american fall 2013 The Long Ride The Tour DiviDe is 2,800 miles of ruggeD foresT Terrain, unforgiving weaTher anD enDurance pusheD To The limiTs, all from The saDDle of a bike. Vol 119 No 2 CONTENTS Fall 2013 Departments 2 Offshoots A word from our CEO 4 Tree Doctor Advice from tree care experts 6 Treelines Alligator juniper, longleaf pine and post-Irene reforestation in 24 44 Vermont, plus: FOREST FRONTIERS: Meet Phil Radtke, a member of the Big Tree Program’s new Measuring Guidelines Working Group. PARTNERS: Bank of America e. L Charitable Foundation partners with us for Community ReLeaf easda t in five cities. Plus, join our exclusive trip to Mexico to meet aron the monarchs. a y B FROM THE FIELD: American Forests staffers report on proj- ects happening in Wyoming and Tennessee and share exciting oute. Photo oute. Photo r news of an award. 38 People and Trees By Ruth Wilson Muse upon our connection to trees and the many ways they bring ivide Mountain Bike ivide Mountain d meaning into our lives. 44 Earthkeepers A WILD CROP AND BACKYARD HARVEST 16 By Jack Wax Meet the man who turns a wild crop into the nuts in your snack drawer. Features 48 Last Look By Tatiana Boyle ed Meadow Pass in Montana on the Great on the Great in Montana Pass ed Meadow 16 24 32 r The Long Ride Aspen in a Reintroducing By Bob Marr Changing Elk to the es toward es toward CL Join us on a bike ride along the y CORRECTIONS C continental divide from Canada to World Great Smoky Spring/Summer 2013, cover and “Islands By Tyler Williams in the Balance,” p. 17: The honeycreepers Mexico that passes through many Mountains pictured are native to parts of the Carib- national forests. Glimpse what the future may hold bean and Central and South america; they By Joseph Love for tree with a global presence. are incorrectly included as Hawai’ian native Discover the efforts to bring species. For images of Hawai’ian native honeycreepers, see Spring/Summer 2013 majestic elk back to the eastern “Islands in the Balance,” p. 18 and 22. Cover: Matthew Lee Matthew Cover: United States. americanforests.org Fall 2013 | 1 offshoots the Bugaboo scrub fire fema Wolfe/ K ar m greater intensity. The situation is further twice in the last 50 years — in 2006 complicated by strategies that, at first and 2007. Currently, 65 million acres of Forests glance, might sound positive, but can national forestland — or a third of the leave forests — and nearby communities U.S. Forest Service’s total holdings — and Fire — vulnerable. Driven by public demand, remain at high or very high risk of cata- controlled burning by the U.S. Forest strophic wildfires due to the buildup of By Scott Steen Service and local authorities has been fuel. Only a small fraction of this buildup curtailed in some areas, forest thinning is managed or removed through timber WILDFIRE SEASON IS UPON US. My and salvaging of dead standing timber harvesting and fire in a given year. fear is that the news will again carry sto- has been reduced and even relatively Of course, fire is also a part of nature ries of homes destroyed, communities small fires are being suppressed, particu- and critical to maintaining the health affected, lives lost and thousands upon larly in populated areas. These strategies of many forested ecosystems. Humans thousands of acres of forestland burned. have left forests choking with thick have long used controlled, managed fires The impacts of these underbrush, dead trees and other plant fires will be especially materials that serve as fuel, contributing re U lt devastating for the to the dramatic intensity of some of the U individuals, com- nation’s worst wildfires. These megafires gric a munities and wildlife can devastate both communities and for- directly affected by ests, burning with such ferocity that little them. But while it is natural forest regeneration occurs, even easy to think of forest fires as an evil years after the fire has been extinguished. in any circumstance, the real story of Last year, wildfires burned more than forests and fire is complicated. nine million acres across the U.S., pre- of Department ling/U.S. S Changing temperatures, drought, dominantly in the West and Southwest. Ko D disease and massive insect outbreaks The past decade has seen a tremendous Davi in forests across the nation are weak- increase in highly destructive wildfires. firefighters work to contain the rogers fire ening forest ecosystems and making The damage wrought in 2012 in terms and protect the rogers mountain trail in them more susceptible to wildfires of of acres burned has been matched only colville national forest, Wash. 2 | FALL 2013 americanforests.org Editorial Staff Publisher Scott Steen Editorial director lea Sloan Managing Editor Susan laszewski Managing technical & design Editor S t allowing naturally occurring fires to burn Sheri Shannon S in a controlled manner to eliminate thick Contributing Editor ore f understory. The Forest Service’s new michelle Werts Editorial assistant policies should help reduce the severity Scott maxham merican a of fires in the American West, meaning art direction and design more healthy fires from which forests Brad latham hegg/ c can regenerate and fewer megafires that American Forests (iSSn 0002-8541) is published quarterly by american forests, devastate communities. 734 15th St. nW, 8th floor Washington, D.c. 20005. Perhaps not surprisingly, a good part periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.c., of American Forests’ work relates to and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to fire. Over the past decade, more than a American Forests, 734 15th St. nW, 8th floor quarter of our forest restoration projects Washington, D.c. 20005. have been in fire-damaged forests. For american forests’ mission is Volunteers planted seedlings in the onion to protect and restore forests, Valley of tahoe national forest after the instance, working with the Forest Ser- helping to preserve the health of our planet for the 2001 gap fire. vice and other partners on the ground, we benefit of its inhabitants. fema have planted more than 1.3 million trees phone: 202-737-1944 as a way to remove thick underbrush, in Florida’s Osceola National Forest fol- http://www.americanforests.org Wolfe/ create healthier habitat and lower the lowing the massive 2007 Bugaboo Scrub K aMEriCan forEStS ar risk of large, destructive wildfires. The Fire that destroyed more than 300,000 m Board of dirECtorS pilgrims found the Wampanoag people acres, and in California, we have planted ann nichols, chair using this approach when they first more than one million trees since 2010 in Chevy Chase, MD arrived in Massachusetts. 15 different wildfire restoration projects. Bruce lisman, vice chair Campaign for Vermont, Montpelier, VT Many trees and forests rely on fire And these are just two examples. rod Dearment, treasurer as a natural part of their regenera- On the policy front, American Forests Covington & Burling LLP, Washington, D.C. tion cycle, and the absence of fire can has been a key player in the Federal Land lynda Webster, immediate past chair The Webster Group, Washington, D.C. have profound effects on different Assistance, Management and Enhance- Scott Steen, ceo (ex officio) ecosystems. For example, ponderosa ment Act (FLAME Act) Coalition, which American Forests, Washington, D.C. pine forests in the Northwest and supported the passage of the FLAME Zim Boulos Intermountain West are well-adapted Act. This act created separate budgets Office Environment Services, Jacksonville, FL rob Bourdon to low-intensity, high-frequency fires. for addressing emergency wildfires to Linkin Park, Sherman Oaks, CA Forests in the South, such as longleaf prevent firefighting funds from having michael chenard pine forests, depend on fire as part of to be borrowed from other important Lowe’s, Mooresville, NC Donna Dabney the natural regeneration process. When programs — including fire prevention — The Conference Board, New York, NY fire intervals exceed 25 years, hardwood in an emergency. erin fuller species replace the native pines in these Fire is a fact of life for our forests Alliance for Women in Media, McLean, VA Steve marshall re forests, transforming the ecosystem. and for us, but climate change and other U The Davey Tree Expert Company, Kent, OH lt U The same is true in northern oak-hick- factors are increasing both the frequency Boyd matson gric ory forests. These trees have adapted and intensity of megafires, particularly in National Geographic, McLean, VA a thick bark and root sprouters to ensure the West, where the consequences have megan oxman Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA their survival during fires. Without been tragic. At American Forests, we are Susan Sarfati periodic fires, other species take over. working to ensure smarter fire policy and High Performance Strategies, Washington, D.C. With both these benefits and the pos- science, but we also realize our work in Jonathan Silver sible consequences of fire in mind, the helping to restore fire-damaged forests is Third Way, Washington, D.C. ling/U.S. Department of Department ling/U.S. Forest Service is creating management only likely to increase in the future. S Ko plans for a number of national forests D that incorporate new science on climate Davi change and fire suppression. These plans move away from mechanical thinning of forests and prescribed burns in favor of tree doctor Failing G wood.or Fruit Trees UG tion, B Q: I am planting a wide A variety of trees on my new property in Los Angeles. A Corpor s Oddly, my rainbow eucalyptus are doing great, lent U A but my fruit trees are not.