Almost five years after East Montpelier’s pilot ash tree removal project along highly trafficked roads near the local middle and high school, the core volunteer Resilient Roads committee shares information and reflections about their ongoing work.
I read a study recently that found that individuals with greater levels of training in tree risk assessment consistently prescribe fewer tree removals, and more monitoring than individuals who lack such training. (Klein et. al 2023.) Even professional arborists who are fully qualified to advise customers about their best interests in tree care prescribe more take downs than similar professionals who have received specialized risk assessment training. This study shows that the more you learn about tree risk, the more comfortable you become designating trees as safe.
In late November, two staff from the VT UCF team traveled to Chicago, IL to join over 900 practitioners, researchers, and partners at the 2024 Partners in Community Forestry Conference, hosted by the Arbor Day Foundation. This story captures their reflections and resources they'd like to share with our audiences from their week in Chicago.
Over the summer, intern Lila Turner explored the impact of VT UCF's grants on the landscape and in communities since the program was established in 1991. Over 1,000 individual grants have supported tree planting, tree maintenance, planning, outreach, and other efforts to create and sustain healthy urban forests in over 190 Vermont communities to the tune of over $3,000,000.
