A Teacher’s Guide to Trees a
from Plantathon 2015 in conjunction with the Hawkins Cove Restoration Program
Spa Creek Conservancy in partnership with The Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis
Plantathon 2015
Designed and Compiled by: Terence Wright and Manon Maitland Schladen Spa Creek Conservancy P.O. Box 22199 Annapolis, MD 21404 For additional copies:
[email protected] 202-302-1931 Spa Creek Conservancy
2
Seeds 4 Success and the Hawkins Cove Restoration Project As part of the Hawkins Cove Restoration Project, Spa Creek Conservancy partnered with the Eastport Girls Club, a program of Seeds 4 Success, that helps guide children living in Annapolis public and subsidized housing so they become healthy, successful adults. On April 16, 2016, 11 girls and 20 mentors mulched the 50 native trees planted last fall at the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis - Harbour House and Eastport Terrace. Education about rain gardens, conservation landscaping and using native plants to significantly reduce and mitigate stormwater runoff through filtration was highlighted. To further their knowledge, on April 20, 2016, SCC held a tree identification and environmental education session during the Seeds 4 Success After School Program. Terence Wright, Master Gardener, did a great presentation about the various tree species and the importance of trees in our environment. The booklet attached was prepared for the learning session that provided scientific and common names of the trees, many of which that had been planted in their community, benefits to the environment, and the importance of tree maintenance.
Spa Creek Conservancy
3
Table of Contents Why Do We Need Trees? 5 Tree Talk 8 Meet Our New Trees 9 Let’s Plant Trees! 23 Step-by-Step: How to Plant a Tree 24 Tree Gallery 32
Spa Creek Conservancy
4
Why Do We Need Trees? A Tree –
Provides food, nesting places, and protection for wildlife. Helps adult wildlife raise their young. Provides homes to living things that are running out of space to live. Tells us what season we’re in. Gives us shade from the hot sun. Helps protect us from wet rainfalls. Gives us oxygen we need to breathe. Helps remove air pollution. Gives us wood for heat. Brings people together from all ages and cultures. Spa Creek Conservancy
5
Forest Food Web
Trees are a very important part of the forest food web! Spa Creek Conservancy
6
MORE Reasons Why We Need
Trees Trees: Add beauty and value to new and old homes, apartment complexes, malls, parks, and highways. Provide homes to urban birds, bees, squirrels, and opossums. Provide jobs from community orchards (fruits and nuts), landscapers, arborists, and farmers. Adds to the enjoyment, sights and sounds of birds and other wildlife. Are an important element in making compost for vegetable and flower gardens. Add privacy from unwanted views, like highways. Serve a windbreakers in high winds. Absorb noise. Reduce watering needs of home lawns because of the shade they provide. Reduce the work cooling units have to do because of the shade they provide. Spa Creek Conservancy
7
Tree Talk Meanings for some of the words we use to talk about trees Deciduous (Dee SID joo us): A tree that sheds its leaves every year. Most (not all!) broad-leaf trees are deciduous. Non-deciduous: A tree that does NOT shed its leaves every year. Non-deciduous trees are often called “evergreen” trees. Canopy: The extent of the outer layer of leaves of a tree or group of trees. The canopy is also what we call the habitat zone formed by the tops of mature trees.
Common names and scientific names: People sometimes use different names for the same tree. To make sure we are all talking about the same tree, we always use the scientific name as well as the common name. Compost: Plants that have been broken down to make fertilizer.
Mulch: Material put on top of soil to keep in moisture, reduce weeds, and improve soil health. Spa Creek Conservancy
8
Meet Our New Trees Native Species Planted at Eastport Terrace & Harbour House Eastport, Maryland November 14, 2015
• American Holly (4) • Black Gum (2) • Eastern Cedar (4) • Eastern Hemlock (2) • Eastern Redbud (11) • Pin Oak (2) • Red Maple (2) • River Birch (1) • Serviceberry (3) • Sweetbay Magnolia (4) • Tulip Poplar (1) • White Dogwood (3) • White Pine (1) TOTAL 40 trees Spa Creek Conservancy
9
American Holly Ilex opaca Grows 15’-50’ high, spreads 15’-40’ wide
Non-deciduous
Spa Creek Conservancy
Song birds eat its berries.
10
Tree Talk Meanings for some of the words we use to talk about trees Deciduous (Dee SID joo us): A tree that sheds its leaves every year. Most (not all!) broad-leaf trees are deciduous. Non-deciduous: A tree that does NOT shed its leaves every year. Non-deciduous trees are often called “evergreen” trees. Canopy: The extent of the outer layer of leaves of a tree or group of trees. The canopy is also what we call the habitat zone formed by the tops of mature trees.
Common names and scientific names: People sometimes use different names for the same tree. To make sure we are all talking about the same tree, we always use the scientific name as well as the common name. Compost: Plants that have been broken down to make fertilizer.
Mulch: Material put on top of soil to keep in moisture, reduce weeds, and improve soil health. Spa Creek Conservancy
11
Black Gum Nyssa sylvatica
Grows 35’-75’ tall, spreads 20’-50’ wide
Spa Creek Conservancy
Deciduous Great watershed tree! Provides fruit for mammals, nesting 12 for birds
Eastern Red Cedar Juniperus virginiana
Grows 40’50’ tall, spreads 8’20’ wide Non-deciduous
The juniper berry looks like a berry but is really a cone made of fused cone scales. Spa Creek Conservancy It is an important winter food for birds.
13
Eastern Hemlock Tsuga canadensis Grows 40’-70’, spreads 8’-20’ wide
Non-deciduous
Attracts birds and butterflies, provides Spa Creek Conservancy shelter for mammals.
14
Eastern Redbud Cercis canadensis
Grows 20’-35’ tall, spreads 20’-35’ wide
Deciduous Beautiful lavender flowers in the springtime! Spa Creek Conservancy
15
Pin Oak Quercus palustris Grows 60’-70’ tall, spreads 25’-40’ wide
Acorns for mammals, rabbits, in September, flowers April-May. Turns red in the fall
Deciduous
Spa Creek Conservancy
16
Red Maple Acer rubrum Grows 40’-60’ tall, spreads 40’ wide
Deciduous Squirrels and other mammals enjoy its shoots. Turns vibrant shades of orange and red in the fall Spa Creek Conservancy
17
River Birch Betula nigra Grows 50’-75’ tall, spreads 50’ wide
Distinctive bark Deciduous Leaves turn yellow in the fall Spa Creek Conservancy
18
Serviceberry Amelanchier canadensis Grows 35’-50’ tall, spreads 35’-50’ wide
Deciduous Beautiful white flowers in the springtime! BirdsSpalove its Juneberries! Creek Conservancy
19
Sweetbay Magnolia Magnolia virginiana Grows 10’-20' high, spreads 10’-20' wide
Fall fruit attracts a wide variety of songbirds.
Spa Creek Conservancy
Deciduous
20
Tulip Poplar Liriodendron tulipifera Grows 70’-90' high, spreads about 40' wide
Deciduous
Yellow fall leaves, greenish-yellow flowers; food, August-NovemberSpa Creek Conservancy
21
White Dogwood Cornus florida Grows 20’-50’ high, spreads 20’-50’ wide
Deciduous Fall migrating birds eat its glossy red berries.. Spa Creek Conservancy
22
White Pine Pinus strobus Grows 75’-100’ tall, spreads 50’-75’ wide Non-deciduous Good for nesting
Provides pine seeds for birds in winter Spa Creek Conservancy
23
Let’s Plant Trees! Jerry says: “Thanks guys! Here’s how to do it!”
Spa Creek Conservancy
24
Step-by-Step How to Plant a Tree
We are going to show you the steps we plan to follow to get our trees in the ground during the Fall, 2015 Plantathon at Eastport Terrace/Harbour House. What you learn will prepare you to plant trees anywhere!
Spa Creek Conservancy
25
Step 1: Dig a hole
• Normally, you would get your tree, shovel, compost, and mulch and then start to dig a hole to plant your tree. • You will not have to dig a hole during the Plantathon because they will already be dug with a machine called an auger. • The hole will be 2 TIMES the size of the tree’s root ball. Spa Creek Conservancy
26
Step 2: Prepare the Roots
• Squeeze the sides of the tree container to get the tree loose. • Lift the tree out gently. It roots will be in a tight ball from being in the container. • Pull the roots apart gently with your hands to make sure they point down or outward. • They should not be circling! Spa Creek Conservancy
27
Step 3: Adjust the Hole
• Put the tree into the hole. • Make sure the tree ‘s trunk flare (see drawings) is level with the ground. • If it is too high take out more soil with your shovel. • If it is too low, add more soil to the bottom of the hole to raise the tree.
Spa Creek Conservancy
28
Step 4: Put the Tree in the Ground
• Fill in around the tree with a mixture of compost and the soil that was dug out of the hole. • Try to use just soil, not the grass. • Tap the soil down gently with your foot. • Add more soil, until it is level with the ground. • You can lay your shovel handle across the hole to see if the soil is level. . Spa Creek Conservancy
29
Step 5: Mulch
• Put mulch around the tree.
• Don’t let the mulch bury the tree flare! • Think “doughnut,” not “volcano.”
Spa Creek Conservancy
30
Step 6: Water
Give the tree a good soaking from the hose or a bucket.
Spa Creek Conservancy
31
American Holly
Eastern Redbud
River Birch
Tulip Poplar
Eastern Red Cedar
Black Gum
Pin Oak
Serviceberry
White Dogwood
Spa Creek Conservancy
Eastern Hemlock
Red Maple
Sweetbay Magnolia
White Pine
32
Acknowledgement & Appreciation The Hawkins Cove Restoration Program expresses its thanks to the follow sponsors of our efforts to engage the entire watershed community in working toward a better environment for all and the vision of a fishable, swimmable Spa Creek.
• Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards Academy • Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) Green Grants Program • Chesapeake Bay Trust • National Fish and Wildlife Foundation • Tree-Mendous Maryland (Maryland Department of Natural Resources) • Unity Gardens
Spa Creek Conservancy
33
