The mission of the Bowling Green Arborist is to provide a high
quality urban forestry program to the community, in conjunction with
expert advice on private tree care. The Arborist cares for the City
trees within the road right-of-way, as well as regular line clearance
tree trimming program for safe and reliable electricity.
The City of Bowling Green urban forest includes more than 8,800
trees in the public right-of-way, public parks, and green spaces. A
healthy and safe urban forest includes: wildlife diversity, higher
property values, air and water quality, storm water management, energy
savings from summer and winter extremes, and quality of human
health.
What's New in the Urban & Community Forestry Program:
May 2013
Pine Mountain Beetle Epidemic - Western US
Volcano Mulch: Mulch piled 12 inches above the root
flare.
Spruce Trees Impacted by Environmental, Insects, and Diseases:
Spruce trees do not like to be planted wet, clay soils. The
spruce trees become stressed and start to decline. Then insect
pests are attracted to the stressed tree. The insect pest brings
in the disease such as
cytospora canker or
phomopsis canker.
2013 Tree City USA Award Ceremony, Whitehouse, Ohio on
April 18, 2013
Gregg Maxfield, District 2 Forester (Center) presents the 33rd Tree
City USA Award
and 20th Growth Award to Honorable Mayor Dick Edwards (Right) and
Terry Leek,
BG Tree Commission Chair (Left). Click here to see more photos.
Arbor Day Celebration with Conneaut Elementary School on April 9,
2013.
A total of 75 students at Conneaut Elementary School participated
with the Arbor Day Celebration sponsored by the Bowling Green Tree
Commission. A poster contest was held with the three fifth grade
classes. Each student participating in the poster contest
received a certificate of participation. A certificate was given
to first, second and third place winners of each fifth grade
class. Each fifth grade student were handed an Arbor Day bag
filled pencils, rulers, stickers, magnets, buttons and information on
how trees are important for the environment. The City of Bowling
Green donated 200 tree seedlings to Conneaut Elementary
School. Click here to see all the pictures from the
Arbor Day Celebration.
Honorable Mayor Dick Edwards and the Arbor Day Poster winners from
Conneaut Elementary School.
Buckeye Yard and Garden on Line: Click here for
more information plant diseases and insect pests by OSU Extension
experts across Ohio.
How Do Buds Break Winter Dormancy?
By May 15th, many of our broad-leafed trees will have broken their
winter dormancy and begin showing their fresh spring green leaves.
Although you may not notice it, pines and other evergreens will add new
shoots, cones and needles this year.
How do tree buds key in to the subtle environmental cues ensuring
that their leaves won't get frostbite? Exposure to winter chilling or
freezing temperatures, increasing daylight, warming temperatures,
inactivation of growth inhibitor hormones, and increase in growth
promoter hormones all play a part in the swelling and growth of dormant
buds. The interplay of all these external and internal factors varies
with each type of tree. Even more remarkably, the timing of breaking of
bud dormancy can vary among the buds on the same tree. Phytochromes
intercept photoperiod cues and hormones chemically transmit the message
that spring has arrived. Among the growth promoter hormones are auxins,
gibberellins, and cytokinins, while abscisic acid is a main bud growth
inhibitor.
Asian Longhorned Beetle Found in
Ohio; OSU Extension Offers
Information Hotline
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department
of Agriculture today (6/17) announced the first discovery of Asian
longhorned beetle (ALB) in
Ohio. An exotic, invasive insect that kills maples and other trees,
ALB was found in Bethel,
Clermont County, in southwest Ohio.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Agriculture today (6/17)
announced the first discovery of Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) in Ohio. An exotic, invasive
insect that kills maples and other trees, ALB was found in Bethel, Clermont
County, in southwest Ohio.
For the full story and additional resources, go to:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/2011/06/adult_detection_ALB.shtml
http://www.agri.ohio.gov/asianbeetle/
Questions? Call OSU
Extension's ALB Southwest
Ohio Information Line: 513-946-8980.
USDA APHIS have identified the Asian Longhorn Beetle in Clermont
County Ohio. Click here for more
information.
BG Tree Commission Educational Seminar Series - Future Dates:
September 21, 2013, and November 2, 2012.
Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options
(TACCIMO)
The
Template for Assessing
Climate Change Impacts and Management Options (TACCIMO) is
a Web-based tool that provides land owners, managers, and planners with
the most current climate change science available. Developed
by EFETAC researchers in partnership with USDA Forest Service
Southern Regional Planning, Land and Resource Management, and
Cooperative Forestry, the TACCIMO tool:
- compiles climate change projections, literature-based impacts and
management options, and Forest Service land and resource management
plans in an online database;
- synthesizes these inputs based on user-defined criteria;
and
- creates an optional customized report to aid forest planning and
management.
Information generated by TACCIMO can satisfy a range of needs for
a variety of users including federal planners and managers as well
as state, private, and cooperative forestry stakeholders.
Click here for more
information on using TACCIMO.
Landscaping Options for Underground Electric
Transformers:
The City of Bowling Green Electric Division requires 3 feet of space
on the sides and the rear of the padmount transformer and a minimum of
8 feet in front of the transformer for safe operations of
service. Planting landscape material, rocks, retaining walls or
putting in fences to hide the "green box" is a safety issue for both
City Electric crews and the land owner. Please
click here to see a guide for landscaping in the vicinity
of a padmount transformer.
EAB Information:
REMAINING COUNTIES ADDED TO OHIO EMERALD ASH BORER
QUARANTINE.
Following recent confirmations of emerald ash borer (EAB) in the
Wayne National Forest, and taking into account the infestations in
surrounding states, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) expanded
the state's EAB quarantine to include all Ohio's 88 counties on
Thursday, September 8, 2010.
Despite the fact that quarantining the whole state will allow for
ease of movement of ash materials and hardwood firewood, it is
recommended that Ohioans continue to exercise caution when moving these
materials. "Limiting firewood movement helps the state protect
against the artificial spread of many pests in addition to emerald ash
borer, including gypsy moth and Asian longhorned beetle," said Ohio
Agriculture Director Robert Boggs. "The department strongly urges
Ohioans to continue buying firewood locally." The federal quarantine,
enforced by the US Department of Agriculture, remains in effect. This
quarantine makes it illegal to transport ash trees, parts of ash trees
and all hardwood firewood out of the state of Ohio. There is
still interest, and potentially more so with the expanded quarantine,
to continue to monitor and track this insect pest. To accomplish this,
ODA will continue to accept specimens for confirmation. As specimens
are confirmed as EAB, maps will be updated. All samples must be
accompanied with a Specimen of Determination form that can be found on
the ODA website, or by calling 888-OHIO-EAB. For
information on the EAB, check out OSU's EAB website at
http://ashalert.osu.edu . Additional information on the expanded
quarantine or regulations can be found at http://www.agri.ohio.gov .
For more information, see:
The Ohio State University & City of Bowling Green EAB
Research Project:
Click here for
a Youtube by Dr. Dan Herms, OSU Professor of Entomology
Frequently Asked Questions: Click here for more
information.
Landscape Guide for Developers, Businesses and Home Owners
is now available to the public. Click
here for PDF copy.
Tree Service Request Click here.
The rain gardens will be planted with native plants to Northwest
Ohio. The rain gardens will be for public education and function
to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff into the combined sewer-storm
water system.
Click here to see the pictures
of the new rain garden construction.
American
Rivers with information on Rain Gardens on Youtube
Buckeye Yard and Garden
Online: Buckeye Yard and Garden online provides
timely information about Ohio growing conditions, pest, disease, and
cultural problems. Updated weekly between April and October, this
information is useful for those who are managing a commercial nursery,
garden center, or landscape business or someone who just wants to keep
their yard looking good all summer.
Growing Degree Days and Phenology for
Ohio: Provides estimated dates of
when plants bloom and insect pests hatch throughout the growing
season.
AMERICAN NURSERY & LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION -
American Standard for Nursery Stock. Click here for more
information.
NEW - EMERALD ASH BORER (EAB) UNIVERSITY - FREE WEB-BASED
TRAINING PROGRAM ON EMERALD ASH BORER. Click here for to
register for new classes or view archived webinars.
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has reached epidemic populations levels in the
City of Bowling Green. Businesses and Home Owners should to have
their private ash trees inspected by the Municipal Arborist or a
Professional Tree Service to determine the options available for
managing EAB. Click here
for latest research on EAB insecticide treatments. Click here to determine the
percentage of canopy thinning on ash trees.
Pictures above from Country Club Drive after routine
maintenance pruning (Linden on left and Locust on right).
Routine Maintenance Pruning
Routine Maintenance trees are defined as trees recommended for
horticultural pruning to correct structural problems or growth patterns
which could eventually obstruct traffic, pedestrians walking
on sidewalks, interfere with utility lines, or buildings.
Trees in this category are large enough to require bucket truck
access or manual climbing. Our crews prune a maximum
of 25% of the canopy from the trees. We will move into Ward
4 (North of W. Wooster and West of N. Main) in 2013.
Picture above shows the S-shaped galleries left by the
Emerald Ash Borer larvae.
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) spreads throughout the City Of
Bowling Green.
The numbers of trees identified as infested with Emerald Ash Borer
has increased significantly throughout Bowling Green. The City is
taking pro-active measures to deal with EAB and now is encouraging
citizens with ash trees to consider future actions for their
trees. Bowling Green residents and businesses are encouraged
to consider options for managing ash trees. Two primary
options available: removal/replacement or insecticide treatment.
Removal and replacement prior to infestation is the most cost effective
option. Dead and dying frequently cost 2-3 times more to remove
than live trees due to unpredictable nature of dead wood. The
risks to surrounding structures and to the lives of qualified arborists
who remove these hazardous trees is a major factor in
the cost. For tips on hiring an arborist, visit http://www.treesaregood.org/
for a consumer guide How to Hire and Arborist.
Systemic insecticides may be an option to prolong the life of highly
valued ash trees prior to infestation. The Ohio State University
Extension Office has developed specific recommendations on
insecticides. Click here
for more information. While insecticide products are not 100%
effective and are preventative measures, it is an EAB management
option.
ODOT Certified Training
The Public Works Division staff, Electric Division staff, and Parks
& Recreation Department staff attended safety training in aerial
bucket truck operations, chainsaw operations, and chipper
operations. Our goal is to provide the best service to the
residents of Bowling Green and our urban forest.
City Tree
Planting in Green Spaces:
Our Tree City USA Program has planted over 3156 trees from May
2004 through May 2013. The goal is to plant the "Right Tree in
the Right Place" by selecting trees that fit the planting site based on
soil type, drainage, infrastructure (power lines, gas lines, water
& sewer lines), visibility triangle and long-term capital
improvement projects. The City Arborist coordinates with multiple
City Departments to include the preservation of trees or tree
replacement programs to maintain the canopy effect. All new
subdivisions and new business plans are now reviewed by the City
Arborist to offer recommendations on future tree plantings and
landscape design plans.
Priority Pruning of Large Trees 2013:
Our internal City tree crews will be working on pruning large
trees primarily on the west side of the City of Bowling Green in Ward
4, City Park, and the Bowling Green Country Club. The crews will
be pruning out dead and diseased branches, broken/crossing
branches or branches that extend over the street or
sidewalks.
Priority Removal Trees 2013:
Our internal City tree crews will coordinate on removing
priority trees on the west side of the City of Bowling Green in Ward 3
& Ward 4, City Park, and Bowling Green Country Club. Priority
trees are defined as trees that are dead or have one or
more defects that cannot be maintained by pruning. The
majority of trees in this category have a large of percentage of
dead crown and potential safety hazards. Large dead and
dying/diseased tree are high liability risk are included in this
category.
Train Pruning of Small Trees 2013:
Picture 1 (Top) shows proper train pruning of smaller
trees. Picture 2 (Center) we are pruning 25%-30% of lower
branches. Picture 3 (Bottom) shows our City tree crew training
the tree.
The Urban and Community Forestry staff will be working in
the new Subdivisions from May 2014 to August 2014. The crews
are pruning smaller trees to remove dead branches, crossing
branches, and branches that extend over the street or
sidewalk areas. The objective is to train the tree
to provide safe clearance for motor vehicles, signs and
pedestrians. The pruning corrects the structure and form of the
young trees to help grow healthy and strong as they mature.
