Arborist
The mission of the Bowling Green Arborist is to provide a high quality urban forestry program to the community, in conjunction with expert advice on private tree care. The Arborist cares for the City trees within the road right-of-way, as well as regular line clearance tree trimming program for safe and reliable electricity.
The City of Bowling Green urban forest includes more than 8,600 trees in the public right-of-way, public parks, and green spaces. A healthy and safe urban forest includes: wildlife diversity, higher property values, air and water quality, storm water management, energy savings from summer and winter extremes, and quality of human health.
What's New in the Urban & Community Forestry Program:
February 2012
Asian Longhorned Beetle Found in Ohio; OSU Extension Offers Information Hotline
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Agriculture today (6/17) announced the first discovery of Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) in Ohio. An exotic, invasive insect that kills maples and other trees, ALB was found in Bethel, Clermont County, in southwest Ohio.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Agriculture today (6/17)
announced the first discovery of Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) in Ohio. An exotic, invasive
insect that kills maples and other trees, ALB was found in Bethel, Clermont
County, in southwest Ohio.
For the full story and additional resources, go to:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/2011/06/adult_detection_ALB.shtml
http://www.agri.ohio.gov/asianbeetle/
Questions? Call OSU
Extension's ALB Southwest
Ohio Information Line: 513-946-8980.
USDA APHIS have identified the Asian Longhorn Beetle in Clermont County Ohio. Click here for more information.
BG Tree Commission Educational Seminar Series - Future Dates: March
3, 2012, September 15, 2012, and November 3, 2012.
Tree City USA Awards Ceremony on April 13, 2011
The City of Bowling Green hosted the 2011 NW Ohio Tree City USA Awards Ceremony with 235 attendees, guests, and volunteers. Bowling Green received its 31st consecutive Tree City USA Award and 18th consecutive Growth Award. The guest speaker was Bill Hendricks, President of Klyn Nursery of Perry, Ohio who discussed tree species for Northwest Ohio communities. The City would like thank the Tree City USA Committee and the Wood County Master Gardeners who helped make this program a success!
Arbor Day Celebration with Crim Elementary School on April 19, 2011.
A total of 245 students at Crim Elementary School participated with the Arbor Day Celebration sponsored by the Bowling Green Tree Commission. A poster contest was held with the two fifth grade classes. Each student participating in the poster contest received a certificate of participation. A certificate was given to first, second and third place winners of each fifth grade class. Each fifth grade student were handed an Arbor Day bag filled pencils, rulers, stickers, magnets, buttons and information on how trees are important for the environment. The City of Bowling Green donated 300 tree seedling to Crim Elementary School.
Oak Tree Donations - Living Lands & Waters Donates 2000 Oak
Trees to Bowling Green
The City of Bowling Green donated 500 oak tree seedlings to the Lake Township and the Village of Millbury, Ohio that got devastated by tornado in 2010. A donation of 500 oak tree seedlings went to the Wood County Solid Waste District to give to communities of Wood County for Arbor Day on April 29, 2011. A total 500 oak tree seedlings were given to residents of Bowling Green. The City of Bowling Green staff, BG Tree Commission members, OSU graduate students, Wood County Master Gardeners,and Penta Career School help plant 500 oak tree seedlings on City owned green space.
2011 Ohio Tree Care Conference Presentations. Click here to view the presentations.
Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options (TACCIMO)
The Template for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Management Options (TACCIMO) is a Web-based tool that provides land owners, managers, and planners with the most current climate change science available. Developed by EFETAC researchers in partnership with USDA Forest Service Southern Regional Planning, Land and Resource Management, and Cooperative Forestry, the TACCIMO tool:
- compiles climate change projections, literature-based impacts and management options, and Forest Service land and resource management plans in an online database;
- synthesizes these inputs based on user-defined criteria; and
- creates an optional customized report to aid forest planning and management.
Information generated by TACCIMO can satisfy a range of needs for
a variety of users including federal planners and managers as well
as state, private, and cooperative forestry stakeholders.
Click here for more information on using TACCIMO.
Landscaping Options for Underground Electric Transformers:
The City of Bowling Green Electric Division requires 3 feet of space on the sides and the rear of the padmount transformer and a minimum of 8 feet in front of the transformer for safe operations of service. Planting landscape material, rocks, retaining walls or putting in fences to hide the "green box" is a safety issue for both City Electric crews and the land owner. Please click here to see a guide for landscaping in the vicinity of a padmount transformer.
Bacterial Leaf
Scorch (BLS)
The ODNR Division of Forestry was conducting statewide surveys of oaks and maples for Bacterial Leaf Scorch (BLS) in July, August and September 2010. The City of Bowling Green submitted two samples. One of the samples tested positive for BLS. The OSU Diagnostic Labs will perform further tests to verify. The ODNR division of Forestry will be back this summer to test additional tree in Bowling Green. This could be an isolated case but we can't take any chances. We will immediately stop planting northern red oak, black oak, scarlet oak, northern pin oak, and Shumard oak. There is no treatment for the disease. BLS is specific to 18 species of oak, sycamore/London Plane, maples ( Norway, red, sugar, and silver), sweetgum, ginkgo, mulberry and native elms. Click here for more information.
REMAINING COUNTIES ADDED TO OHIO EMERALD ASH BORER QUARANTINE.
Following recent confirmations of emerald ash borer (EAB) in the Wayne National Forest, and taking into account the infestations in surrounding states, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) expanded the state's EAB quarantine to include all Ohio's 88 counties on Thursday, September 8, 2010.
Despite the fact that quarantining the whole state will allow for ease of movement of ash materials and hardwood firewood, it is recommended that Ohioans continue to exercise caution when moving these materials. "Limiting firewood movement helps the state protect against the artificial spread of many pests in addition to emerald ash borer, including gypsy moth and Asian longhorned beetle," said Ohio Agriculture Director Robert Boggs. "The department strongly urges Ohioans to continue buying firewood locally." The federal quarantine, enforced by the US Department of Agriculture, remains in effect. This quarantine makes it illegal to transport ash trees, parts of ash trees and all hardwood firewood out of the state of Ohio. There is still interest, and potentially more so with the expanded quarantine, to continue to monitor and track this insect pest. To accomplish this, ODA will continue to accept specimens for confirmation. As specimens are confirmed as EAB, maps will be updated. All samples must be accompanied with a Specimen of Determination form that can be found on the ODA website, or by calling 888-OHIO-EAB. For information on the EAB, check out OSU's EAB website at http://ashalert.osu.edu . Additional information on the expanded quarantine or regulations can be found at http://www.agri.ohio.gov .
For more information, see:
The Ohio State University & City of Bowling Green EAB Research Project:
Click here for a Youtube by Dr. Dan Herms, OSU Professor of Entomology
Frequently Asked Questions: Click here for more information.
New Photos in the Photo Gallery
Landscape Guide for Developers, Businesses and Home Owners is now available to the public. Click here for PDF copy.
Tree Service Request Click here.
City of Bowling Green Rain Garden Initiative:
Two new rain gardens will be installed in May 2011 located at Public Works Complex and West Side Fire Station.. The rain gardens will be planted with native plants to Northwest Ohio. The rain gardens will be for public education and function to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff into the combined sewer-storm water system. Click here to see the pictures of the new rain garden construction.
American Rivers with information on Rain Gardens on Youtube
Buckeye Yard and Garden Online: Buckeye Yard and Garden online provides timely information about Ohio growing conditions, pest, disease, and cultural problems. Updated weekly between April and October, this information is useful for those who are managing a commercial nursery, garden center, or landscape business or someone who just wants to keep their yard looking good all summer.
Growing Degree Days and Phenology for
Ohio: Provides estimated dates of
when plants bloom and insect pests hatch throughout the growing
season.
AMERICAN NURSERY & LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION - American Standard for Nursery Stock. Click here for more information.
NEW - EMERALD ASH BORER (EAB) UNIVERSITY - FREE WEB-BASED TRAINING PROGRAM ON EMERALD ASH BORER. Click here for to register for new classes or view archived webinars.
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has reached epidemic populations levels in the City of Bowling Green. Businesses and Home Owners should to have their private ash trees inspected by the Municipal Arborist or a Professional Tree Service to determine the options available for managing EAB. Click here for latest research on EAB insecticide treatments. Click here to determine the percentage of canopy thinning on ash trees.
The Ohio State University EAB Research Team
The Ohio State University (OSU) with cooperation from the City of Bowling Green are working on a three year research project to determine the genetics that make ash trees from Asia and Europe resistant to Emerald Ash Borer. Click here for more information.
Pictures above from Country Club Drive after routine maintenance pruning (Linden on left and Locust on right).
Routine Maintenance Pruning
Routine Maintenance trees are defined as trees recommended for horticultural pruning to correct structural problems or growth patterns which could eventually obstruct traffic, pedestrians walking on sidewalks, interfere with utility lines, or buildings. Trees in this category are large enough to require bucket truck access or manual climbing. Our crews prune a maximum of 25% of the canopy from the trees. We will move into Ward 2 (South of E. Wooster and East of S. Main) in 2012.
Picture above shows the S-shaped galleries left by the Emerald Ash Borer larvae.
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) spreads throughout the City Of
Bowling Green.
The numbers of trees identified as infested with Emerald Ash Borer has increased significantly throughout Bowling Green. The City is taking pro-active measures to deal with EAB and now is encouraging citizens with ash trees to consider future actions for their trees. Bowling Green residents and businesses are encouraged to consider options for managing ash trees. Two primary options available: removal/replacement or insecticide treatment. Removal and replacement prior to infestation is the most cost effective option. Dead and dying frequently cost 2-3 times more to remove than live trees due to unpredictable nature of dead wood. The risks to surrounding structures and to the lives of qualified arborists who remove these hazardous trees is a major factor in the cost. For tips on hiring an arborist, visit http://www.treesaregood.org/ for a consumer guide How to Hire and Arborist.
Systemic insecticides may be an option to prolong the life of highly valued ash trees prior to infestation. The Ohio State University Extension Office has developed specific recommendations on insecticides. Click here for more information. While insecticide products are not 100% effective and are preventative measures, it is an EAB management option.
ODOT Certified Training
The Public Works Division staff, Electric Division staff, and Parks & Recreation Department staff attended safety training in aerial bucket truck operations, chainsaw operations, and chipper operations. Our goal is to provide the best service to the residents of Bowling Green and our urban forest.
Our Tree City USA Program has planted over 2500 trees from May 2004 through May 2011. The goal is to plant the "Right Tree in the Right Place" by selecting trees that fit the planting site based on soil type, drainage, infrastructure (power lines, gas lines, water & sewer lines), visibility triangle and long-term capital improvement projects. The City Arborist coordinates with multiple City Departments to include the preservation of trees or tree replacement programs to maintain the canopy effect. All new subdivisions and new business plans are now reviewed by the City Arborist to offer recommendations on future tree plantings and landscape design plans.
Priority Pruning of Large Trees 2012:
Our internal City tree crews will be working on pruning large trees primarily on the east side of the City of Bowling Green in Ward 3 & Ward 4, City Park, and the Bowling Green Country Club. The crews will be pruning out dead and diseased branches, broken/crossing branches or branches that extend over the street or sidewalks.
Priority Removal Trees 2012:
Our internal City tree crews will coordinate on removing priority trees on the east side of the City of Bowling Green in Ward 3 & Ward 4, City Park, and Bowling Green Country Club. Priority trees are defined as trees that are dead or have one or more defects that cannot be maintained by pruning. The majority of trees in this category have a large of percentage of dead crown and potential safety hazards. Large dead and dying/diseased tree are high liability risk are included in this category.
Train Pruning of Small Trees 2012:
Picture 1 (Top) shows proper train pruning of smaller
trees. Picture 2 (Center) we are pruning 25%-30% of lower
branches. Picture 3 (Bottom) shows our City tree crew training
the tree.
The Urban and Community Forestry staff will be working in the new Subdivisions from May 2012 to August 2012. The crews are pruning smaller trees to remove dead branches, crossing branches, and branches that extend over the street or sidewalk areas. The objective is to train the tree to provide safe clearance for motor vehicles, signs and pedestrians. The pruning corrects the structure and form of the young trees to help grow healthy and strong as they mature.
