Here's the mystery person behind the monthly newsletter - Mindy Hidenfelter, Program Assistant for the NC Urban Forest Council. Mindy has been handling things "behind the scenes" at the Council since fall of 2015. As a staff member, Mindy works with the coordination of the annual conference, workshops, webinars, newsletters, membership, communications, social media, and more. She also manages the NC Urban Wood Group and its membership, newsletters, and workshops.

Mindy has a professional background in urban forestry, along with undergraduate and graduate degrees in forestry and natural resource management. She has been an ISA Certified Arborist for 19 years, and serves as a volunteer on the Town of Wake Forest Urban Forest Advisory Board. In her free time, Mindy enjoys visiting national parks with her family, training for marathons, and roasting vegan marshmallows over the backyard firepit.

Please send any ideas for what you would like to see in future newsletters to ncufc2@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you!

Vivek Shandas is a Professor of Climate Adaptation and Founding Director of the Sustaining Urban Places Research (SUPR) Lab at Portland State University. Dr. Shandas is trained as an urban ecologist and his research and community engagement practices intersect environmental health, green infrastructure and equity. He has published over 100 articles, three books, and his research has been featured in the NYTimes, National Geographic, Scientific American, and dozens of other national and local media. Dr. Shandas serves as Chair of the City of Portland's (Oregon) Urban Forestry Commission and serves on several local and national advisory boards. His presentation will reflect the ongoing challenges and opportunities for expanding tree canopy into areas that have been historically disinvested. 

You won't want to miss this! CLICK HERE for more information or to register for this year's conference.

To make the workshop accessible and convenient for attendees in the coastal/central areas of the state, this first round of workshops will be held at NC Cooperative Extension offices in Bertie, Duplin, and Nash Counties. The same workshop will be presented at all three locations. Registration information can be found HERE. A limited number of scholarships will be available.

It is now July in North Carolina and it is not uncommon to see periods of drought during the growing season across the state. The latest drought conditions map for North Carolina shows that nearly half the state is experiencing abnormally dry conditions but this is an improvement from early June when the Eastern half of NC was experiencing moderate drought conditions. During these times of drought we have to think about water management for our urban landscapes. Water is a vital ingredient that promotes growth and development in trees and without it can become stressed and more susceptible to pests and disease and can eventually die.

Water management in the landscape can start in the planning phases of an installation or implemented on established mature trees. During the planning phases of a new landscape installation consider using drought tolerant trees or trees that are native to the area. Planning your installation for fall or early spring allows the trees time to establish roots so they are not as dependent on supplemental water during periods of drought. At the time of installation prepare a large rooting zone (2-3 times the size of the rootball) and amend the soil as needed. After installation, apply 3-4 inches of mulch around the root zone. Mulch will help retain moisture in the soil and suppress weeds that compete for water. When applying supplemental water to trees in the landscape use a soaker hose or drip system to allow the water to go deep into the soil and not runoff. If managing mature trees consider alleviating any compaction around the root zone and then apply a layer of mulch and supplemental water where conditions allow.

Water is a valuable resource to trees and humans and if not managed properly we will see the ramifications in the future. So as we experience the hot, dry days in the future consider proper ways to manage water in the landscape. If you are considering new plantings in your landscape this Fall utilize this list, Drought Tolerant Trees for the SE, on our website.

A new suite of resources assembled by the USDA Forest Service and the nonprofit American Forests is unique in two ways: it delivers strategies designed specifically for urban forests, and it offers a “climate adaptation menu” rather than a climate adaptation prescription.

Published by the Forest Service’s Northern Research Station, a report titled “Climate Adaptation Actions for Urban Forests and Human Health” describes strategies that can be used to make forests more resilient to effects of climate change such as warmer temperatures, more frequent heavy precipitation, and extended drought. The Climate and Health Menu expands on previous Forest Service urban forest adaptation research with new consideration of environmental equity and the effects that urban trees – or the lack of trees – have on human health.

The Climate and Health Menu is built on a framework developed in previous Forest Service research on adapting Chicago’s urban forests to climate change, but places more emphasis on the relationship between urban trees and human health as well as equity in the distribution of urban trees throughout cities. It can be used with the Climate & Health Action Guide, available through the Vibrant Cities Lab website, and complements the new Tree Equity Score tool released by American Forests. READ MORE HERE