News Digest
Equitable? “The climate gains of urban trees”
Graphic: Climate Central analysis of U.S. Forest Service data; Map: Simran Parwani/Axios "From stormwater runoff prevention to reducing the impacts of extreme heat, tree canopies provide a host of health and climate resiliency benefits for those in urban landscapes....
Turning Beach Trash to Art “The Washed Up Project”
Photos: Beach Junki, Fernandina Beach, Florida "The Washed Up Project The purpose of the Washed Up Project is to collect marine debris and create ocean art that will bring awareness to the plastic pollution washing up. Amelia the Sea Turtle Our first Washed Up Project...
“Common sense has prevailed: Bill threatening Florida’s historic buildings is dead”
Photo: Verónica Zaragovia, WLRN WUSF News "Historic buildings like Art Deco ones in Miami Beach would have been allowed to come down under a bill introduced in the 2023 legislative session... St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline said she feels relieved that these...
“Alternatives To Using Sod For Right-Of-Way Plantings Presentation to Sanibel City Council”
Photo: City Of Sanibel, Phillippi Creek project "City initiates pilot program for right-of-way plantings" "The city of Sanibel reported that at its recent meeting, the city council approved by consensus a pilot program that will study alternatives to using sod as a...
Equitable Tree Program in Miami: “Caleb Center tree planting”
Photo: Miami-Dade County "Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and District 3 Commissioner Keon Hardemon were joined by other county officials and a group of children from Easter Seals for a tree planting ceremony last week at the Joseph Caleb Center. The...
“Tampa man started as a tree planting vigilante. Now he’s planted 30,000.”
Photo: Jefferee Woo, Times - From left, Lauren Mones of St. Petersburg, Florida Urban Forestry Council executive director Deborah Hilbert and Tampa Bay Reforestation and Environmental Effort president Will Moriaty plant an Olympian fig tree at the 22nd Street...
Officials see changes in code enforcement calls following new Florida law
Video: WEAR News ABC 3 "For years, Floridians could call in code enforcement complaints in their neighborhood -- and do so anonymously. But that changed two years ago. Some say the number of calls have changed, while others say it's the kind of calls they're getting...
“Ocala to Oscela – Exploring the healing power of nature”
Photo: Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation Operation Connect Page "The O2O Expedition featured three veterans from three branches of military who undertook a 57-mile exploration of the Florida Wildlife Corridor from the Ocala to the Osceola National Forests. The core...
“Bill Expanding Access to Florida’s Wildlife Corridor Signed Into Law”
Photo: Trail Camera in Wildlife Corridor "TA bill expanding access to Florida’s Wildlife Corridor, was signed into law Tuesday by Governor DeSantis. Senate Bill 106, the Florida Shared-Use Nonmotorized Trail Network, was introduced by Senator Jason Brodeur...
“Amelia Tree Conservancy: Nassau group celebrates a decade of minding the maritime forest”
Photo: Amelia Tree Conservancy "Deborah Arnold sits at the base of Kate's Tree, located in the middle of the road at Ash and Eighth streets in downtown Fernandina Beach. The ancient oak is named for Katherine Bailey, wife of a prominent businessman who lived one block...
“Scenic Jacksonville welcomes 2023 Officers and New Board Members”
"Michael Kirwan named President; Melinda B. Powers and Rebecca Williams join the Board." Michael Kirwan succeeds Susan Caven, who will continue to serve as an officer and immediate past president. Kirwan is a partner with the international law firm of Foley &...
“Green gardening: Phipps Ocean Park redo will be model for sustainability”
Photo: Kim Frisbie Photo: Kim Frisbie "I was fortunate to have a recent tour of the wonderful Phipps Ocean Park. This exciting project will be a tremendous gift to the residents of Palm Beach. The Preservation Foundation’s plans for the renovation of this 18-acre area...
Swift Results For Urban Tree Canopies “Restoring Nature Through the Miyawaki Method of Afforestation Environment”
Photo: The man-made forest at Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Higashi-Ōgishima Thermal Power Station in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. Starting in the 1980s, saplings were planted at the site, first just one plant per square meter, as shown at left. Later plantings...
Manatee County Afforestation “These volunteers are working to slow down climate change one tiny forest at a time”
Photo: Daylina Miller, Wusfnews.edu "Volunteers at Heritage Harbour Park in Bradenton drill holes, haul mulch and nutrient-rich dirt, and plant trees and shrubs to create the area's first microforest. Forests store more than a quarter of the earth's carbon dioxide....
Black History Month in Jacksonville Includes Planting Fruit Trees “Volunteers plant fruit trees to aid area deemed food desert”
Photo: 200 fruit trees being planted at White Harvest Farms in Moncrief neighborhood, WJXT "Volunteers are doing their part to ensure one part of Jacksonville has easy access to fresh food. Fruit trees are being planted in that area [Moncrief] this weekend and Feb....
Yale Data “The little-known physical and mental health benefits of urban trees”
Data Chart: Created by Dana Nuccitelli using Datawrapper and data from Wolf et al. (2020), International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. "Trees slow climate change — and they help people live happier, healthier, and longer lives... But you may not...
“Miami-Dade County partners with One Tree Planted to increase urban forestry in neighborhoods with low tree canopy”
"Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department is partnering with One Tree Planted, a reforestation nonprofit, to plant more than 450 trees at Amelia Earhart Park in 2023. The plantings, led by Neat Streets Miami-Dade’s Million Trees initiative, will...
Placemaking “The big pink trumpet tree on Coffee Pot Bayou is in bloom. What’s its story?”
Photo: Dirk Shadd, Tampa Bay Times "The hot pink petals caught in the breeze over Coffee Pot Bayou, fluttering like snowflakes onto a lawn dotted with admirers. After all, it’s a great place to snap a pretty picture. Over the last week and a half, a steady stream of...
Using Trees to Calm Traffic
Photo: From article on CaseyTrees.org "During the COVID-19 pandemic, regional and national trends showed a sharp increase in vehicle-related fatalities – so much so that 2021 was the deadliest year on D.C. roads in over a decade. Since 2015, D.C. has participated in...
“University Of Florida Scientists Aim For More Tree Varieties To Ensure Urban Canopy Survives Pests, Diseases”
Andrew Koeser, UF/IFAS associate professor of environmental horticulture and a co-author of the study, conducts urban tree research. Photo: Deb Hilbert "When cities are dominated by only a few species, new infestations of pests and diseases from overseas can just move...