JFS Trees Are The Answer


Use these links to find the questions and answers Economic and social values — Tree selection and care
Center for Urban Forest Research USDA researchers at the Pacific Southwest and other regional Centers have developed models assigning dollar values to the benefits of trees, primarily in the areas of energy savings, pollution reduction, water quality improvement and aesthetics. They are currently extending valuations research to human health and safety. Link Planting the Seeds of Success Trees in Our City is a “ready to roll” powerpoint presentation that explains why trees are worth our time and worth our resources. It explains how the planting of 100 trees will pay back to the community in which they are planted, more than $140,000 over a 40-year period. This is an excellent tool for citizens who wish to “think globally and plant locally.” Link Landscape and Human Health Laboratory Research conducted at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, has resulted in an excellent series of reports about the emotional and health benefits of trees and greenery. Reports posted here explore the positive effects of nature and green spaces on inner city dwellers: ADHD Symptoms in Kids Across the U.S., Inner City Girls & Self-discipline, Coping in the Inner City, Inner City Crime, Domestic Violence in the Inner City, Building Strong Inner City Communities. Link	Therapeutic Landscapes Database This portal provides exceptional resources for discovering the role of plants in healing physical and emotional illness. Its vast bibliography is an invaluable resource for those who wish to explore the role plants and gardens play in promoting wellness as well as in healing illness. The non-profit Therapeutic Landscapes Resource Center is dedicated to gathering and sharing information about restorative landscapes, healing gardens, wellness gardens, community gardens and research-based healthcare design. Link American Horticultural Therapy Association Horticultural therapists create garden spaces that accommodate people with a wide range of abilities. This site explores the value of peaceful, healing garden settings, and provides excellent links for exploring the healing powers of plants and green spaces. Link Kansas State University Pioneering horticultural therapy program is dedicated to studying the benefits of people-plant interactions. Site includes helpful links and information, and offers distance learning program for horticultural therapy. Link
Which trees are the answer? Resources for choosing and caring for trees
Right Tree, Right Place If ever there were a paradox of choice, choosing the best trees for your site is a challenge for gardeners everywhere. With so many variables in growing conditions, and a mind-boggling array of trees from which to choose, where do you start? US National Arboretum has compiled a handy list of plant awards programs. Great Plant Picks, PHS Gold Medal Plant Awards, MoBot Plants of Merit, Oklahoma Proven, etc. Link The Large Tree Argument Compared to a small-stature tree, a strategically located large-stature tree has a bigger impact on conserving energy, mitigating an urban heat island, cooling a parking lot, reducing stormwater run off and improving local air, soil and water quality. Learn how the bottom-line benefits of tree planting are multiplied by choosing large trees in this USDA publication. Link National Elm Trial A 10-year study with test sites in Alabama, California, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia. Link	US National Arboretum Fact sheets 50 fine introductions of USNA are presented, including a group of exceptional Acer rubrum selections - Sun Valley, Somerset, Brandywine, New World) and Ulmus selections and hybrids: Frontier, Valley Forge, New Harmony, etc. Link Online tree selection, care, use resources Dozens of online resource present tree selection guides and planting and care resources, some regional and others national in scope. Some of our favorites are noted – too many good ones to list! • University of Connecticut • Cornell University • University of Florida • Cal Poly University • University of Illinois Extension • North Carolina State University Extension
More resources National and Community Forestry Advisory Council Alliance for Community Trees Treelink Metropolitan Tree Improvement Alliance Society of Municipal Arborists Online Seminars for Municipal Arborists List of Woody Plant Names (The International Standard for plant nomenclature)