DOVER, Del. (Aug. 27, 2020) — Delaware’s urban forestry program director Kesha Braunskill has been named to the Stakeholder Council of the U.S. Chapter of 1t.org,  an international effort to plant one trillion trees launched in Davos, Switzerland, which “aims to connect, empower and mobilize a global reforestation community to conserve, restore and grow one trillion trees globally by 2030.”  The World Economic Forum launched 1t.org at the Annual Meeting 2020 in Davos, Switzerland. It is designed to support the U.N. Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 whose goals are to accelerate global restoration of degraded ecosystems, to fight the climate crisis, enhance food security, provide clean water and protect biodiversity on the planet.

The U.S. is home to the first regional chapter of 1t.org. The U.S. chapter is supported by the 1t.org US Stakeholder Council, a bipartisan group of senior-level representatives from government, business, civil society and academia who are informing the strategic direction of the initiative.

The press release launching the U.S. chapter’s effort reported that “26 forward-looking companies, cities, and organizations across the U.S. announced they will help combat extreme heat and wildfires, as well as other adverse effects of climate change, by conserving, restoring, and growing more than 855 million trees. Healthy forests are a critical nature-based solution for the climate crisis and these pledges mark the launch of the US chapter of 1t.org, the global trillion trees movement.”

Braunskill joins a prestigious group that includes corporate leaders from major Fortune 500 companies, members of the U.S. Congress, and leaders in the nonprofit sectors. American Forest Foundation, Arbor Day Foundation, Bank of America, Mastercard, Microsoft, National Association of State Foresters, National Forest Foundation, Salesforce, and the cities of Detroit and Dallas are among those who have committed to invest in creating healthy forests. The World Economic Forum and American Forests are leading the initiative and will provide individuals and organizations in the U.S. with the tools and technical assistance they need to create and bring their pledges to life. Pledges demonstrate an advancement of conservation, restoration, and reforestation goals within the US and internationally, a significant effort and achievement toward the trillion trees goal. Trees pledged will cover 2.8 million acres.

“One Trillion Trees rests on the belief that trees can have a positive impact on our planet’s future. This initiative is a great platform to promote trees and their benefits and make a difference on a local scale where most of us live and work. Collectively we can move the 1t.org effort forward by planting more trees in our neighborhoods, parks and schools. And more importantly we can properly care for the trees that we already have.” said Kesha Braunskill, Delaware urban and community forestry program director.

Healthy and resilient forests are a key part of efforts to combat the negative impacts of climate change. Studies have shown trees can reduce temperatures by 9 degrees and energy costs by $7.8 billion a year. The chance of extreme wildfires occurring also decreases dramatically when forests are managed properly by, for example, planting specially-selected tree species in burned areas and using novel planting techniques for resilience to future wildfires.

“The 1t.org US Chapter launches at a perfect time,” said Jad Daley, President & Chief Executive Officer of American Forests.  “It unites the diverse organizations and people working for trillion trees so that we can do more, and do it better, by working together. And it aligns with the trillion trees movement quickly building in the US, including bi-partisan Congressional support for historic forest conservation legislation and bold new commitments from corporations and NGOs to help address carbon emissions with reforestation.”

“We have seen enormous energy and enthusiasm to conserve and restore our forests,” said Justin Adams, Director of Nature Based Solutions, World Economic Forum. “A nature-positive recovery is crucial to a great reset of our society and economy. Putting trees at the heart of this reset will help ensure it is sustainable for us and future generations.”

Investing in forests will also help improve the economy and public health. In the US alone, every $1 million invested in tree planting and other forest restoration activities creates almost 40 jobs. Globally, sustainable management of forests would create $230 billion in business opportunities and 16 million jobs worldwide by 2030. From a health perspective, trees absorb 17.4 million tons of air pollutants a year, helping to prevent 670,000 cases of asthma and other acute respiratory symptoms annually.

In America, forests and forest products currently capture 15% of the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels. Conserving, restoring, and growing trees can enable US forests to capture nearly double the emissions.

American Forests is the first national non-profit conservation organization created in the US. Since its founding in 1875, the organization has been the pathfinders for the forest conservation movement. Its mission is to create healthy and resilient forests, from cities to wilderness, that deliver essential benefits for climate, people, water and wildlife. The organization advances its mission through forestry innovation, place-based partnerships to plant and restore forests, and movement building.

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Delaware celebrates Arbor Day

DOVER, Del. — Delaware celebrated Arbor Day in Dover, an annual occasion to highlight the many benefits of trees and encourage communities to plant more of them. The Delaware Forest Service hosted its annual Arbor Day Ceremony at Dover’s Schutte Park, honoring its school poster contest winners and recognizing Dover’s 30th Year as the First State’s longest-running Tree City USA. The event culminated with the planting of more than 30 large trees at six locations, including a zelkova on the historic Green on State Street. Delaware State University also held its Arbor Day event and celebrated its 8th consecutive year as Delaware’s only certified Tree Campus USA, followed by a ceremonial tree planting on campus.

Check out more Arbor Day event photos on Flickr or at the Delaware Forest Service Facebook Page

DOVER, Del. — Emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive insect from Asia that attacks and kills ash trees, has been confirmed at two new sites in Delaware: one near Middletown, New Castle County, and another near Seaford, Sussex County. Originally found in northern Delaware in 2016, the new detections create added urgency for homeowners and municipalities to determine if they have ash trees on their property and decide on possible management options. Current guidelines recommend the removal or treatment of ash trees if located within 15 miles of a known infestation. Because Delaware is geographically small and EAB can go undetected for years, residents are urged to educate themselves now and take action.

“These new detections broaden the areas that we are interested in, but it doesn’t really change our scope of work. Since the first detection in 2016, we have been recommending that property owners within a 5 to 15 mile radius of a positive detection treat trees that they want to keep, or to remove trees if necessary to protect their property and to help limit the spread of the emerald ash borer” said Stephen Hauss, DDA Plant Industries Environmental Scientist II. “USDA’s proposal to end the quarantine regulations does not mean that we stop caring about EAB. We still have not found EAB in Kent County, so we will continue surveying and taking tips from the public.”

For the latest information from Delaware’s Department of Agriculture, residents can go to de.gov/ashtrees for an EAB Fact Sheet and an Ash Treatment Decision Guide.

“Now is the time to be thinking about removing and replacing ash trees, something we’ve been recommending for some time. We’ve been anticipating EAB for many years, but these latest detections show EAB’s spread throughout our state,” said Kesha Braunskill, Delaware urban and community forestry program director. “If a particular tree or trees are highly valued by the property owner, chemical treatment may be an option, otherwise removal and replacing ash with a suitable species is our recommendation.”

Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) has now been confirmed in 35 states, the District of Columbia, and five Canadian provinces. The USDA’s Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS) estimates that the insect has killed millions of ash trees, caused agencies to implement extensive federal quarantines, and cost hundreds of millions of dollars to municipalities, homeowners, nursery operators and forest product industries. For a comprehensive history and overview of EAB, read the Emerald Ash Borer Story Map.

The failure to stop EAB through regulatory controls prompted APHIS to propose removing its domestic multi-state quarantine for emerald ash borer on September 19, 2018, with public comments accepted through November 19. In its Fact Sheet on the proposal, the agency said it plans to allocate resources currently used for quarantine enforcement for “biological control agents for emerald ash borer, which would serve as the primary tool to mitigate and control the pest.”

By all accounts, EAB has been a devastating insect responsible for the widespread decline of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) in both rural and urban areas in the United States. Ash is a hardwood tree traditionally used for making baseball bats and its high heat value also makes it ideal for firewood. Because of the danger of humans inadvertently spreading EAB,  the “Don’t Move Firewood” campaign was developed to urge people to not move firewood, “buy it local,” and if they “bring it, burn it.”

Ash is identifiable by its compound leaf with 5 to 9 leaflets arranged opposite each other. Ash trees are also one of the trees (along with maple, dogwood, and horse-chestnut) that feature an opposite branching pattern. Symptoms of an EAB infestation can be difficult to notice at first, but usually include: canopy dieback, epicormic sprouting, bark splits, woodpecker damage, and D-shaped exit holes on the bark. Adult beetles feed on ash leaves but actually cause little damage. However, EAB larvae (the immature stage) feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients and killing the tree in just a few years.

The Delaware Forest Service estimates that ash makes up only about two percent of the total tree species in the state, however some communities near urban areas have a higher percentage of ash and could be more adversely impacted.