Category: trees

Pinus palustris

pinus palustris grass stage
Before European settlement, longleaf pine forest dominated as much as 90,000,000 acres stretching from Virginia south to Florida and west to eastern Texas. That range has been vastly reduced. These are not popular trees with pine plantation folk. This form is called the grass stage. During this stage, which lasts for 5–12 years, vertical growth is very slow, and the tree may take a number of years simply to grow ankle-high.
Longleaf pine takes 100 to 150 years to become full size and may live to be 500 years old. When young, they grow a long taproot, which usually is 2–3 m (6.6–9.8 ft) long; by maturity they have a wide spreading lateral root system with several deep ‘sinker’ roots.–Wikipedia

Herbivores above and below. Last year grackles killed ten of these trees from above. This year I am struggling with the underground herbivores.
Herbivores above and below. Last year grackles killed ten of these trees from above. This year I am struggling with the underground denizens. Voles dig under plants, eat the roots until the plant falls over. I make 1′ diameter rat wire collars, buried at ground level. That way the voles have to work harder for their food.

rat wire in situ
This is a photo in process. Different plant, same species. Three hours after this photo was taken a mole tunnel appeared. Moles are carnivores. Earthworms a major part of their diet. The mole bumped into the wire. My theory is that voles opportunistically run mole tunnels. Just a theory…

pinus taeda

flowering
There goes the neighborhood…
Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), also called Arkansas pine, North Carolina pine, and oldfield pine, is the most commercially important forest species in the southern United States.–Silvics

much of a muchness

swamp
Bennett’s Creek, the water later runs into the Chowan River then to Albemarle Sound. It is south and west of the Dismal Swamp

swamp
Merchants Mill Pond. via two-lane roads, south and east, skirting the Nottoway River, Courtland Road, Jerusalem Plank Road, Plank Road, through the town of Courtland, bypassing Franklin, crossing the Blackwater River, directly south to North Carolina on the Gates Road, rt.666, through Reynoldson, Wileyton. The Park is near Gatesville NC

open water
Much of a muchness? These clearly baldcypress, but upstream on Bennett’s creek, seemed that there were red maple and tupelo in the mix.

street trees

Benefit Street
What do we want?
Street trees.
How do we get there?
We plant street trees.
Are we there yet?
We inventory the street trees, reassess and plant as needed.

Lady Bird Johnson would be pleased

planting trees
The Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards are working with the Charlottesville Tree Commission, VDOT, Albemarle County, Monticello, and Piedmont Community College to plant trees in the median of Route 20 between the City Limits and Route 53, roughly 80 total, over the next 2-3 years.
toting q. bicolor
Tree Commissioner Paul Josey and Charlottesville Planning Commissioner Jody Lahendro shoulder a swamp white oak across Moores Creek. Landscape Architect Paul Josey is the person who created and fought for this project. Lahendro has advocated for an increase in CIP outlays to plant trees in the City.
bare root q.bicolor
The first phase is entirely funded by the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards, and trees are being purchased from Bremo nursery, which is donating one of the Swamp White Oaks.
working in the median
Working in the median is challenging.
many hands, still hard work
These trees will help to retain rainwater, create habitat and food for birds, clean the air, and improve the scenery along this roadway.
tree stewards at work
To become a tree steward, you must first complete the training class. The class is a 10-week course consisting of lectures on a variety of topics as well as several field trips with information on tree identification and pruning techniques.

tree canopy

"There is an update in the tthe surveys preliminary assessment
“There is an update in the tree canopy survey currently going on, it started about six weeks ago. The survey’s preliminary assessment indicates that there has been a loss of about 1.4% of the City’s canopy trees compared to the last survey done six years ago in 2009. The study should be completed by the end of this year and hopefully there will be an analysis of where the trees have been lost.” 11/10/15 Commissioner Jody Lahendro

Meanwhile, the draft capital budget for Charlottesville shows $25,000 a year for urban tree planting. Not enough to secure shade for pedestrians along the 156 miles of streets in our City. This time of year is a great time to plant trees. Call Miss Utility, plant a tree next to the road in front of where you live. It is not hard to do.
151110 jodi lahendro

Entrance Corridor

a green city
A Green City
Charlottesville citizens live in a community with a vibrant urban forest, tree‐lined streets, and lush green neighborhoods. We have an
extensive natural trail system, along with healthy rivers and streams. We have clean air and water, we emphasize recycling and reuse, and we
minimize storm‐water runoff. Our homes and buildings are sustainably designed and energy efficient.