Massachusetts is home to a diverse landscape of white pine, hemlock, oak, beech, birch, and maple. Yet only 2% of the wood we use in Massachusetts is grown, harvested, and manufactured within our borders. As a result, we place a greater strain on forested resources around the globe, and money that would have come from locally-produced forest products does not circulate in our communities. Our forests can provide us with an abundant natural resource that can be used to grow our local economy and create sustainable jobs. Many of our trees can be manufactured into high quality products including beams, hardwood flooring, furniture, paneling, and mulch. Purchasing Massa- chusetts wood products not only supports local businesses, it connects us with the land and helps us understand the significance of responsibly managing it for the future. Working wood- lands help maintain beautiful, healthy forests that sustain local jobs, produce clean drinking water, conserve wild- life habitat, and provide recreational opportunities, but they need your help. By supporting local forest-based businesses you are making the choice to invest in the future of our forests and our communities. Regulatory Requirements Timber Harvester License To participate in Commonwealth Quality, a harvester of raw forest products must be licensed by the Common- wealth of Massachusetts as a timber harvester. Massachu- setts is one of the few states in the country to require (Continued on page 2) This month, we’ll take a step back from the urban forest and look at forests in Massachusetts through the eyes of the Commonwealth Quality program. A brand designed by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, the Commonwealth Quality seal identifies locally-sourced products of four business sectors – produce, forestry, aquaculture, and lobster - that are grown, har- vested, and processed in the state using practices that are safe, sustain- able, and eco-friendly. Commonwealth Quality- certified growers, produc- ers, harvesters, and proc- essors meet stringent fed- eral, state, and local regula- tory requirements and em- ploy best management practices and production standards, to ensure that consumers receive the safest, most wholesome products available, with minimal impact on the environment. The Commonwealth Quality program recognizes forest product companies based in Massachusetts that meet program guidelines. As a consumer, look for the Commonwealth Quality symbol, and if you are in the forest product industry in Massachusetts, consider joining the Commonwealth Quality program. The following is adapted from the Commonwealth Quality website . Forestry in Massachusetts Did you know that Massachusetts is over 60% forested? SEPTEMBER 2013 Up Ahead: Commonwealth Quality 1 Tree Wardens 4 Species Spotlight 5 Growing Greener 6 Growing on Trees 7 News 11 On the Horizon 12 Commonwealth Quality in Massachusetts By Mollie Freilicher Wood from a Commonwealth Quality business comprises the new raised walkway through Hawley Bog.
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Transcript
Massachusetts is home to a diverse landscape of white
pine, hemlock, oak, beech, birch, and maple. Yet only 2%
of the wood we use in Massachusetts is grown,
harvested, and manufactured within our borders. As a
result, we place a greater strain on forested resources
around the globe, and money that would have come
from locally-produced forest products does not circulate
in our communities.
Our forests can provide us
with an abundant natural
resource that can be used
to grow our local economy
and create sustainable jobs.
Many of our trees can be
manufactured into high
quality products including
beams, hardwood flooring,
furniture, paneling, and
mulch. Purchasing Massa-
chusetts wood products
not only supports local
businesses, it connects us
with the land and helps us understand the significance of
responsibly managing it for the future. Working wood-
lands help maintain beautiful, healthy forests that sustain
local jobs, produce clean drinking water, conserve wild-
life habitat, and provide recreational opportunities, but
they need your help.
By supporting local forest-based businesses you are
making the choice to invest in the future of our forests
and our communities.
Regulatory Requirements Timber Harvester License
To participate in Commonwealth Quality, a harvester of
raw forest products must be licensed by the Common-
wealth of Massachusetts as a timber harvester. Massachu-
setts is one of the few states in the country to require
(Continued on page 2)
This month, we’ll take a step
back from the urban forest and
look at forests in Massachusetts through the eyes of the
Commonwealth Quality program.
A brand designed by the Massachusetts Department of
Agricultural Resources, the Commonwealth Quality seal
identifies locally-sourced products of four business
sectors – produce, forestry, aquaculture, and lobster -
that are grown, har-
vested, and processed in
the state using practices
that are safe, sustain-
able, and eco-friendly.
Commonwealth Quality-
certified growers, produc-
ers, harvesters, and proc-
essors meet stringent fed-
eral, state, and local regula-
tory requirements and em-
ploy best management
practices and production
standards, to ensure that
consumers receive the safest, most
wholesome products available, with
minimal impact on the environment.
The Commonwealth Quality program
recognizes forest product companies
based in Massachusetts that meet
program guidelines. As a consumer,
look for the Commonwealth Quality
symbol, and if you are in the forest
product industry in Massachusetts,
consider joining the Commonwealth
Quality program. The following is
adapted from the Commonwealth
Quality website.
Forestry in Massachusetts Did you know that Massachusetts is
over 60% forested?
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3
Up Ahead:
Commonwealth
Quality 1
Tree Wardens 4
Species
Spotlight 5
Growing
Greener 6
Growing on
Trees 7
News 11
On the
Horizon 12
Commonwealth Quality in Massachusetts By Mollie Freilicher
Wood from a Commonwealth Quality business comprises the new
MassWoods (for information related to forest cutting
laws and best practices): http://masswoods.net/
Thanks to Sean Mahoney for comments on this article.
(Continued from page 2)
Forestry Best Management Practices Manual For those of you who clicked the link last month and could not find the revised edition of the Massachusetts Forestry Best Manage-ment Practices Manual, the document is now available at the website: www.masswoods.net.
Paul, Jennifer, and John
of Gurney’s Sawmill,
East Freetown, MA.
Find participating forestry producers on the CQP website.
Mass Tree Wardens & Foresters Association Visits Georges Island
d e p a r t m e n t o f C o n s e r v a t i o n a n d R e c r e a t i o n
T H E C I T I Z E N F O R E S T E R
DCR Tree Steward Training—Register Today! October 25-26, Harvard Forest, Petersham, MA The 2013 DCR Tree Steward Training will take place Friday, October 25 to Saturday, October 26 at the Harvard
Forest in Petersham. At this year’s session: learn about tree biology, benefits, preserving trees during construction,
tree planting, i-Tree (extended session), working with your utility arborist, pruning, tree ID (extended session) funding
urban forestry programs, and participate in a roundtable discussion on working with trees and people in your commu-
nity. We’ll have a mix of indoor and outdoor sessions.
Registration is now available on the DCR Urban and Community Forestry
Species Spotlight—American beech, Fagus grandifolia
T H E C I T I Z E N F O R E S T E R
d e p a r t m e n t o f C o n s e r v a t i o n a n d R e c r e a t i o n
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3
We all can probably picture
that stately beech tree on a
large lawn, park, or golf
course or recall the
smooth, gray bark of a large tree. Beech has long been a
tree of choice for planting; colonists in North America
used American beech in their gardens, and it continues
to be popular today.
American beech is
native to North
America and
grows from south-
ern Ontario, east
to Cape Breton
Island, south to
northern Florida,
and west to east-
ern Texas. It is
hardy in USDA zones four to nine. It is a long-lived tree
and can reach heights of 120 feet, with a wide-spreading
crown that can equal the height. More often, it reaches a
height of 60 to 70 feet, with an equal spread. The current
national champion, in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, is
112 feet tall, with a 103-foot spread, and a trunk diame-
ter of over seven feet. Lower branches of American
beech will often grace the ground. American beech is
found in rich, upland soils and well-drained lowlands. It
often grows in pure stands, often from root suckers, and
you can often find these stands
across Massachusetts.
The American beech is late to leaf
out in the spring. When the leaves
do unfurl, they are alternate, sim-
ple, ovate, two to five inches long,
and approximately one to two-and
-one-half inches wide. They are
acuminate, coarsely
serrated, and shiny
dark green above and
light-green below.
The leaf margin of American beech is flat-
ter, compared with that of European beech
(Fagus sylvatica), which is wavy at the mar-
gin. Leaves of American beech are also
more sharply toothed than European beech,
which typically has entire margins or is only
slightly toothed. The bark of
American beech is smooth and
light gray. In winter, the twigs of
American beech are distinctive,
with their three-quarters to
one-inch-long, pointy, golden-
brown, imbricate buds. Leaves
of American beech turn golden
in the fall, subsequently turn a flaxy-brown, and will
remain on the tree through winter.
American beech is monoecious; that
is, male and female flowers occur on
the same tree. Male flowers are
yellow, small (three-quarters to one-
inch diameter),
ball-shaped, and
on a slender
stalk. Female
flowers are a
quarter-inch long
in two to four-
flowered spikes. The fruit matures in
fall and is a shiny, brown nut with
three wings, encased in a prickly case.
Up to three nuts may be in each cap-
sule. Beechnuts are rich and a good
source of calories, providing food for wildlife including
mice, squirrels, chipmunks, black bears, deer, foxes,
ruffed grouse, ducks, and other birds. Beech mast was
also a favorite of the now extinct passenger pigeon.
Wood of American beech is a pale white or cream color
and is often considered plain. It machines well, however,
and can be easily worked. It is often used in toys, furni-
ture, cookware, lumber, veneer, flooring, and other
turned wooden objects.
American beech is generally free from insect and disease
problems, although beech bark disease is a disease we
often hear about as it impacts beech trees in the forest
here in Massachusetts. The beech bark disease cycle be-
gins when the beech scale (Cryptoccus fagisuga) at-
tacks, allowing a fungus (primarily Nectria coccinea) to
invade, and causing cankers to form on the tree.
(Continued on page 6)
By Mollie Freilicher
MA-DCR
Community Action Forester
Photos: Bark: Mollie Freilicher; Form:
UConn Plant Database; Leaf, Buds, Flowers,
and Fruit: Virginia Tech.
“For depth of shade, no tree is equal to the beech, and as it is singularly clean and neat, and the leaves are liable to the attack of few insects, and remain on the branches longer than those of any deciduous tree, giving a cheer-ful aspect to the wood in winter, it deserves cultivation near houses.” G.B. Emerson, 1846.
Growing Greener—in Franklin Park, Boston
d e p a r t m e n t o f C o n s e r v a t i o n a n d R e c r e a t i o n
T H E C I T I Z E N F O R E S T E R
Growing on Trees
P A G E 6 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation awarded the Franklin Park
Coalition an Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Grant for $7,500 for tree planting
and invasive species removal in the park. The grant will focus on removing Japanese knot-
weed from the Long Crouch Woods part of Franklin Park and provide follow-up treatment
on buckthorn that had previously been treated. The goal is to reduce the re-growth rate of
invasive plants to below 20%. Replanting will take place in areas that have had invasive spe-
cies removed. The Coalition plans to plant 300 trees and shrubs and to help prevent the re
-growth of invasive species and to promote diversity in the park. For information on the
DCR Urban and Community Grant Program, go to the DCR Urban and Community For-
estry website.
These cankers can kill trees. Other pests and diseases American beech is susceptible to include pow-
dery mildew, aphids, cankers, leaf spots, and other insect pests.
Edible Notes from Russ Cohen I have eaten American Beech nuts and, although they are small, the nuts inside the pyramid-shaped
shells (which in turn, are covered by the football-shaped husk) have a good flavor (it reminds me of coconut). As with
other nut-tree species, the trees with good sun exposure (on the edges of roads or other open areas, or in fields) are
likely to bear more heavily than trees in the deep woods.
I have heard the most effective way to collect beech nuts (when the nuts are ripe, of course, which is toward the end of
the summer) is to spread blankets or tarps on the ground below the tree and then ask an agile friend or family member
to climb the tree and shake the branches. The ripe nuts will then fall on the tarps.
Last but not least – a couple of delicious wild mushroom species are commonly associated with American Beech trees
– Black Trumpet Chanterelles (Craterellus cornucopioides and related species), which can be found on the ground under
the trees in the summer, and Bear’s Head Tooth mushrooms (Hericium coralloides and related species), which can be
found on Beech logs and on the trees themselves in the late summer/early fall.
Russ Cohen serves as Rivers Advocate for the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological
Restoration. In his spare time, he teaches people how to connect to the landscape via their taste buds, as well as for-
ages himself. Learn about upcoming programs by clicking here: http://users.rcn.com/eatwild/sched.htm.
Long Crouch Woods. Photo
by Franklin Park Coalition.
What’s Happening on The Grove?
The Grove is an advertising-free, networking website
that is a partnership between the USDA-Forest Service
and the Georgia Urban Forest Council. Sign up for
free and join the Massachusetts Grove and read about
and post information on tree planting and urban forestry
activities in your community.
Species Spotlight—American beech
Stories recently posted on the Grove: HOW TO CONVINCE PEOPLE THEY ARE PLANTING
THEIR TREE WRONG
FINANCING THE URBAN FOREST
AGROECOLOGY PROJECT IN A SCHOOL IN PUERTO
RICO
CLONING THE WORLD'S LARGEST & OLDEST TREES
Check in with the Grove as often as you like, or simply
receive emails when we make updates to the Massachu-
d e p a r t m e n t o f C o n s e r v a t i o n a n d R e c r e a t i o n
Vibrant Communities Open-Source Communications Toolkit Rolls Out Washington, DC – The Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition (SUFC) has rolled out their “Vibrant Communities: Trees
Are the Key” communications platform and toolkit. This open-source, online suite of resources includes a “how-to”
guide for spreading the message on the benefits of trees to communities and the Vibrant Cities recommendations. The
tools were developed with input from ACTrees and other organizations as part of SUFC's Vibrant Cities & Urban Forests
national report. Get kit contents.
Growing on Trees
We do our best to ensure that listings are accurate, but please
check with program organizers for the most up-to-date information.
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3
New Informational Web Site on Invasive Species Athens, GA--The North American Invasive Species Network (NAISN) has launched a new informational website,
which provides a wide variety of invasive species management and research resources, links to a multitude of potential
partner organizations, and access to streamlined data-sharing platforms for users throughout the USA, Canada, and
Mexico. Read more at Bugwood Blog or www.naisn.org.
Massachusetts Arborist Association
The Massachusetts Arborists Association (MAA) spon-
sors the Massachusetts Certified Arborists (MCA)
program. The MCA program is a voluntary certification
program initiated in 1957. Since the program’s inception,
more than 800 tree care professionals have obtained the
MCA designation.
The purpose of the MCA program is to raise the level of
public awareness as to the importance of working with
trained professionals, and to provide a means of self-
improvement and continuing education for the certified
professional.
The MCA Exam is usually offered in the spring and fall.
For more information, go to the Massachusetts Arborist
Association website certification page: http://
www.massarbor.org/sections/certification.php
The next MCA exam is scheduled for October 4,
2013.
Arborist Certifications
International Society of Arboriculture
The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) sponsors
several credentials, including the ISA Certified Arborist.
To earn an ISA Certified Arborist® credential, you must
be trained and knowledgeable in all aspects of arboricul-
ture. ISA Certified Arborist® have met all requirements
to be eligible for the exam, which includes three or more
years of full-time, eligible, practical work experience in
arboriculture and/or a degree in the field of arboricul-
ture, horticulture, landscape architecture, or forestry
from a regionally accredited educational institute. This
certification covers a large number of topics giving the
candidates flexibility in the arboricultural profession.
A code of ethics for ISA Certified Arborists® strength-
ens the credibility and reliability of the work force. This
certification is accredited by the American National Stan-
dards Institute, meeting and exceeding ISO 17024.
The next ISA Certified Arborist Exam in New England
will be offered November 5, 2013 in Warwick, RI at
the New England ISA annual conference. For an addi-
tional fee, a computer-based exam is offered at Pearson
VUE testing facilities at the convenience of the test taker.
For information on registering for an exam, go to: http://
When: Saturday, September 28, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Registration Cost:
Morning Session Only: $20
Morning Session + Afternoon Field Tour & Beer Tasting: $30
Student All Day: $15
Register, check out the agenda, and get more information at: http://massforestalliance.org/fitchburg/.
Hosted by the MA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation, the Massachusetts Forest Alliance, and Bay State For-
estry Service, with generous support from the Massachusetts Forest Stewardship Program and the USDA Forest
Service.
Growing on Trees S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3
Grant Opportunity Northeast Utility Environmental Community Grant Program Northeast Utility’s Environmental Community Grant Program (ECGP) annually funds community and nonprofit envi-
ronmental projects that are often overlooked by large grant programs. Grants up to $1,500 are awarded to projects in
Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Where must selected projects be located?
Eligible projects must be conducted in territory served by Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P), Yankee Gas (YG),
Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECo), or Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH).
What types of projects are eligible?
Eligible projects protect, preserve or improve the environment, and/or provide environmental education resources.
Paid labor and projects utilizing funding from other outside sources typically will not be funded. Grants typically fund
projects such as:
Providing education on environmental issues of local interest to adults or children
Improving accessibility to outdoor learning environments
Improving the environment through organized cleanup projects (such as cleaning up a park, stream, or a vacant lot)
or by restoring damaged environments (such as invasive species removal)
Improving local wildlife habitat
Deadline: September 15, 2013.
For more information and to download an application, go to: http://www.nu.com/environmental/grant.asp.