New Urban Tree Guide
There are also helpful pages offering “tree planting 101” instruc-
tion, a “caring for new trees” guide and a list defining commonly
used terms.
McElhinney says one key message she’d like readers to take away
from her new manual is “how they can use trees to mitigate the
effects of climate change and how to choose trees that can adapt
to the changing climate.” The guide identifies trees with “an
observed tolerance” to stressful urban conditions they may
encounter such as competition for space, building shade, packed
soil, poor drainage, salt and air pollution.
FORESTERS AND ECOLOGISTS at the University of Massachu-
setts Amherst have released a new statewide guide, Planting for
Resilience: Selecting Urban Trees in Massachusetts, a manual
designed to help professional arborists, tree wardens, and urban
foresters in selecting and planting trees well suited to thrive in
the Commonwealth’s cities and towns.
Graduate researcher Ashley McElhinney wrote the guide as
part of her master’s degree work in environmental conservation
with a focus on urban forestry, along with her advisor Richard
Harper, MCA , an Extension associate professor.
In addition to nearly 80 pages of tree profiles with original line
drawings of their silhouettes, the guide includes brief descrip-
tions of environmental conditions each needs to thrive. The
book also lists characteristics for each species such as expected
mature height, width, growth rate, foliage, flower and fruit infor-
mation, known pest vulnerability and other considerations.
C A L E N D A R
䊳 TUESDAY • FEBRUARY 25, 2020
MAA Safety Saves Seminar
Stop the Bleed!
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
MHS Elm Bank • Wellesley, MA
MAA Dinner Meeting
Pruning Fruit Trees
5:00 p.m.
Ken’s Steak House • Framingham, MA
䊳 FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 28, 2020
Another message is that biodiversity matters, McElhinney says.
“One thing that people do is overplant a single species. In some
towns, 50 percent of the street trees are maples, and it shouldn’t
be like that. In order to protect against a pest that could wipe out
all individuals of that species, it should be only 10 or 20 percent.
It’s important to have safeguards for biodiversity.” Harper adds, “If
one out of every two tree species in your town is a maple, that
means half of your street trees are at risk from the Asian longhorn
beetle.”
The manual is available online as a downloadable pdf; there is
also a web-based video in which McElhinney discusses the work.
The authors note that certified arborists who view the online
tutorial and download the guide may obtain MCA and ISA con-
tinuing education credit.
VISIT: www.umass.edu/newsoffice/article/umass-
amherst-scientists-create-urban-tree
O F
E V E N T S
䊳 TUESDAY • MARCH 24, 2020
䊳 TUESDAY • APRIL 21, 2020
MAA Safety Saves Seminar
The Importance of
Work Zone Safety
MAA Dinner Meeting &
VISTA Award Presentation
Tree Diseases: What to Watch
for This Spring
2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
MHS Elm Bank • Wellesley, MA
5:00 p.m.
Ken’s Steak House • Framingham, MA
MAA Dinner Meeting
The Latest on Forest Tree Health
in Massachusetts 䊳 FRIDAY • APRIL 24, 2020
5:00 p.m.
Ken’s Steak House • Framingham, MA (See details on p.1 & p.3)
Arbor Day of Service
MCA Exam Overview
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
MHS Elm Bank • Wellesley, MA
䊳 FRIDAY • APRIL 10, 2020
MCA Examination
8:30 a.m.
First exam to test on
MCA Study Guide v. 3.0
MHS Elm Bank • Wellesley, MA
Sign up for MAA
events online at
MassArbor.org
MCA credit available at all MAA programs.
MCA safety credit offered at Safety Saves programs.
MAA NEWS / March 2020 15