Urban Tree Talk Newsletter

The Yavapai-Apache Nation is an integral part of the Camp Verde, AZ community. During the initial outbreak of the novel coronavirus, shutdowns were enacted by the Yavapai-Apache Tribal Chairman, as well as the governor of Arizona. This forced the cancelation of the Town and Nation’s jointly held Earth Day celebration in 2020. Normally, both parts of the community come together with booths, food, music, and Yavapai and Apache dancing.

One of the Nation’s underlying values is care for the people.

COVID forced all of us to think outside the box. To ensure safety, it was decided to channel the Earth Day outreach into a Brown Bag Earth Day Event. To bring awareness on important environmental matters, coloring challenges and crossword puzzles that used environmental terms were made so that participants would be able to complete the activities at home. To encourage public safety, cotton face masks were included in the 400 goodie bags, along with snacks and glow sticks.

Wearing face masks and supplied with hand sanitizer, packets and brown bags were delivered to the doorsteps of over two hundred households. The packet included our mailing address and contact info so that we could see the participant’s completed drawings and we responded with letters and prizes to participants.

It was a tough process, even now it is difficult to think back and reflect on—but many community members responded by calling and saying thank you—of course, it was well worth the work we put in. It was a success for the community.

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE TREES!

DFFM sponsors three annual programs to highlight and honor Arizona's Magnificent Trees. Read the article in this newsletter about the program, and be sure to cast your vote for your favorites! DEADLINE TO VOTE is March 31.

VIEW the 8 Champion Trees here.

VOTE for your 4 favorite Champion Trees here.

NEW PUBLICATION:

Urban Forest Systems and Green Stormwater Infrastructure

The Vibrant Cities Lab, a joint project of the USFS, American Forests, and the Natl. Assoc. of Regional Councils, merges the latest research with best practices for implementing green infrastructure projects in your community.

Their latest resource manual provides some helpful urban forest management strategies to maximize stormwater benefits, and can be downloaded from their resource library here.

BARK BEETLE AWARENESS AND TIPS FOR HOMEOWNERS

Due to a dismal 2020 monsoon and the arrival of La Niña, bark beetles are expected to heavily impact trees this summer. Here are some tips to prepare your trees for survival:

Monthly deep watering at the drip-line and soak to 2 feet deep, especially in May and June.
Preventative insecticides must be applied before an attack occurs. Look for products containing carbaryl (trade name Sevin SL) or permethrin (trades names Astro and Dragnet). Follow label directions carefully and apply according to directions.
Thin your forested property to remove infected trees and improve stand conditions by consulting with a certified forester or arborist.

For more information, download this bark beetle brochure.

GRANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

JUNE: The Invasive Plant Grant Program applications will become available in June and be due on July 30.

COMING IN THE FALL:

Community Challenge Grant (CCG)
TREE Grant
Western Bark Beetle Initiative (WBBI)

2020 Motto:

Just keep planting...Just keep planting....

Tempe Public Library, Nov 2020.

Photo courtesy of Trees Matter.

Spaces of Opportunity, Dec 2020. Photo credit: Ariel Stone,

Trees Matter.

Sunset School, Nov 2020.

Photo courtesy of Trees Matter.

Aww, just look at these pre-pandemic smiles! Coronado Elementary School, Gilbert, May 2019.

Photo courtesy Ariel Stone, Trees Matter.

The Invasive Plant Grant Program is growing! For more details see the article below. In this photo from February 2020, volunteers assist with an invasive plant removal project near the Town of Superior. Photo courtesy of the Arizona Wilderness Coalition.

MEET the TEAM!

We are excited to announce John Richardson as the NEW Assistant State Forester for Forestry Programs! John develops department policy and provides direction for forestry and forest practices for the State of Arizona while overseeing the Forest Health, Forest Stewardship and Legacy, Hazardous Fuels Reduction, Urban and Community Forestry, and Wood Utilization and Marketing programs. He enjoys daily interaction with the exceptional staff at DFFM and the remarkable collaboration and coordination with partners across the state.

As the Program Manager for the Urban & Community Forestry, Forest Health, and Invasive Plant programs, Cori Dolan enjoys two things above all else: how long her title is and the awesome team she gets to work with every day. Additionally, the partners, stakeholders, and members of the public that care about the health of Arizona’s lands are truly inspiring to her.

Willie Sommers oversees the Invasive Plant Grant Program and provides technical assistance related to non-native invasive plants and noxious weeds. He enjoys being helpful to others and working collaboratively on vegetation management and restoration projects.

Forest Health Specialist Aly McAlexander oversees the Western Bark Beetle Initiative Grant and the Bark Beetle Reduction Cost Share Programs, and provides technical assistance related to insects and disease. Aly enjoys her annual statewide aerial detection survey flights in collaboration with the USDA Forest Service.

As our Urban Forestry Specialist, LoriAnne Barnett Warren oversees the Community Challenge Grants program, manages Arizona’s Magnificent Tree Program, and provides outreach and education about the benefits and maintenance of urban forests. As a professional environmental educator, LA loves collaborative projects and teaching in and about the environment.

Christine Mares is the new Conservation Education Coordinator overseeing the state Arbor Day celebration as well as the Tree City USA, Tree Line USA, Tree Campus, and Growth Award programs. She enjoys new challenges, creating solutions, and learning about all things trees.

AAACCKK! If you are seeing white space where our excellent content should be, you've been clipped.

Don't worry, we've got your back.

At the bottom of the email, click on

VIEW ENTIRE MESSAGE. Phew!

2020 Forest Health Highlights

by Aly McAlexander, Forest Health Specialist

Each year DFFM partners with the USDA Forest Service to complete an Aerial Detection Survey (ADS) to examine millions of acres of forest and woodland resources from the air. The ADS provides land managers and the public with information about landscape-level forest and woodland health conditions. In the summer of 2020, the ADS covered over 17 million acres to identify dead and/or dying trees. Throughout the ADS season and the rest of the year, USDA Forest Service, DFFM Forest Health Specialists, and district staff verify ADS data by conducting ground surveys and providing landowners with technical assistance. The data collected from these surveys is summarized in Arizona’s 2020 Forest Health Conditions Report .

2021 Winter Preliminary Insect and Disease Observations, Prescott National Forest

In response to reports of increased ponderosa pine mortality, USDA Forest Health Specialist Daniel DePinte completed a supplemental forest insect and disease aerial detection survey over portions of Prescott National Forest and adjacent lands on February 2nd, 2021.

Observed levels of ponderosa pine mortality increased across the Prescott National Forest compared to damage mapped during the early August 2020 survey. The supplemental survey focused on Mingus Mountain, the Bradshaw Mountains, and the Crown King area. Most of the tree mortality was observed in the Bradshaw Mountains, but elevated mortality was also mapped on Mingus Mountain. Areas that were mapped as either a dead single tree or a small group of 2-5 trees in the summer have expanded to areas that average around 8 acres with mortality. The largest area mapped with mortality was on Porter Mountain with 300 acres and had 4-10% of the trees within that area impacted. The increasing trend will likely continue as bark beetle activity starts again this spring.

Forest Health in Urban Areas

Aleppo Pine Blight is a recurring but intermittent issue in the Southwest. Over the last few years, the Phoenix Metropolitan area has experienced minimal activity, however, the fall of 2020 saw an increase in activity due to the severe drought conditions across the state. In an effort to identify the causal agent behind the blight, monitoring efforts were conducted by DFFM staff in December 2018, January 2019, April 2020, and December 2020. Our current monitoring efforts for Aleppo Pine Blight include looking for pine feeding mites (Oligonychus milleri) with the possibility of discovering a connection between the blight and the mite.

The Mediterranean Pine Engraver (Orthotomicus erosus), or MPE, was first discovered in the Central Valley of California in 2004. This non-native bark beetle has steadily spread to other regions in the Southwest, including Arizona. In 2020 a total of 30 traps were placed throughout the Phoenix Metro area and monitored for 20 weeks throughout the summer. Since monitoring began in 2018, over 131,000 MPE beetles have been collected from the Phoenix Metropolitan area.

The Arizona Magnificent Tree Program

by LoriAnne Barnett Warren, Urban Forestry Specialist

For over 20 years, the Arizona Magnificent Tree program has received nominations of trees in three categories: Champion Trees are the largest of their species, Heritage Trees have cultural significance and a direct connection to people, and Witness Trees are proven to have been in their same location before Arizona's Statehood in 1912. By and large, the most nominations we receive are for Champion Trees, so we encourage you to keep an eye out for trees in all three of these categories.

As the Urban Forestry Specialist, I am honored to help curate the list of Arizona’s Magnificent Trees and continue this tradition for the next 20 years. In past newsletters, we’ve highlighted the significance of these special trees and shared their stories. I believe trees can bring us together and help us celebrate our natural and cultural history.

You can help us select the 2021 Champion Trees winners!

Due to the pandemic, we are recognizing nominations from both 2019 and 2020. There were eight trees nominated for Champion-tree status, and we'd like your help to choose the TOP FOUR that will receive special recognition. Use this link to view pictures and statistics of the finalists, then vote by using our online form. The deadline to submit your vote is March 31st. We will announce the winners at the Arbor Day Celebration on April 27th.

Our team of stakeholders, volunteers, and nominators will be convening in the next quarter to review our strategic plan and develop some actionable items for the next two years for the Magnificent Trees Program. If you’d like to participate on this team, we’d love to have you join us. Please contact me and I’ll add your name to our list.

Looking forward to seeing you at the Arbor Day Celebration and maybe meeting you at your favorite tree sometime soon.

LoriAnne Barnett Warren standing next to the State Champion Mt. Atlas Pistache in Scottsdale.

Invasive Plant Grant Program

by Willie Sommers, IPGP Coordinator

Thanks to a new funding source from the Arizona Legislature, DFFM has seen considerable growth in its Invasive Plant Grant Program, and now offers up to $1M annually for Invasive Plant Grants (IPGs). IPGs are for the integrated (using a combination of methods) management of nonnative invasive/noxious plants that have encroached into Arizona’s lands and waters. Funding priority goes to projects that focus on early detection, prevention, suppression, and vegetative restoration of natural areas impacted by invasive plants.

In 2019, eleven projects were awarded initial state funding of nearly $2M. Three photos in this article demonstrate the different approaches to invasive plant management, from Yuma to Flagstaff to Superior. Last year, seven projects were awarded state funding under the grant theme Riparian Areas. The 2019 and 2020 projects target some well-known invasive plants with saltcedar (tamarisk) being the most common. Other target species include buffelgrass, fountain grass, Johnson grass, giant reed, Russian olive, tree of heaven, stinknet, and vinca. Riparian project work is occurring along the Upper and Lower Gila River, Lower Salt River, Aravaipa Creek, and the Verde River. Most projects have a revegetation component aimed at replacing the invasive plants with desirable and site-appropriate native plants.

Herbicide applied to invasive plant regrowth near the Colorado River in Yuma.

Photo courtesy of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area.

Currently, we are working on a five-year strategic plan for the Invasive Plant Program and getting ready for the 2021 grant cycle. The grant theme this year will be ‘Emerging Threats’, and prioritizes Class A and Class B noxious weeds. In case you are not aware, in January 2019 the Arizona Department of Agriculture updated the state noxious weed list. There are now three categories – Class A, Class B, and Class C noxious weeds. Classes A and B refer to nonnative invasive plants that are not widespread in Arizona and are therefore considered a higher priority for control. This will include species mentioned before like giant reed and stinknet, which have become more prevalent over the past few years.

More information on the Invasive Plant Program, including pictures of plants we are concerned about, can be found on the DFFM Invasive Plant webpage.

An Update on Modern Tree Inventories

by Nikolas Smilovsky, Ph.D., GISP, ISA Certified Arborist, Instructor, The Design School, ASU

Geographic Information Systems or "GIS" as it is commonly called, is a game-changer when completing modern tree inventories and other green infrastructure mapping projects. Have you ever wondered if you could or should leverage GIS, but were afraid due to the cost and complexity? If so, you are in luck. Never before has it been so easy to access the powers of GIS, so cost-affordable, and easy to learn.

Recently ESRI, a leading producer of GIS software, announced that all students worldwide now get free access to their software platform. This access includes free digital lessons and other support materials. Now our future generations can easily learn about the power of GIS in school. Equally as exciting, the state of Arizona now offers free ESRI ArcGIS Online (AGOL) access to all residents, via the AZGeo Data Hub - Arizona's Authoritative Geospatial Repository. This access includes access to their mobile apps for your smart devices.

All you need to do is sign up for an account at their website and fill out this request form. As for training, ESRI even offers great online resources to get started. With these initiatives, there is no longer an excuse not to use GIS in urban forestry. One GIS project that you should be aware of is the Urban Forestry Round Table Tree Inventory Tool. This is a new effort to collect a robust and inclusive tree inventory for the state of Arizona. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to the Urban Forest Round Table Data Committee. They would love to tell you more about it!

Know of any upcoming events? Have any suggestions for future

topics or newsletter articles? Know someone who would like to receive this newsletter?

Please email Christine at cmares@dffm.az.gov

Urban & Community Forestry, Forest Health, and Invasive Plant Programs Staff:

John Richardson, Assistant State Forester

(Forestry Programs)

jrichardson@dffm.az.gov

(602) 771-1420

Cori Dolan, Program Manager

cdolan@dffm.az.gov

(520) 262-5519

Wolfgang Grunberg, GIS Coordinator

wgrunberg@dffm.az.gov

(602) 399-1886

Willie Sommers, Invasive Plant Program Coordinator

wsommers@dffm.az.gov

(602) 319-6818

Aly McAlexander, Forest Health Specialist

amcalexander@dffm.az.gov

(602) 290-9644

LoriAnne Barnett, Urban Forestry Specialist

lbarnett@dffm.az.gov

(602) 399-9447

Christine Mares, Conservation Education Coordinator

cmares@dffm.az.gov

(602) 717-9015

The State of Arizona Urban and Community Forestry Program is made possible with assistance from the

USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program.

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this

institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.

(Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management - Mission - Manage and reduce wildfire risk to Arizona's people, communities, and wildland areas and provide forest resource stewardship through strategic implementation of forest health policies and cooperative forestry assistance programs.