Trees

Here in the United States we have the world's biggest (sequoia), tallest (redwood), and oldest (bristlecone pine) trees. We have somewhere around 750 million acres of continental forests, a collective area roughly 140 times the size of Massachusetts. But in ways both measurable and immeasurable, the young, massively-altered forests we have left are mere ghosts of the original American treescapes, unimaginable swaths of growth that mantled the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent The June 1 deadline for the Odwalla Plant a Tree Program is nearing, and two groups from Boston are making a final push to get the votes they need to green up their neighborhoods. Based on votes from the public, Odwalla will provide $10,000 grants to 10 of the proposed projects from across the nation to help plant trees and reclaim vegetation lost in natural disasters. All projects involve trees but only two would bring trees to Boston.

For many in the region left to clean up the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene this week, it was the loss of property, trees, and electrical power - but not human life - that will stay in the memories of this storm's wake. When the wind died and the clouds finally broke Monday morning, residents found cars crushed under the weight of broken branches, utility poles listing perilously, and homes propping felled trees. Although the central and western parts of the state suffered widespread and lasting power outages, flooding, and one fatality, local communities largely dodged what forecasters...

The world's tallest tower and Tokyo's biggest new landmark, the Tokyo Sky Tree, has opened to the public. Nearly 8,000 visitors were expected to take high-speed elevators up to the observation decks of the 634-meter (2,080-foot) tower Tuesday to mark its opening. It is recognized by Guinness World Records as the tallest tower, beating out the Canton Tower in China, which is 600 meters (1,968 ½ feet). The world's tallest structure is Dubai's Burj Khalifa, which stands 828 meters (2,717 feet)

The city is preparing to remove 20 trees that are dead or dying in Copley Square. The Boston Parks and Recreation Department and the Friends of Copley Square said at a public meeting Wednesday that the trees, all London Plane trees and all infected with a canker stain fungus, are scheduled to be removed starting early next week. The section of the park closest to Boylston Street will see the most dramatic change when the trees are removed, city officials said. A total of 16 trees will be removed near Boylston Street, and another four will be removed in an area close to St. James Avenue.

Beginning tomorrow and through Friday, the city will pick up trees that are left curbside during regular trash days. Trees should be on the curb by 7 a.m. on trash days and must be free of tinsel, plastic, other decorations, and skirting. No wreaths will be collected. For more information, call 978-921-6000, ext. 2355. - Steven Rosenberg

The state Department of Conservation and Recreation is doling out 15,000 trees for free this year to repopulate woods across the region that were hit with an infestation of the Asian longhorned beetle. Many trees were cut down to combat proliferation of the invasive insect. Property owners in Boylston are eligible to receive a variety of tree species under the reforestation program. For more information, call 508-852-8073. - Matt Gunderson

A holiday-themed Topiaries, Trees, and Treasures event, presented by the Middlesex Community College Foundation and the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts Northern District Garden Clubs, will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Saturday and Sunday at the John Nesmith House. Friday's event is by reservation only and tickets are $25 per person. On Saturday and Sunday, general admission is $15 per person. A portion of the event's proceeds will benefit the Federation's Tornado Relief Fund, helping to restore some of the thousands of trees lost in the storm that hit Western...

SEATAC, Wash. -- The Christmas trees are back up at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Maintenance staff worked Monday night to restore the 14 plastic trees that had been removed during the weekend because of a rabbi's threat to sue over the absence of a menorah in the airport's holiday decor. Airport managers believed that if they allowed the addition of an 8-foot-tall menorah to the display, as Seattle Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky had requested, they would also have to display symbols of other religions and cultures.

Developing countries often treat environmentalism as a nuisance to be suppressed, but Wangari Maathai showed how it could move a society forward. Maathai, who died of cancer at at the age of 71 on Sunday, turned her distress at dried-up springs and disappearing firewood in her Kenyan childhood village into the Green Belt Movement that planted of tens of millions of trees. She uniquely connected biodiversity to women's empowerment, saying that the "raping" of forests for development turned them into deserts and thereby forced women to walk miles for water instead of...

Here in the United States we have the world's biggest (sequoia), tallest (redwood), and oldest (bristlecone pine) trees. We have somewhere around 750 million acres of continental forests, a collective area roughly 140 times the size of Massachusetts. But in ways both measurable and immeasurable, the young, massively-altered forests we have left are mere ghosts of the original American treescapes, unimaginable swaths of growth that mantled the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

New Hampshire agriculture officials are telling people who love to walk in the woods that they'll be seeing a lot of purple this summer. Purple prism traps resembling box kites will be seen in ash trees as part of a survey to determine if an invasive pest has reached the state: the emerald ash borer. The insects from Asia can devastate local tree populations. To date, they have not been detected in New Hampshire. The bugs are attracted to the color and scent of the trap.

A man was transported to a local hospital this morning after he was apparently struck by a falling tree at a home in Dracut, fire officials said. Dracut Fire Lieutenant Kevin Martin said the man was found lying on a truck, but was not pinned against it. Martin said the man was taken from the scene on Hilltop Road to a local hospital with injuries that were not life threatening. No further information was immediately available. Colin A. Young can be reached at colin.young@globe.com.

"Hooah!" "Did I do that right?" Michelle Obama asked after sounding a battle cry to soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia last month. "Phew," she sighed when the audience signaled its approval. The local shout-out seems so natural when done right. And so cringe-worthy when flubbed. Any good politician knows the importance of finding common ground with a local audience. It's Speechmaking 101, whether accomplished through strategic praise for sports teams, cultural treasures or local figures.

Peabody has been named a Tree City USA community by the Arbor Day Foundation, a designation for municipalities recognizing their commitment to community forestry. This marks the 16th year Peabody has earned the designation from the foundation, the nation's largest organization dedicated to planting trees. "Planting and caring for trees is among the most important things we can do to benefit current and future generations," Mayor Ted Bettencourt said in a prepared statement. "We all know that trees beautify the landscape and provide shade for our...

The town has been recognized by the National Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA community for its ongoing efforts to improve residents' quality of life by maintaining and planting trees as part of a concentrated program. The town has planted 180 trees over the past three years and has performed routine maintenance, including pruning and tree assessments. The program is administered by the Department of Public Works in conjunction with the volunteer Permanent Street Tree Committee.

The commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation says a brush fire in Brimfield last week has prodded officials to remove downed trees and build fire breaks. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/IbsnQQ) that Commissioner Edward M. Lambert Jr. recently visited the area. He says more efforts are being made to remove downed trees from 600 acres of the Brimfield State Forest affected by last year's tornado even though the fire didn't affect that particular area.

The town has scheduled Christmas tree pick-ups through Friday. Trees should be placed by the curb by 7 a.m. on the day of regularly scheduled trash pickup. Highway Department officials said trees in plastic bags or trees with ornaments on them will not be picked up. Trees will also be accepted at the town transfer station on Tinkham Hill Road. For more information, call the Highway Department at 508-758-4181. - Paul Kandarian

The city is preparing to remove 20 trees that are dead or dying in Copley Square. The Boston Parks and Recreation Department and the Friends of Copley Square said at a public meeting Wednesday that the trees, all London Plane trees and all infected with a canker stain fungus, are scheduled to be removed starting early next week. The section of the park closest to Boylston Street will see the most dramatic change when the trees are removed, city officials said. A total of 16 trees will be removed near Boylston Street, and another four will be removed in an area close to St. James Avenue.

Authorities say a central Ohio man who killed three people and stuffed their bodies in a hollow tree made a deal with prosecutors to disclose where they were hidden if they saved the tree. The Columbus Dispatch reported Friday ( http://bit.ly/IRK2BQ) that 31-year-old Matthew Hoffman made the deal as prosecutors tried to find the bodies of two women and a boy. Knox County Sheriff David Barber and Detective David Light disclosed the information at an annual victims' assistance conference.