TreeVitalize's electronic newsletter shares urban forestry information from across Pennsylvania.
TREEVITALIZE QUARTERLY
Spring 2017
In Memoriam

On Friday, February 3rd the world lost beloved civic activist, Tree Tender extraordinaire, and  UC Green Executive Director, Winnie Harris. In the words of PHS President Matt Radar, "Winnie was a driving force in the beautification of her neighborhood and in the creation and preservation of community gardens. Winnie organized plantings and work days that helped transform the streets and landscapes of West Philadelphia." The legacy Winnie leaves us with is immeasurable.  
Early spring is an ideal time to plant trees!
Check out these videos on tree planting from our partners at PHS.
Congratulations to the 2017 TreeVitalize grantees:
Borough of Hollidaysburg,  Carnegie Shade Tree Commission,  City of Easton,  City of Harrisburg,  City of Lancaster,  City of Warren,  City of Wilkes Barre,  Derry Township,  Friends of Briar Bush, Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, Greater Hazleton Area Civic Partnership, Greenfield 
Township, Huntingdon Shade Tree Commission,
Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority,  Millcreek Township, 
Municipality of Kingston, Silver Spring Township, Waynesburg Borough, West Pittston Borough, Williamsport, Wilson Borough
View the  Press Release   here.
Celebrate Arbor Day  on 
Friday, April 28th!


Arbor Day falls on the last Friday in April. However, the first Arbor Day was declared as April 10th in 1872 by the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture. This declaration came at the suggestion of Nebraskan journalist and environmental advocate, J. Sterling Morton, who encouraged everyone to set aside a specific day to plant trees.

Arbor Day is an annual observance that celebrates the role of trees in ou r lives and promotes tree planting and care. 

What can you do to celebrate? 
  • Plant a tree!
  • Organize a neighborhood beautification project
  • Read a book about trees at your local library
  • Schedule a class on tree identification, tree pruning or tree care
WINTER EVENTS RECAP:

Arborist Short Courses held January-February throughout the state
TreeVitalize partners, Penn State Extension, led multi-day courses on arboriculture throughout the months of January and February. Classes were held in Collegeville, Dallas, York County, Mercer County. The course teaches attendees the basics of tree care including tree risk assessment, diagnosis of plant diseases and pests, and tree biology. A diversity of people usually attend, from landscapers and tree business owners to Master Gardeners. Learn more here.







Penn State Extension Urban Forester, Vinnie Cotrone presents on tree installation and establishment to the Arborist Short Course in Collegeville, PA on Thursday, January 19th.

Latrobe Tree Inventory led by DCNR Urban Forester, Celine Colbert
On Thursday, December 15th in Latrobe, PA volunteers could be seen  walking the streets with iPads in hand, inventorying the many trees that make up our urban forest.  Thanks to the new tools provided by PA Tree Map it is now easier than ever for communities to monitor trees in the public right-of-way.  The City of Latrobe is taking advantage of this by having volunteers measure tree diameters, mark locations, and assess the health of their trees.  Information is collected on iPads available through TreePennsylvania (the PA Urban & Community Forestry Council).  The data collected can be used to strategize for plantings, calculate the benefits of the urban forest, and to develop a plan to manage the existing trees.  

Other communities are looking to follow suit with Harrison Township, Wilkinsburg, and Edgewood getting in line for inventories of their own. 
For communities that have existing inventories, the PA Tree Map provides an easy way to visualize and utilize that information.  Swissvale and Leechburg took advantage of this by having their existing inventories uploaded to the PA Tree Map system; now they can see where each tree is geolocated and easily search the trees by different attributes.  If your community is interested in using this tool please contact Tree Canopy Coordinator, Mark Hockley at [email protected].






Jimmy Burlage of Latrobe, a senior at St. Vincent College, measures the diameter of a serviceberry tree along Main Street in Latrobe during a training session on the Pa. Tree Map.

Welcome to PA Urban & Community Forestry Council's new 
President, Alan Sam

Al Sam has been an Arborist with State College Borough since 1989. He manages street and park trees, community flower beds, public landscapes, and capital improvements to parks.Since 2008 Al has served as Environmental Coordinator for the Borough where he works on sustainability initiatives including green roofs, rain garden installations, and energy efficiency. Al previously worked as a forester for Maryland Forest, Park, and Wildlife Service; U.S. Forest Service; Colorado State Forest Service; and Bureau of Indian Affairs. He is a member of the International Society of Arboriculture, Pennsylvania Forestry Association, American Public Works Association and on the Advisory Board for Penn State's Department of Ecosystem Science and Management. Al holds a B.S. and M.S. in Forestry from Penn State University.

Al has been on the Council since its establishment in the early 90s and we are so grateful to have him as our current President. 

Thank you Al!

Join us for the upcoming webinar 
Citizen Tree Monitoring Training Toolkit 
to learn about how communities can monitor the health and growth of newly planted trees. Presented by 
U.S. Forest Service Researcher, Lara Roman on 
Tuesday, March 21st from 12:00 pm- 1:00 pm. Sing-up  here.

Archived webinars to listen to at your leisure!

The Penn State Extension Urban Forestry Program has over 50 recorded webinars on topics including selecting the right tree species, pruning young trees, assessing tree condition, establishing tree ordinances, managing insects and diseases, and many more!  Check out all the recorded webinars  here.  And if you are interested in learning more about the use of green infrastructure to manage stormwater, check out   these webinars .


Upcoming Events - learn of statewide 
events through the TreePennsylvania calendar!

Visit our new and improved website!
TreeVitalize is Pennsylvania's urban forestry program. This is a partnership-based program between PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry, TreePennsylvania (Pa's Urban & Community Forestry Council), Penn State Extension, Pennsylvania Horticulture Society, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Tree Pittsburgh, among many other organizations . Such partnerships are essential to TreeVitalize's continued success in restoring the urban tree canopy across the state and educating citizens about trees and their benefits.