health Assessment Intro
    Identifying Common Urban Trees

    Session 4:
    Community Pests/Diseases: How to Identify & What to do.
    Soil, Plant Nutrition & Urban Soil Challenges
    Tree Identification: Shapes of Leaves, Texture of Bark, Leaf Scars, etc.
    Identifying Common Urban Trees

    Session 5:
    Evolving Forest – Migration of Pests and Change in Agricultural Zones
    Tree Care Leadership in your Community
    Test
    Certificates/Volunteer Sign Up

    SKILL LEVEL: ALL LEVELS. THBG members $120, nonmembers $140. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Monday, July 23 and Wednesday, July 25, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Tree Identification

    “I think that I shall never see/A poem lovely as a tree.” The trees of New England are both beautiful and an essential part of our flora. This New England Wild Flower Society course will introduce you to 25- 30 common New England trees, emphasizing tree identification as well as natural history. Bring a hand lens and a bag lunch. The first class, on July 23 from 10 – 2, will be held at Garden in the Woods; the second, on July 25, at an off-site location. $106 for NEWFS members, $128 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.newenglandwild.org/learn/our-programs/tree-identification

    Image result for pin oak tree Garden in the Woods

  • Sundays, May 20 and June 24, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm – Tree Identification Primer

    Catherine Chamberlain, Graduate Student, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Fellow of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, will lead two sessions at the Arnold Arboretum on tree identification. Select One: Sunday, May 20 or Sunday, June 24 1:30–3:30pm.

    Trees and shrubs can be challenging to identify, but as the saying goes, “…you will love only what you understand…” (Baba Dioum). So why not expand the number of trees and shrubs you become aware of and can identify? In this session, Cat Chamberlain will lead you through the Arnold Arboretum to practice using dichotomous keys, plant presses, and other tools often used in field research. This casual journey through the landscape will allow you to familiarize yourself with and appreciate the flora that surrounds you. Dress for learning in the landscape and bring a magnifier lens if you have one. Fee is $10 for Arboretum members, $20 for nonmembers. Register at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

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  • Monday, April 2, 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm – Taking Stock Tree Walk

    A bit of magic happens when The Arnold Arboretum invites three tree professionals to wander a landscape together. In this case, we have matched professor with former student and three individuals with differing experiences and expertise in woody plants. Nina Bassuk (pictured), a leader in urban tree research, was one of Michael Dosmann’s professors while he earned his doctorate at Cornell. Michael is responsible for curating the 15,000 specimens of the Arnold Arboretum. Andrew Gapinski, who has worked at several arboreta prior to his tenure at the Arnold Arboretum, is charged with the horticultural care of the Arboretum’s 281 acres. On this arboreal walk, they will speak as moved by the sights and sounds of the Arboretum’s living collection. We can’t define the topics they may cover on this walk, but we do know that you will gain a richer appreciation for trees and absorb some nuggets of botanical wisdom to share with others. The event takes place April 2 from 2:30 – 4, and participants will meet in the Hunnewell Building. Fee $10 Arboretum member, $20 nonmember

    Register at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

    Image result for Nina Bassuk

  • Monday, October 23, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Be as a Tree Planted by the Waters: The Magic of Roots, Leaves, and Everything in Between

    Hope Jahren, PhD, Center for Earth Evolution and Dynamics, University of Oslo, will speak on Monday, October 23, 7:00–8:30pm at the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretm. Trees are the oldest, biggest, and most successful creatures in the world. Using energy from the sun, and carbon from the air, they have thrived on land for more than four hundred million years. Hear about the amazing and unique methods that plants around us use to establish, grow, flourish, and defend themselves. Learn how plants are much more than food, medicine, and wood — they form the living, striving foundation of Planet Earth.

    Hope Jahren is an award-winning scientist and the author of Lab Girl, her revelatory treatise on plant life and a celebration of the lifelong curiosity, humility, and passion that drive every scientist. Fee: Free Arboretum member, $20 nonmember. Member-only registration through October 15; open registration thereafter. Space is limited. Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

  • Sunday, July 30 – Saturday, August 5 – STIHL Tour des Trees

    The STIHL Tour des Trees, an annual week long, 500 to 600-mile cycling adventure, is the primary public outreach and engagement event of Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund). Since 1992 Tour riders have cycled to communities in the U.S., Canada and the U.K, planting trees, educating children and shining a light on the work done by arboriculture professionals and the importance of science-based tree care. The Tour serves to advance TREE Fund’s mission to support scientific discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in arboriculture and urban forestry.

    Full-Tour cyclists commit to raising at least $3,500 for TREE Fund, and 100% of what they raise supports research grants, scholarships and arboriculture education programs administered by TREE Fund. TREE Fund researchers have discovered better ways to propagate, plant and care for urban trees, making them more resilient, more resistant to pests, and less prone to failure. Supported education programs connect young people with the environment and career opportunities in green industries. The legacy of the STIHL Tour des Trees includes an ever-expanding urban forest planted by its cyclists and a growing legion of civilian tree stewards in the communities along the route. The Tour des Trees, held this year July 30 – August 5 in the Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia area, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2017!

    Get details on this year’s ride and find out how YOU can get involved at http://stihltourdestrees.org/.

  • Sunday, June 11, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm – Identifying the 25 Most Common Trees in Boston

    In just a few hours on Sunday, June 11 from 9 – 1, Kyle Port, Manager of Plant Records at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, will teach you to identify 90 percent of the trees growing in Boston, both native and nonnative. Beginning in the classroom in the Hunnewell Building, you will briefly review the characteristics of the 25 most common trees and learn the botanical terminology necessary to describe them. You will then walk the grounds of the Arboretum to look at mature specimens of these trees.Bring a notebook or clipboard for this information-rich program. Fee $45 member, $60 nonmember. Register at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Tuesday, March 7, 8:00 am – 3:30 pm – 38th Annual UMass Community Tree Conference

    We are a tree club, and urban tree activists will be pleased to know about the 38th Annual UMass Community Tree Conference – Utilities, Communities, and Urban Trees: Partnerships in Practice, especially those of us who have been active in the fight to prevent methane leaks from destroying our trees and our environment. One of the featured speakers will be Calvin Layton (pictured) of Eversource speaking on Utilities & Communities in Partnership: Enhancing Public Safety & Protecting Trees from the Community Perspective. This one-day conference, to be held Tuesday, March 7 from 8 – 3:30 at Stockbridge Hall at UMass Amherst, is designed for tree care professionals, volunteers, and enthusiasts including arborists, tree wardens/municipal tree care specialists, foresters, landscape architects and shade tree committee members.

    The theme of this year’s conference will pertain to utilities and community trees. Topics will include: Design Solutions for Tree and Overhead Utility Conflicts, Utility Storm Resiliency, Communities and Utilities in Partnership for Urban Trees, and Updates from the UMass Diagnostic Lab.

    Sponsored by UMass Extension in cooperation with the UMass Dept. of Environmental Conservation, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and the USDA Forest Service Urban Natural Resources Institute. Registration is $90 for a single participant, and $75 for each additional registration from the same organization. For complete agenda visit www.ag.umass.edu.