Boston Flora

Tag: Usda Forest Service

  • Thursday, March 2, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Conservation By The Yard

    Most people see the urban and suburban landscape as a concrete jungle, devoid of wildlife. Susannah Lerman, PhD, Research Ecologist, Urban Forests, Human Health, and Environmental Quality, USDA Forest Service instead sees potential wildlife habitat that could reverse the loss of biodiversity while providing positive interactions between people and nature. Using lessons learned from her research, she will describe how yards provide habitat, how the landscaping decisions we make influence the birds and the bees, and the role individual householders play in supporting conservation. The talk takes place Thursday, March 2 at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, and is free for Arboretum members and students, $5 nonmember. Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

  • 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.

  • Thursday, November 15, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Trees in the Urban Landscape Symposium

    Urban tree professionals, tree wardens, persons working in the tree care industry, and anyone interested in learning more about the urban forest are invited to attend the 15th Annual Trees in the Urban Landscape Symposium, to take place Thursday, November 15, from 9 – 3 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston, MA.

    Symposium Schedule

    9-9:30am Registration; Coffee and pastries

    9:30-9:45am Welcome and Announcements

    Morning Session

    9:45-10:45am State of the Nation’s Urban Forests
    Richard Harper, Extension Assistant Professor of Urban & Community Forestry – University of Massachusetts

    11am-Noon Looking at Community Tree Inventories: Purpose, Tools and Process
    David V. Bloniarz, Ph.D., Project Director, USDA Forest Service Urban Natural Resources Institute – Amherst, MA

    Lunch Break

    Noon-1pm

    Afternoon Session

    1-1:50pm Emerald Ash Borer and other Forest Health Concerns
    Ken Gooch, DCR Forest Health Program Supervisor

    2-3pm Fruit Trees in the Urban Landscape
    Benjamin Crouch, Proprietor, Land of Plenty

    CEU’s pending

    Sponsored by Tower Hill Botanic Garden and the Nathaniel Wheeler Trust, Bank of America, Trustee. Visit www.towerhillbg.org to register. Fee is $10, and a reserved box lunch is an additional $10.

  • Saturday, September 26 – National Public Lands Day

    National Public Lands Day began in 1994 with three federal agencies and 700 volunteers. Last year 120,000 volunteers worked in over 1,800 locations and in every state. Now, 8 federal agencies and many state and local lands participate in this annual day of caring for shared lands.

    National Public Lands Day keeps the promise of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the “tree army” that worked from 1933-42 to preserve and protect America’s natural heritage.

    This annual event:

    • Educates Americans about critical environmental and natural resources issues and the need for shared stewardship of these valued, irreplaceable lands;
    • Builds partnerships between the public sector and the local community based upon mutual interests in the enhancement and restoration of America’s public lands;
    • Improves public lands for outdoor recreation, with volunteers assisting land managers in hands-on work.

    To find a site near you, or to nominate a site, log on to www.publiclandsday.org.   One venue will be the Boston Nature Center, one of the organizations supported by The Garden Club of the Back Bay.

    This event will be an interactive educational event for youth of all ages. Local, state and federal land management agencies will provide games, activities and information. Join them from 1 to 4 PM at the Boston Nature Center.

    Contact: Jessie Scott
    Agency: USDA Forest Service
    Phone: 617-626-4979
    On the Web: www.massaudubon.org/boston
    Location: 500 Walk Hill Street | Mattapan, Massachusetts 02126

    Another local event will be sponsored by the Charles River Conservancy, alont the Charles River Parklands, removing invasive species, combined with trash pick-up along the banks of the Charles.

    Contact: John Broderick
    Agency: Charles River Conservancy
    Phone: (617) 300-8173
    On the Web: www.thecharles.org
    Location: 4 Brattle Street | Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138