Mission Goal

Community

inside Arbor News

Arbor News To assist cities, nonprofit organizations, civic groups, and others in developing long-term tree care programs

Help every West Virginian understand the benefits of responsible tree management

Summer 2011 Edition

DOF Names Poster Contest Winners

Arbor News is made

possible by

Andy Sheetz, WVDOF

Urban & Community Forestry 1

West Virginia Big Tree

Program

Did you know?

Common Hackberry

Celtis Occidentalis

A note from our new

Urban Forester

Tori Carr is a 5th grade student at Kingwood Elementary in Preston County, WV. Tori took first place honors for her submission.

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West Virginia Division of Forestry is proud to announce the winners of the 2011

West Virginia Arbor Day Poster Contest. This year 4th and 5th graders were asked to participate. This year’s 4th grade winner was Lillian Rhoads from Lum-berport Elementary in Harrison County. Our 5th grade winner ,Tori Carr, comes from Kingwood Elementary in Preston County. Each student produced a poster supporting the contest theme “What Tree is it?”. Students demonstrated their knowledge of how leaves can be used to identify trees..

Each student was awarded a $50 US Savings Bond provided by the West Virginia Forestry Association. In addition, a ceremony will be held for each student where a tree will be planted in their honor. Please turn to page 4 to see Lillian's award winning poster.

Urban & Community Forestry 2

Arbor News

West Virginia Big Tree Program

Trees of all shapes and sizes are essential to a healthy environment.

Besides helping to purify air and water, trees are the biggest weapon against soil erosion. Trees fight air pollution by absorbing sulfur dioxide and help to cool the earth by absorbing carbon dioxide. They cool homes in the summer by providing shade and protect property year-round from wind damage. Trees also provide homes for birds, small animals and insects. Humans and wildlife enjoy fruits and nuts that many trees produce. The West Virginia Big Tree Program is an ongoing effort to create interest in trees and to make residents aware of the many benefits that they provide.

The program establishes a process to locate measure and record the largest trees in the State. Presently, there are 91 species on the West Virginia Big Tree Register and new ones are added as they are found. Nominations always are accepted, and additions are made to the register after verification by West Virginia Division of Forestry personnel. All 50 states have Big Tree programs and a National Register of Big Trees celebrates our national champions.

The program received a much needed boost two years ago when the Division contracted with Turner Sharp to coordinate the nomination process and update the register. Turner is a member of the Parkersburg Tree Commission and established a Big Tree Program for the city. The Parkersburg program encourages residents to nominate large trees and maintains a data base with species, size and location information. He has done an outstanding job of updating the West Virginia register and working to publish our large trees on the following website:

http://www.wvcommerce.org/resources/forestry/big_tree/default.aspx

The Division currently has six foresters assigned to locate, measure and record champion trees. Anyone wishing to view a list of big trees or to nominate a potential state champion should download a nomination form from website above.

A Black Walnut Tree in

Alderson, WV.

Measurements are taken at a large McDonald White Oak in Jefferson

County, WV.

Bob Hannah, WVDOF

Urban & Community Forestry 3

Did you know?

Common Hackberry Celtis Occidentalis

The common Hackberry is classified as part of the

Ulmaceae family. This family is the Elm family, containing 70 species of shrubs and trees in the northern hemisphere. Other family relatives include Elm and Zelkova species. The native range for common Hackberry is as far north as New Hampshire and North Dakota; South to Oklahoma and Northern Georgia (though it is listed as being capable of growing in hardiness zones 2-10). It is found through our state of West Virginia, primarily in mixed bottomland hardwoods, along with Swamp Chestnut Oak, Green Ash, Am. Elm, Water Hickory, and Sweetgum (Red Gum) species. It is a large deciduous tree that commonly grows, within landscapes, to a height of between 40ft. to 60ft. (it has been recorded standing 100ft. tall). It is used in timber production the same as Elm wood. Its leaf shape gives Hackberry the Elm species appearance, yet its warty, gray-brown bark makes claim it is a different species then Elm. Its rounded berry like drupe is a favorite food source for birds. This may be how its common name, Hackberry, came about. It is possibly that from the Scottish tree, named “Hagberry” [Bird cherry (Prunus avium)], a perversion of that name, came to be known, due to the number of birds that feed on this tree. It can withstand a variety of site conditions. Though it is most commonly found on wetter sites, it has also been located in rich woods, hill slopes, dry soils, heavy clay and also sandy soils, besides being variable within the different acid to alkaline conditions. It is heat or cold tolerant, semi shade tolerant and can handle air pollution effectively, in an urban setting. This plant is a perfect plant for our urban environment and should be used more within landscaping plans as a ‘larger tree’ species pick.

Did you know what the wood of Common Hackberry has been used for?

Agricultural implements; cabinetry; furniture (chair bottoms & table legs); fuel; barrel hoops; fence posts; floors; boxes and crates

● Wood sold often as Ash or Elm (due to it having

the same or similar properties) is a heavy, but soft wood and easily worked. It also can be steam bent, while green, and dried into that shape.

● It is a ring porous wood with wavy bands of pores in growth rings. This makes a beautiful look to furniture pieces and cabinetry presentation.

Did you know other nick names Hackberry is known by?

Sugarberry; Hack tree; Bastard Elm; False Elm; Hoop Ash; Nettle tree; One Berry

● -Sugarberry is a spin off from its southern variety ‘Sugar Hackberry’ (Celtis laevigata), which has more of a lance like leaf.

● It is called ‘One Berry’ because one orange-red to a purple-black drupe is produced from its flower parts each year.

Did you know or remember dendrological characteristics of Common Hackberry?

● Leaves: Deciduous; alternate; simple; ovate; 4 ¾”-5”inch long; 2 ½”inch wide; 3 veined; base oblique; point tapered; margin mostly toothed; smooth or rough above; pale and hairy beneath on veins; glossy upper

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Picture of a Common Hackberry Source: itsyourhood2.com

Daniel Brown, West Virginia University

Arbor News

surface; petiole 3/5” long; bright green turning to a pale yellow to yellow-green in the autumn.

● Buds: Small; ¼”inch l o n g ; d o w n y ; imbricate; chestnut brown; ovate; sharp pointed; flattened; oppressed against twig

● Twigs: Alternate; distinctly ridged; light brown then darker with age; pale oblong lenticels

● Size: 100’ft. tall (commonly 40’ft. - 60’ft); 20’ft. - 30’ft. wide; grows (med to fast) 20’ft to 30’ ft. in 10 yr. to 15 years. Typically ages to be 150 to 200yrs. old.

● Fruits: Rounded; berry-like drupe; edible; ½”in – ¾”in long; 1/8”in wide; fleshy; single bony nutlet; orange – red to purple – black color; thin pulp; ripens Sept. – Oct.; persistent for several weeks into winter; flavored like dates; good seed crop each year.

● Flowers: Male and female; small; green; without petals; in leaf axils (as new leaves emerge) singled or clustered; polygamo-monoecious; early May.

● [ lygamo-monoecious pertains to species that are functionally monoecious, but have a few bisexual flowers on some individual plants that also bear unisexual flowers of both sexes.]

● Stem: Slender; zig-zag; light olive-brown; prominently lenticeled; somewhat shinny; somewhat downy; wood light greenish yellow when wet; pith white and finely chambered.

● Bark: Gray brown; smooth; corky warts; furrowed and scaly with age.

● Wood: Moderately hard and heavy (0.53 specific gravity); has wavy bands of pores in growth rings; heartwood is light grayish brown to yellow brown; sapwood is light straw yellow w/ grayish or greenish cast; wood can be steam treated and bent to shape and once dried, will hold that shape.

● Wildlife: Birds; squirrels; humans (tastes like dates); raccoons; quails; wild turkey

● Insect/disease: Leaf spot; powdery mildew fungus; hackberry nipple-gall (leaf disfigured by bullet-like appendages); several scales; Witches broom

● Witches broom disease is caused when a combination of powdery mildew and gall mites, attack this tree species at the same time, causing a total abnormal disfigurement of branch growth, into tight broom like clusters.

Did you know the culture of Hackberry?

● Transplants easily bare root or B&B (Balled & Burlap)

● Seeds: 1). Sow untreated seeds in fall or 2). sow stratified seeds in spring, either by broadcasting or drilling holes ½ “in deep. If rows are used, then the holes should be 8-10”in apart within the rows.

Did you know any of Hackberry’s pioneers/ medically history?

● First cultivated in 1656.

● Iroquois used bark as a gynecological aid; helped regulate menstrual cycles; as an abortifacient; as a sore throat aid; as a VD aid. They valued Hackberry for food and also used it within ceremonies.

● Pioneer used this wood as floors (puncheons), if rugs were unaffordable during their early years, due to the wood being soft to tread on, it has a very firm and beautiful grain, almost white in color. Drupes were mixed with fat and corn to form porridge or crushed to add flavor to foods. They were also pounded into a paste, molded onto a stick and baked over an open fire.

Because of its drought, heat, and cold tolerance, its abilities to withstand urban soil conditions, its capabilities of full sun to partial shady conditions, this tree should be in high demand, yet it is not found as often within landscaping,

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Urban & Community Forestry 4

Typical leaf structure of a Common Hackberry.

Source: forestryimages.org

Urban & Community Forestry 5

Continued from Page 1

Lillian Rhodes took first place honors in the 4th Grade Divi-sion. Lillian is a student at Lumberport Elementary School in Harrison County, WV.

Poster contest continued

A note from our new

Urban Forester

Hi, everyone! My name is Jesse Wise, and I’m honored to have recently joined the WV Division of Forestry as an Urban Forester. I am a proud alumnus of Garrett College’s Natural Resources and Wildlife Technology Program as well as West Virginia University’s Forest Resources Management Program. Over the past 8 years, I’ve had the privilege to serve West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland in various contractual environmental positions. My

experience ranges from black bear studies to forestry education and also includes an internship, last summer, with the WV Division of Forestry. The culmination of my internship with WV Division of Forestry, as well as my past educational and employment opportunities, provided me with a deeply-rooted respect for urban trees and the vital functions they provide to our communities. This respect and my natural affinity for interacting with people make me extremely excited to serve as an Urban Forester.

I look forward to working with communities, tree boards and volunteer groups to maintain and enhance Urban Tree Canopy Cover all across this beautiful state. I will be coordinating the Municipal Tree Restoration Program and Project CommuniTree in addition to providing technical urban forestry assistance and training.

If you have any questions about our program or interest in future Urban Tree Care training sessions, feel free to contact me via my e-mail, Jessica.R.Wise@wv.gov, or call me at the

Upcoming Events

● American Society of American

Foresters Meeting

August 29th and September 1st, 2011

Bluefield, West Virginia

● MAC-ISA Annual Meeting

October 2nd - 4th, 2011

Williamstown, Virginia