February Newsletter
High Winds Topple Trees
With gusts over 60mph, last Friday's windstorm brought damage and power outages across Rhode Island and Newport was no exception. Malbone Road, Bellevue Avenue, and the out-bound Pell Bridge ramp all had to be cleared of downed trees.

We owe tremendous thanks to our City Forester, Charlie Ridolf and the entire Newport Public Services team for their work before and after storms like these. Their year-round efforts assessing, pruning, and removing potentially hazardous limbs and trees before they're compromised helps to keep down the number of trees that fall in storms like this.
Watching out for Invaders
Since its first US sighting in 2002, the invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has had a devastating effect on the ash tree population across the eastern United States, killing tens of millions of ash trees. While these destructive beetles have not yet been detected on Aquidneck Island, sightings have been reported elsewhere in Rhode Island.

The Newport Tree Conservancy and the City of Newport have, since 2014 been preparing for the arrival of EAB, and have secured grant funds to treat Newport's public ash trees.

Last summer, our student interns from the MET East Bay, Rogers High School, and Salve Regina University assisted the University of Rhode Island's Biocontrol Lab in setting EAB traps in local parks, and created an inventory of all public ash trees in Newport to aid in our tracking and treatment efforts. Learn more about EAB and treatment options here.
A Second Life for the Redwood's Beech
In May of last year, our interns and staff successfully grafted a number of clones of the Redwood Library and Athanæum's fernleaf beech.

This historic specimen is one of a number of special and culturally significant Newport trees being grown on at The Heritage Tree Center at Rogers High School.

The Redwood recently published an article outlining the history of their storied beech tree, read more here.
Blue Skies at the Blue Garden
Collections Curator Nick Castrataro shown here leading a pruning workshop last month at The Blue Garden in Newport. With outstanding weather and a picture-perfect setting, the workshop focussed on best practices for assessing and managing established evergreens to control for size and shape while maintaining individual character.

The Blue Garden is one of 32 accredited arboreta here on Aquidneck Island.