The Minnesota

Shade Tree

Advisory

Committee’s

mission is to

advance

Minnesota’s

commitment to the

health, care and

future of all

community forests.

In This Issue2 Community

Profiles: St.Peter andMankato

4 Chainsaw Bandits

5 When DisastersStrike

9 Plan Before YouPlant

10 MSTACDirectory

11 Tree Potpourri(Events andOpportunities)

ADVOCATE • SUMMER ’98

atural Disasters and the CommunityForest was chosen as the theme for thisAdvocate issue last March. No one could

have imagined how many Minnesota communi-ties and their forests would be affected by windstorms in the time since then, and some poten-tially heavy storm months are still ahead of us.It will be months before final estimates of thenumber of Minnesota community trees dam-aged or destroyed will be known. Already tensof thousands have been counted. Some commu-nities barely got cleaned up from one stormwhen they were hit by another. The effects ofthe losses of 1998 will be felt decades into thefuture.

Throughout the world, violent weather is aconstant companion to the other disasters thataffect our lives.

■ Nearly 2,000 thunderstorms are in processat any given moment.

■ Over 45,000 thunderstorms and relatedweather conditions occur daily, includingmany that damage trees.

■ Lightning strikes the earth 100 times eachsecond.

■ There were at least 100,000 thunderstormseach year in the U.S. from 1959 to 1984.

■ 100 people are killed and 250 severelyinjured by violent weather on an annualbasis. Most of the human deaths anddestruction of vegetation occurs in the east-ern half of the country.

When a disaster such as a wind or ice stormstrikes a community, the people and govern-ment officials take immediate actions to ensure

survival and safety of citizens. Downed trees,power lines and wrecked property are majorhindrances in getting help to injured people. The beautiful shade tree, now severelydamaged, is a hazard that must be removed ina hurry to get emergency vehicles through thestreet.

Only after several days and weeks ofcleanup does the full impact of the damage andloss of trees become reality. The community forest we all took for granted is mostly gone orseverely damaged. A lot of time and money hasbeen spent on cleaning up trees. Those thatremain may be cut or topped so they look liketelephone poles with stubs sticking out, andhave little hope of recovery. This is when peo-ple start really looking at the loss of their com-munity forest and all the benefits they enjoyed.

Sadly, in some communities, it is almost toolate to help the situation. The cities that farebest are those that had an action plan to pro-tect trees before the storm, and a plan for treat-ing affected trees if a disaster strikes. With agood forestry program in place before thestorm, there is less damage because trees are

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Storms Rage,and Trees Fall

Summer ’98

VOL. 1, NO. 3 • SUMMER 1998

1Visit us on the Web at http://willow.ncfes.umn.edu/mnstac/mnstac.htm

Storms Rage continued on p. 12

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arch 29, 1998 is etchedforever in the memoriesof the citizens of St.

Peter, Minnesota. In just a fewshort moments that day, theirneat, picturesque southernMinnesota community of 10,000was reduced to devastating ruinby violent tornadoes.

Few community forests everexperience destruction of themagnitude that struck St. Peter.Over 90% of the city trees weredestroyed or damaged. A finaltally is not available, but cityforester Dan Knight knows over5,550 trees had been removed byApril 22. The cleanup work isstill continuing from this storm,and there has been additionaldamage from a storm in July.

Although the damage wasmonumental, Knight says emer-gency response plans in placebefore the storm and supportfrom many public and private

sources helped greatly withcleanup operations.

Communication links weregood and allowed St. Peter PublicWorks headquarters to organizeand direct cleanup efforts effec-tively. One critical key was hav-ing established relationshipsahead of time with reputable treeservice professionals. A single callto a trusted independent contrac-tor brought 16 trained crews totown the first night to assist citypublic works people. They weresoon joined by experienced utilitytree handlers, other local contrac-tors and arborists, county high-way departments, city forestersand public works crews from sur-rounding communities. Manybrought badly-needed loaders,lifts, trucks, clammers, saws, tubgrinders and more. Someresponded to computer calls forhelp. DNR came to assist due tothe crisis situation and the com-

munity’s need for techni-cal expertise in hazardtree evaluation.

The first priority was,of course, citizen safety.City Street Foreman GregKozitza was designated tohead cleanup efforts. Thecity was divided intozones, with work crewsassigned to specific sec-tions. Clearing the

streets, dealing with downedpower lines and establishing acentral drop off site for treedebris were among the immedi-ate needs. An effort was madeearly on to sort and separatelogs, branches and smaller debristo make as much use as possibleof the available wood and to sim-plify disposal.

Once immediate safety needswere met, DNR hazardous treefield evaluation people wentthrough the city and identifiedtrees that needed to be trimmedor removed. Trees to be removedwere marked with a red dot;those to be trimmed got yellowdots. Survey teams went to everyboulevard and house in town andidentified the number of red dottrees and yellow dot trees. Treework was initiated, stumpsremoved and stump holes filled.A concern for Dan Knight wasthat many people were payingprivate sources to do tree work,not being aware that FEMA waspaying for everything the firstfew weeks.

Dealing with the mere vol-ume of tree debris was stagger-ing. After the first week, one treecompany and logging firm wasidentified to take wood. At onepoint, 600,000 cubic yards ofchips had been generated by tub

Storms Over St. Peter

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WATONWAN CO. BLUE EARTH CO.COTTONWOOD CO.

CambriaJudson Mankato

Path of the storm

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Although over 90% ofSt. Peter’s trees weredestroyed or damaged,the emergency responseplans and ordinancesgreatly aided cleanupand lessened damage.Mankato’s crews wereamong the many publicand private sources giv-ing assistance.

ADVOCATE • SUMMER ’98 3

grinders. That’s enough to covertwo football fields ten feet deep.

The city is already lookingahead to re-planting. The consult-ing firm hired to identify availableplanting sites has specified 1704spots on boulevards alone. A rec-ommended tree list is being gener-ated and plans are moving aheadto have young stock plantedthroughout the summer and fall.Homeowners and businesses areeager to replace their trees as well,and are looking to the city, DNRand other agencies for tips for suc-cessful re-planting. The fact thatthe city had a general emergencyplan and has had a “no topping”ordinance for about 15 years hashelped lessen the amount of dam-age wrought to the city’s survivingtrees.

Knight and Kozitza very muchappreciate the tremendous out-pouring of support and help thatcame from so many people, profes-sionals and volunteers. Kozitzacommented that it was gratifyingto see the dedication and caredemonstrated throughout thecleanup. It was apparent that peo-ple wanted to “clean up St. Peterlike it was their own town.”

St. Peter was only one of thecommunities struck by the March29 tornadoes. The map below

shows several of the other areasaffected by the same storm system.The slow process of rebuildingdamaged community forests is tak-ing place in all of them.

Taking Stockin Mankato

Mankato City Forester BrianHagberg and his city’s crews wereamong the many professionals whopitched in with labor and equip-ment to help St. Peter restoreorder after the March 29 torna-does. Even though the destructionwas immense, Hagberg was heart-ened by the tremendous outpour-ing of help for St. Peter and otherstricken communities.

Although he knows nothing isa 100% guarantee that his owncommunity will not suffer majordamage in the future, Hagberg andMankato city leaders are takingassertive, proactive steps to giveMankato a protective edge. In theten years since coming to the city,Hagberg says support has alwaysbeen strong for forest mainte-nance. The city has three full-timetree trimmers. A Treekeeper com-puter software program helpsmanage the urban forest.

Mankato knows a lot about itstrees. A street tree inventory helpsthe city know what is in its urbanforest and where it is located.There is a conscious effort to diver-sify species and to capitalize on thestrengths of native species.Regular tree maintenance is inplace, with the city divided intozones. Because healthy, welltrimmed trees are more stormresistant, each zone receives con-centrated routine care and pruningon a rotation schedule. An inde-pendent contractor handles muchof this work, since the city staff is

responsible for a full load of othertasks.

The city looks for opportuni-ties to collaborate with treeresource agencies and grantsources to build a better future forits trees. For example, one projectwith Northern States Power andTree Trust replaced trees underpower lines with low-growing vari-eties, therefore lessening thechances of storm-toppled treesdragging down power lines. MnReLeaf grants and energy conser-vation initiatives also help fundspecial projects.

After working in St. Peter fol-lowing the March 29 tornado,Hagberg is again reviewing andrevising his own community’sstorm emergency response plan.Pre-storm protection, after-stormcleanup and regrouping for thefuture are all part of the planHagberg hopes he’ll never have tofully apply. As many others havesaid, he stresses that it is essentialto maintain a healthy forest in thefirst place, and then to have rep-utable contacts and contractorsavailable in case of emergency.These relationships need to bedeveloped long before a storm hits,both so you know immediately whoto call and so you trust the qualityand range of services others canprovide. When Hagberg went toassist St. Peter’s Dan Knight, hedid not go as a stranger. The twohad already established a relation-ship through their association in agroup called “South of the RiverTree People.”

Mankato’s community foresthas had some strong winds thisyear and some tree storm damage.Still, it withstands the onslaughtof straight line winds quite well.The city trees are more preparedthan most to meet storm condi-tions and Brian Hagberg’s goal isto keep it that way.

SUMMER ’98 • ADVOCATE4

ou’ll find themafter every major

storm—people who swarm intothe stricken area, chainsawtossed into the back of a pickuptruck or van, ready to attack thefallen and damaged trees. While it’strue some come as volunteers with agenuine desire to help, many comefor the opportunity to make a quickbuck.

“Chainsaw bandits” pose a big concernfor both public officials and private citizens.Public safety is at risk, along with the safety of theindividuals involved. Property may be damaged. Community busi-nesses and private citizens are vulnerable to being taken advan-tage of financially. There are many reports of people beingcharged high fees to have damaged trees cut, trimmed or takenaway by door-to-door solicitors. Sometimes there would have beenno charge at all if people had simply waited for the city publicworks department, the utility company or FEMA to act.

Amateur saw handlers also put the community forest itself atrisk. Improper tree handling can mean death to trees that mightotherwise be saved and do immense damage to others. Unaccept-able practices such as topping trees, removing excessive amountsof live wood, using climbing spikes on trees that are not beingremoved and removing or disfiguring living trees without justcause are all avoided by good arborists.

Following a natural disaster, it is essential to have a systemto prevent unapproved crews from entering the community andsoliciting tree work. It is also important to make sure citizens arequickly informed about reputable and safe options available tohelp manage their tree dilemmas. Once again, having a good planahead of time helps prevent chaos.

Selecting a Tree Care ServiceTree care services are listed in the yellow

pages. Ask plenty of questions and check out thecompany to make sure you are getting a reliableand reputable professional. Ask:

■ Are you licensed? Do you have a permit towork in my city? (Many cities require companiesworking in the city to be licensed so they are onrecord and are carrying proper liability and otherinsurances. Ask to see the city license or permit.)

■ Are you a certified arborist? (Arborists arecertified through the International Society ofArboriculture. The program requires appropriatetraining, experience, knowledge and passing anexam. Ask to see a Certified Arborist membershipcard and check the expiration date.)

■ What insurances do you carry? (General lia-bility, personal and property damage and work-er’s compensation should all be in place. The con-tractor should have an up-to-date insurancebinder.)

■ Who else have you recently done work forin my area that I can call as a reference?

■ How would you deal with my particulartree situation? (Watch for good and respectfulpractices. Avoid people who want to remove livingtrees, use climbing spikes on living trees, toptrees, excessively thin crowns, etc.)

■ How much will you charge for your work?(Get several estimates and make sure the compa-ny describes in writing specifically what it plansto do. Don’t be rushed by a bargain, and neverpay in advance.)

■ When can you do my work? (October throughMarch is preferable for routine trimming of trees.Trees are dormant then. You may be able to saveon trimming rates at this time of the year, but doso only if the work can be done at a dormant timefor your trees.)

Good tree care companies are so busy they sel-dom have time to cold-call customers, and they areable to rely on referrals. If a tree care companyseems questionable, check it out with the BetterBusiness Bureau.

With good communication up front, competi-tive charges and recommendations from satisfiedcustomers, you can feel confident with the treecare professional you hire.

For a list of ISA Certified Arborists inMinnesota and companies that employ CertifiedArborists, contact Minnesota Society ofArboriculture, 115 Green Hall, 1530 Cleveland AveN., St. Paul, MN 55108. A website is currentlybeing developed that will have much of this infor-mation in the future.

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The Minnesota Societyof Arboriculture is thelocal chapter ofInternational Society ofArboriculture. Bothorganizations are dedi-cated to professionaland public education andto research regardingtree culture and care.

If you suspect aninsect and/or dis-ease problem with adamaged tree, youneed someone profi-cient in diagnosingproblems such as acertified arborist,pathologist or ento-mologist.

ADVOCATE • SUMMER ’98

■ Right trees in the right placesSpecies that are naturally suited to the

site (tree structure, root system, climatic andsoil compatibility, etc.) are best able to with-stand storm stress.

Shorter (< 30 ft.) boulevard trees survivewindstorms better than the tall elms, ashes,oaks and maples that are damaged in manycommunity boulevards.

■ Regular care and maintenance of trees,especially the young

In 1998 Minnesota storm damage surveys,two-thirds of damage in tree canopies was dueto branches and/or codominant leaders thatwere allowed to develop with included barkand subsequent decay. Early corrective pruningcould have significantly reduced this damage.

■ Correct plantingIn 1998 storm damage surveys, one-fourth

of total tree failures was related to deep planti-ng problems and/or stem girdling roots thatdeveloped unnoticed due to deep planting.

Many are surprised to learn that stormdamage from straight line winds under 60miles an hour is mostly preventable. Strong,

When DisastersStrike

When Disasters Strike

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atural disasters that occur inMinnesota include floods, tornadoes,

high velocity straight-line wind storms and icestorms. Most communities have some sort ofplan for responding to emergencies, but manydo not have a well thought-out plan thatincludes long-range forest issues. Preparingthe community forest to withstand potentialviolent weather can seem a remote prioritywhen ranked with a host of other current com-munity needs. But after a disaster, prioritieschange instantly. Trees suddenly become thepublic enemy, blocking emergency routes, tan-gling with downed power lines and sprawlingacross rooftops. Getting rid of tree debris andrestoring safety is certainly the top priority,but even then there are options that havelong-range effects on the community forest. Inthe weeks and months following a storm, re-planting is critical.

Unless tree professionals and advocates“speak for the trees” before, during cleanupand for months after the disaster, the needs ofthe community forest are lost in the shuffle ofother community priorities.

Damage is PreventableSome storms are so strong they can wreak

havoc with any community forest. Still,experts say as much as half the annual stormdamage could be prevented with relativelysimple steps. Three that go a long way are:

N Early correctivepruning cangreatly reducedamage fromfailure ofbranches andcodominantleaders.

Stem girdling roots, devel-oping unnoticed due todeep planting, caused thetree failures shown at left.Planting problems—easilypreventable—contributedto one-fourth of the treefailures in the storms of1998.

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healthy, site-suited trees that have been prunedagainst defects can successfully withstandwinds that are much stronger.

Developing a PlanCommunity foresters often hear and use

the term mitigation activities. By definition,mitigation is “activities that eliminate or reduce

the occurrence offuture disasters.” Incommunity forestry,mitigation involvesefforts to prevent orminimize damage orloss of trees in areasaffected by naturaldisasters.

Surveys of com-munity forestersand tree profession-als across the coun-

try indicate that the majority feel the emer-gency response plan for their community is notas strong as it needs to be. Developing a goodemergency response plan always involves • forming partnerships • prioritizing needs • assessing risks • communicating with the community

Every county has an existing emergencyresponse coordinator. Knowing who this is andbeing in contact with him or her is the place tostart when developing emergency plans of anysort. The county sheriff or the civil defensecoordinator might be the designated responsecoordinator, or they can tell you who is.

A good plan takes the cooperation of a widerange of people:• municipal leaders • community foresters• state and local agencies • utilities• private arboricultural companies • volunteers and • independent forestry professionals

The guidelines that follow can behelpful in creating a plan.

Before, During and After the Disaster

An emergency action plan for anatural disaster includes threechronological phases:

Preparation, Response andRecovery.

For the community forest, these stagesdovetail with the overall emergency plan for thecommunity, but also include the following:

■ ■ ■ Preparation(Months and Years Before the Disaster)

■ Identify a core group to develop and main-tain a tree-related plan for the community.

■ Have someone on staff, develop a relation-ship with someone or have a contract with aforestry professional who:➤ meets regularly with city government and

local and county emergency managers➤ knows the Incident Command System (ICS)➤ is trained to assess tree damage and identi-

fy hazard trees.

■ Have a qualified professional perform a riskassessment of your community forest. Considerhaving one or more of your community employ-ees attend a Minnesota DNR hazard treeassessment workshop.

■ Make sure your community has:

➤ A disaster response plan that includes priori-tizing needs (which streets and access areasmust be cleared first, where wood waste will bestored, etc.), assessing tree damage, the processfor clearing debris, surveying safety and firehazards and eventually replanting trees. Planfor disaster response training, too. MnSTAC’sTree Emergency Response packet can help withyour planning. Write to: MnSTAC c/o GlenShirley, Maintenance Coordinator/Forester, Cityof Bloomington, 2215 West Old Shakopee Rd,Bloomington, MN 55431-3096.

➤ A disaster response kit that includes a cur-rent disaster response plan, listed priorities andwho is in charge of what, maps of the city, treeordinances, policies, specifications, public ser-vice announcements, names and phone num-bers of key contacts including designated deci-sion makers and state and local agencies thatcan offer assistance (FEMA, DNR, etc.), formsfor surveying damage and collecting pertinentdata.

➤ Agreements with neighboring communities toshare workers and equipment in the event of adisaster.

➤ An established relationship and agreementwith one or more tree services to clear debrisafter a storm. For the directory Tree CareCompanies Providing Storm Emergency Servicein Minnesota, write to the Shade Tree Advocate,

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Plan ahead for theResponse phase, whenlarge equipment suchas the Ceres Company’stub grinder above, maybe required duringcleanup.

Windthrow damage tolarge trees is madeworse by a weak orrestricted root system.

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115 Green Hall, 1530 Cleveland Ave. North, St.Paul, 55108. (Postage/handling is $3.00.)

➤ At least one collection site where hugeamounts of tree debris can be collected, sortedand processed or dispersed to others. There area number of alternatives for utilizing woodresources. It is a good idea to have a relation-ship with some forest products manufacturersor wood marketers who might purchase woodresources after a storm. MnSTAC’s WoodUtilization Committee (see page 10) is a contactfor more information.

➤ An inventory of trees, and photographs orvideotapes of the most significant trees on pub-lic property. An inventory is a big help in esti-mating damage and needs when disasterstrikes. For example, you’ll be able to estimatethe number of trees potentially damaged in acertain area of town. You’ll have a better idea ofhow many arborists are needed and the amountof wood that could be generated.

To manage risk to the community forest:

■ Plant trees correctly and manage their earlygrowth years. Planting depth problems andpoor branch/leader attachments are commoncauses for tree failure. (For correct plantinginformation, see Advocate Issue 2, Spring, 1998.For proper pruning techniques, see AdvocateIssue 1, Winter 1998.)

■ Plant a variety of tree species, includingthose that stand up to storms common in yourarea. Avoid planting very dense trees such aslittleleaf lindens and Colorado spruce in storm-prone areas. In the storms the first sevenmonths of 1998, Colorado spruce disproportion-ately dominated the windthrow category of treedamage, representing more than one-third of allsurveyed windthrow-damaged trees. Most oaks,American elms and smaller trees were far lessprone to windthrow damage.

■ Inspect public trees annually for hazards.Remove hazardous trees or sections of treesthat are most likely to fail during a storm.Trees should be routinely inspected and prunedfor the first 15 years of their lives. Prune everythree to five years after that to maintain strongform.

■ If you must plant under power lines, plantonly small maturing trees. A guide for plantingnear power lines is available from MinnesotaPower Association. See page 12 for orderinginformation.

■ Educate the public about proper tree mainte-nance. Regular press releases in local newspa-pers are one way to do this. There are pressreleases available from MnSTAC,University of Minnesota ExtensionService, MN DNR-Forestry andthe Minnesota Department ofAgriculture covering tree selec-tion, planting, care, storm recov-ery and more.

■ ■ ■ Response (Immediately Following the Disaster)

Follow the disaster response plan.

■ Communicate continually withthose involved in cleanup as wellas with the private citizens. Issuepublic service announcements asneeded. Designate a qualified con-tact to answer tree-related ques-tions from the public. Possibilitiesinclude a certified arborist, profes-sional forestry consultant oremployee with special knowledgein this type of emergency.

■ Stay flexible with tree salvageand utilization plans. A large vol-ume of wood and tree debris mayrequire new decisions, but the goalis to reuse as much as possible.

To manage risk to the commu-nity forest:

■ Remember: More damage issometimes done to trees as aresult of clean-up than is donedirectly by the disaster! Manytrees CAN be saved even thoughdamaged.

■ Make sure tree staff people orreputable consultants are involved in decisionsaffecting trees. In the absence of tree profes-sionals, others less knowledgeable will decide!

■ Have a person trained in assessing tree dam-age mark hazardous trees for immediateremoval and mark salvageable trees for appro-priate care. A tree is a hazard when the failureof one or more of its parts could result in prop-erty damage or personal injury. Certifiedarborists and many other forestry professionalsare trained in hazard tree identification. TheDNR offers training on the subject, too.

Don’t Top Trees!Tree topping is a sense-

less mutilation of trees. It’smore than an assault on thebeauty of a tree. It addsunnecessary stress and risk totree health, increases thechances of rot and lowers thetree’s resistance to insectsand disease. The regrowthtends to be weakly attachedas well, and the whole processcan be expensive.

Have qualified peopleevaluate trees for possiblecorrective pruning andcabling. If the tree can’t besaved without topping, have itremoved.

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■ Once the immediate danger to people andproperty is past, insist that tree decisions aremade with an eye to the future and accordingto the disaster response plan.

■ Give immediate care to trees that have spe-cial significance for thecommunity and champi-on or historic trees. Canthey be saved?

■ Allow only approved,insured crews to work inthe community. Stopdoor-to-door vendorssoliciting tree work andsend them on their way.

■ Use good tree man-agement practices. Never top a tree, removeexcessive live wood, remove or disfigure livingtrees without a just cause or use climbingspikes on living trees. Don’t cut or sever roots.

■ ■ ■ Recovery (Weeks and Months After the Disaster)

Follow the disaster response plan.

To manage risk to the community forest:

■ Administer care to salvageable trees assoon as possible.

■ Prioritize the recoverable trees. The twomost important goals should be safety andlongevity. Make sure threats to public safetyare taken care of immediately, then look at theneeds of the community forest. For example, ifyou are in a community where oak wilt is aproblem, tend to oak trees as soon as possibleto avoid even more death to your communityforest. Inspect all damaged trees for existingor potential decay. Care for problems beforethe next storm hits.

■ Consider cabling or bracing weak forks orbranches in older trees of high value. This iswork for a professional arborist.

■ If a tree inventory is not in place, conductone now. Find out what remains of the com-munity forest and the care needs of specifictrees. Identify potential planting sites. DNRarea foresters and private consultants canhelp.

■ Maintain a system for educating the publicabout re-planting and for answering specificquestions. Include regular local newspapercolumns, public service announcements, work-shops, phone numbers and addresses of help-ful contacts; keep an inventory of information-al handouts.

■ Maintain access to public funds to supportre-planting. Consider special fund drives forspecific needs.

■ Select proper and diverse species for plant-ing based on site considerations. Choosespecies that are resistant to future naturaldisaster problems. The University ofMinnesota Extension Service has a series ofpublications titled Recommended Trees: AnEcosystem Approach that suggest speciesspecifically suited to each area of the state.Contact the University’s EducationalDistribution Service at 612/625-8173.

■ Buy quality nursery stock and plant andmaintain it correctly. Don’t try to reforest allat once. Plant only what your community canafford to maintain. If you can’t properly main-tain your trees, you will only create an unsafe,problem-prone forest that will be damagedagain in a couple of decades. Also, after majorstorms, many nurseries are sold out of goodplant materials. Don’t buy poor nursery stockjust to reforest quickly. Take your time andwait until you can select quality trees.

For Specific Planning HelpPublications that are good guides to helpcommunities develop emergencyresponse plans include:

Burban, Lisa L. and John W. Andresen.Storms Over the Urban Forest. 1994.

Fazio, J. R. When a Storm Strikes.National Arbor Day Foundation, TreeCity USA Bulletin No. 2.

Matheny, N.P. and J.R. Clark. APhotographic Guide to the Evaluation ofHazard Trees in Urban Areas. 2nd edi-tion. International Society ofArboriculture. 1991.

Enormous amounts ofwood debris were gen-erated during stormcleanup, as shownbelow at Minneapolis’Bureau of Mines site.Storage and utilizationof such wood debrisshould be thought outwell in advance.

Stem failures werecommon in the stormsof 1998. Strong,healthy, site-suitedtrees can successfullywithstand winds ofmore than 60mph.

MINNEAPOLIS PARK AND RECREATION BOARD

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tion benefits, deciduous trees arebest planted to the east and west ofa house, providing shade in the sum-mer, but allowing sunlight duringwinter months. Evergreens plantedto the north and west of a home canprovide shelter from prevailingwinds.

Proper tree selection, includingspecies and high quality stock, isimportant to successful re-planting.It’s not enough to just choose some-thing you like. Many people may notknow that species site-adapted to anarea are more likely to thrive therethan other types of trees. Soil char-acteristics, drainage and the amountof sunlight should be consideredwhen choosing trees for a particularplace. Healthy stock purchased froma reputable nursery may be a betterinvestment than less expensivesaplings bought from other sources.

How the tree is planted and sub-sequently cared for also makes acritical difference, Holman adds.Planting too deeply, for instance, is acommon cause of tree decline anddeath. Adding woodchip mulcharound the tree can conserve mois-ture, inhibit weeds and protect thetrunk from lawn mowers and weedwhips. Providing the equivalent ofone inch of rainfall each week willhelp the tree thrive.

Holman summarizes, “Plantingthe tree is a little more complicatedthan picking up whatever’s on saleat the local discount garden shopand plopping it into a hole. For thebest results, planters should lookover their sites, select good stock ofthe right kinds of trees and makesure they know the right way toplant them.”

Homeowners wanting moredetails on proper tree selection andplanting techniques can contact their

Ice Storm Resistant TreesSince ice accumulations can

increase the branch weight of trees by30 times or more, tree features influ-ence ice storm resistance. The conicalbranching patterns, strong branchattachments and low surface area oflateral branches of many conifers aregenerally resistant to ice storms.Deciduous trees with coarse branch-ing patterns (fewer, thicker branches)and lateral branches with reducedsurface areas also have an advantage.Forest understory trees that matureat small heights are relatively resis-tant to ice storm damage. Specieswith deep root systems are less sus-ceptible to tipping than shallow rootspecies.

Species resistant to ice damagecan be planted to reduce tree andproperty damage. Resistant speciesinclude

• arborvitae • black walnut• blue beech • catalpa• Eastern hemlock • ginkgo • ironwood • Kentucky coffee tree • little leaf linden • Norway maple • white oak • bicolor oak

or the many Minnesotans withstorm-damaged trees to replace,tree professionals are offering

two words of advice:

Slow down! “With a little luck and proper

care, the tree you plant today can bearound for decades to come,” says KenHolman, community forestry coordina-tor for the Minnesota Department ofNatural Resources. “Many trees can beplanted throughout the growing sea-son, so it pays to do some serious plan-ning before you start the planting.”

The general public may need to bereminded about some of the followingthings that often seem elementary tomore experienced tree planters.

Holman recommends that home-owners begin by making a roughsketch of their property that shows thelocation of buildings, power lines,underground utilities and existingplants. This makes it easier to deter-mine the best locations for replace-ment trees.

Where a tree is placed is a majorconsideration in re-planting. Themature size and spread of a tree needsto be anticipated to prevent futureconflicts between branches and over-head power lines or roots and under-ground utilities. For energy conserva-

Replacing Storm-Damaged Trees:

Plan Before You Plant

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The trees in Minnesota thathave survived our 1998 stormsbetter than others, according toUniversity of MinnesotaDepartment of Forest Resources’survey date, are:

Bur oak, American elm,Japanese tree lilac,crabapple, honeylocust,black walnut, Kentuckycoffeetree, most pines.

area DNR forester, county extensionoffice or soil and water conservationdistrict. A variety of free information-al brochures and booklets are avail-able. Contact the Minnesota Nurseryand Landscape Association for a listof recommended nurseries (Toll free1-888-886-6652). The May issue of theAdvocate also included a Clip andSave guide to proper planting.

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About MnSTACThe Minnesota

Shade Tree AdvisoryCommittee (MnSTAC)was established in 1974by a group of concernedcitizens to address thehealth and well being ofcommunity forests.MnSTAC provides aforum where people forgea collective vision for thefuture of Minnesota’scommunity forests and:

• advocates for publicand private communityforestry interests

• unites for theexchange and dissemina-tion of ideas and infor-mation

• serves as the StateUrban Forest Council toadvise the State Foresteron the implementation ofstate and federally-fund-ed programs.

MnSTAC is recog-nized throughoutMinnesota and the coun-try for its expertise,advice, coordination andsupport for communitytrees. It is an organiza-tion of diverse individu-als who represent abroad spectrum of tree-related interests. It fos-ters and supports localcommunity tree programsacross the state sohealthy communityforests are fully integrat-ed into community devel-opment, infrastructure,education and manage-ment.

The MnSTACresources listed hereencourage your calls,questions and sharing ofideas.

MNSTAC BOARD OF DIRECTORSPresident: Glen Shirley, City of BloomingtonPhone: 612/948-8760Fax: 612/948-8770Vice President: Dorothy JohnsonPhone: 612/451-3457Katie Himanga, Heartwood ForestryPhone: 612/345-4976Ken Holman, DNR ForestryPhone: 612/772-7565Mike Max, EnvironMentor Systems, Inc.Phone: 612/753-5505Gary Johnson, U of M Forest ResourcesPhone: 612/625-3765Dwight Robinson, MN Dept. of AgriculturePhone: 612/296-8578Ralph Sievert, Mpls. Parks and Rec. BoardPhone: 612/370-4900

MNSTAC COMMITTEES AND TASK FORCES

Arbor Month PartnershipChair: Ken Holman, DNR ForestryPhone: 612/772-7565

Constitution and Election CommitteeChair: Ken Simons, Ramsey County ParksPhone: 612/748-2500

Education and Research CommitteeChair: Gary Johnson, U of M Forest ResourcesPhone: 612/625-3765

Forest Health CommitteeChair: Steve Kunde, Kunde CompanyPhone: 612/484-0114

Legislative CommitteeChair: Mark Schnobrich, City of HutchinsonPhone: 320/234-4459

Outreach CommitteeCo-Chairs:Peter Bedker, TreescapesPhone: 612/682-9562Mike Max, EnvironMentor Systems, Inc.Phone: 612/753-5505

Planning CommitteeChair: Janette Monear, Twin Cities Tree TrustPhone: 612/920-9326

Publicity and Awards CommitteeChair: Terri Goodfellow-Heyer, MN StateHorticultural SocietyPhone: 612/643-3601

Scholarship CommitteeChair: Ralph Sievert, Mpls. Park and Rec. BoardPhone: 612/370-4900

Tree Emergency Response CommitteeChair: Katie Himanga, Heartwood ForestryPhone: 612/345-4976

Tree Preservation Task ForceChair: Paul Buck, City of PlymouthPhone: 612/509-5944

Wood Utilization Task ForceCo-Chairs: Mike Zins, U of M ArboretumPhone: 612/443-2460 Ext. 247Jim Hermann, Mpls. Park and Rec. BoardPhone: 612/370-4900

Regional Shade Tree Advisory Committees

To add more voices to the forum and encouragenetworking more easily at the local level, threeregional MnSTAC units are in place.

Southeast STACSoutheast STAC represents communities in

the eleven counties that are part of the HiawathaValley Resource Conservation and DevelopmentArea.

For information about Southeast STAC, contact:Chair: Henry SorensenAsst. Pub. Service Director, City of Red Wing 612/385-3674Sec./Treas.: Katie HimangaHeartwood Forestry, Lake City 612/345-4976

Headwaters-Agassiz STACHASTAC, the Headwaters-Agassiz Shade Tree

Advisory Committee, was formed about a year agoas a regional branch of MnSTAC. The NW RegionalDevelopment Commission is the fiscal agent.

For information about HASTAC contact:Chair: John JohnsonCity Forester, City of Thief River Falls 218/681-1835Sec./Treas.: Jeff EdmondsDNR Forestry, Bemidji 218/755-2891

West Central STACWest Central STAC started in 1997 to help

communities in the northwest region share ideas,information and local success stories in managingcommunity trees. The group has since met to dis-cuss the committee’s purpose and to promote it tocommunities.

For information about WESTAC, contact:Chair: Bob FogelDirector of Parks, City of Moorhead 218/299-5497Sec./Treas.: Dave JohnsonDNR Forestry, Detroit Lakes 218/847-1596

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Events and ConferencesSept. 4–8—North American

Association forEnvironmental EducationConference, Atlanta, GA.Contact NAAEE P.O. 400,Troy. OH 45373.

Sept. 14–17—47th AnnualNorth Central Forest PestWorkshop, Dubuque, IA.http://willow.ncfes.umn.edu/ncfpw98/ncfpw98.htm

Sept. 17, 9:30-12:00 noon—Special MnSTAC meeting:Focus on Storm Recovery,Mn Dept. of Ag. Call 651-772-7925 for more information.

Sept. 17—Trees and UtilitiesRegional Workshop-Kansas City, Blue Springs,MO. Contact NADF 402/474-5655.

Sept. 18–20—Hazard Treesand the Decay ProcessWorkshop, College of theAdirondacks, Paul Smiths,NY. Contact Barb S. 612/327-6236.

Sept. 27–30—Society ofMunicipal Arborists 34thAnnual Conference &Trade Show, St. Louis, MO.Contact http://www.urban-forestry.com/index.html

Oct. 7–9—Minnesota GIS/LIS1998 Conference, St. CloudCivic Center, St. Cloud, MN.Contact Mgmt. Co. 612/226-5312.

Oct. 9–10—Small LoggingEquipment FieldDemonstration, DuxburyMN (near Sandstone).Contact Jean Mouelle612/772-7567.

Oct. 22–24—MidwestEnvironmental EducationConference, Carbondale, IL.Contact Touch of Nature EC618/453-1121.

May 1–5, ‘99—4thInternational Symposiumon Urban Wildlife, Tucson,AZ. Contact Bill Shaw520/621-7265.

MSA Certified Arborist ExamsSept. 11—Anoka Co. Extension

Office, Anoka MN.

Contact Gary Johnson612/625-3765

OpportunitiesAug. 15—Building with Trees

Awards of Excellenceentry due. Contact NADF402/474-5655.

Through June, 1999—MnReleaf Forest Healthgrants available; ContactDNR Region Office or612/772-7925.

Internet—Homepages etc.

• International Society ofArboriculturehttp://www.ag.uiuc.edu/-isa

• Minnesota Department ofNatural Resourceshttp://www.dnr.state.mn.us

• MnSTAC Homepagehttp://willow.ncfes.umn.edu/mnstac/mnstac.htm

• National Arbor DayFoundationhttp://www.arborday.org

• QuantiTree 2.0 computersoftware informationhttp://www.quantitree.com

• U of MN EnvironmentalEvents Calendarhttp://www.umn.edu/cura/env496.htm

• Urban Forestry: ABibliography, 1996 versionhttp://minerva.forestry.umn.edu/urb/

Tree otpourri

New PublicationsConnecting Forestry To People in1999: The State and PrivateForestry Programs. 1998. USFS,Northwestern Area State andPrivate Forestry. Contact BarbS. 612/327-6236.

MnSTAC’s Report to the 1998Legislature: Planting andCaring for Trees: A MinnesotaCommunity Tradition. 1998.MnSTAC. Contact MN DNR612/772-7564.

Landscape Design and SelectedSpecies for Residential Sites (5brochures). 1998.• Evergreen Shaded Garden

Landscape Design• Native Shade Garden

Landscape Design• Prairie Garden Landscape

Design• Suburban Garden Landscape

Design• Wet Meadow Garden

Landscape Design Contact MN DNR Forestry612/772-7925.

National Tree Trust 1997Annual Report. 1998. ContactNational Tree Trust 202/628-8733.

Things to Consider to Repair orReplace Storm-Damaged YardTrees. 1998. MN RecoveryForestry Task Force. ContactMN DNR 772/7925.

Dear Tree Advocate,We want to hear from you! What are your thoughts about thenew Advocate newsletter?

Name/Organization

Address

Phone Number

Please check if appropriate:

❑ I want more information about joining the Minnesota ShadeTree Advisory Committee (MnSTAC).

❑ I do not wish to receive the Minnesota Shade Tree Advocate.Please remove me from your mailing list.

Mail to: Jan HoppeMinnesota Shade Tree Advocate115 Green Hall, 1530 Cleveland Ave. N.St. Paul, MN 55108

P Urban and Community Forestry Calendar

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Minnesota Shade TreeAdvocate

A quarterly newsletterpublished by theMinnesota Shade TreeAdvisory Committee.

Managing Editorial Group:MnSTAC EducationCommittee; Gary R.Johnson, Chair

Editor-in-Chief: Jan Hoppe

Design: Jim Kiehne

Material in this newsletteris not copyrighted.Reproduction for educa-tional purposes is encour-aged. Subscriptions arefree. Articles, news items,photos and videos are wel-come.

This publication was pro-duced with the support ofthe U.S.D.A. ForestService, NortheasternArea; State and PrivateForestry.

Address inquiries to:

Jan HoppeMinnesota Shade Tree

Advocate115 Green Hall1530 Cleveland Ave. N.St. Paul, MN 55108

Printed on recycledpaper using soy-basedinks.

Special NotesPlanting the Right Tree in the Right Place

From Minnesota Power, this 12-page book-let provides growth information on 64 dif-ferent types of trees or shrubs. Thebrochure identifies tree and shrub selec-tions that are compatible for planting nearoverhead powerlines. Call MinnesotaPower toll free 1-800-228-4966 for a copy.An expanded color version of the brochureis available at www.mpelectric.com/treebook

Keeping Nature in Your Community:Using Ecosystem Approaches inCommunity Projects

This two-day workshop is for local officials,planners, natural resource managers, tech-nical advisers and interested citizens whoare working together on a community-based project such as:• a comprehensive natural resources oropen-space plan;• a watershed management initiative;• a riparian protection/restoration project;• A sustainable communities initiative.Registration is $130. Scholarships areavailable. Contact Mark Wever, Tree Trust,612-920-9326, for more information.

Sept. 22-23—Elk RiverSept. 25-26—St. PaulNov. 17-18—Red River Valley areaNov. 20-21—BrainerdMarch 5-6—Twin Cities areaMarch 9-10—Rochester

healthier and stronger. Fewer mistakes occur instorm damage cleanup, in caring for damagedtrees and in re-planting.

Some storms, especially tornadoes and icestorms, can be so severe they devastate in spiteof the best of plans. But still, when a communitydoes not have a forester, arborist, tree board orpark department to direct the management of itstrees, problems escalate following a storm. Otherpeople such as law officers, utility crews, govern-ment officials or street maintenance workerswithout much knowledge of trees may makemajor decisions that can affect the quality of thecommunity forest far into the future.

State and federal emergency managementagencies stand ready to help, but they are notprepared to direct proper tree care. Each commu-nity needs to take this responsibility for itself.

This issue’s Clip and Save section is a handyguide to preparing your community to respond totree disasters. If you don’t have a good tree man-agement and emergency response plan, developone now. Your community forest benefits immedi-ately from the better care, even if you never havea disaster. Still, with the many moods ofMinnesota weather, it is more realistic to planfor when your community gets hit than if it does.

A good plan takes everyone working togeth-er—community leaders and local government,tree professionals and urban forest advocates,state agencies, park and street maintenance per-sonnel, private citizens. The benefits of beingprepared are well worth the effort.

Some of the text for this article is reproduced from aforeword by Gerald Jensen in the book Storms Over theUrban Forest by Lisa L. Burban and John W. Andresen.Thanks to Katie Himanga, Peggy Sand, Brian Hagerty, DanKnight, Greg Kozitza and Barb Spears for the backgroundinformation for this Advocate.

Storms Rage, from p. 1