Trees for Arizona to Replace Trees Lost in Fires in Arizona

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Arizona Community Tree Council Encourages Arizonans to

Add Even More Trees to the 2012 Count

PHOENIX, Arizona (December 8, 2011) – It’s the most wonderful time of the year . . . for tree decorating and trees for the planting and more trees for counting . . . Well, that’s not exactly how the song goes, but that’s how we feel at the Arizona Community Tree Council, where we’re in the midst of one of our busiest seasons where we make a list and check it twice on the number of trees that have been planted in Arizona this year and encourage homeowners and businesses to plant Christmas trees.

The Arizona Community Tree Council is very proud to report that 7,316 trees have been planted in Arizona this year, which is a huge 665 percent increase over the 2010 count of 1,100.

“We couldn’t be happier to be greener and cooler with 7,316 more trees. The benefits of adding trees in communities throughout Arizona are huge, making Arizona greener, cooler and cleaner. Adding trees also builds communities and encourages homeowners to put down roots,” said Harold Hummer, president of the Arizona Community Tree Council (ACTC).

More trees add to Arizona’s canopy, making Arizonans and their houses cooler. It reduces pollutants in the air, making Arizona cleaner. A cooler and cleaner community results in lower air conditioning bills for residents and businesses throughout Arizona. If homeowners and businesses plant trees on the west, south and/or east side of their homes, they would save 20 percent on their

Green is the New Fresh Fall Color

Salad a Day program aims to improve health and wellness

(PHOENIX, Ariz., November 15, 2011) – Had enough of summer? Fall springs eternal as most of us look forward to experiencing the fresh outdoors and opening windows that have long been shuttered to protect us from the blistering heat that seems to last for an eternal summer season.

Duncan Family Farms is right with you and wants to share your enthusiasm about the arrival of a crisper, cooler season by sharing with you their fall bounty of fresh greens. Beyond the asphalt network of roads, office buildings, convenient stores and fast food outlets is the Duncan Family Farm in Goodyear that is harvesting fresh crops of cool, crisp greens from their rich fertile soil.

Duncan Family Farms is making it easy for you to get their fresh leafy greens and fantastic vegetables this season through their new program: “Salad-A-Day ~ the Duncan-Way.”

Responding to requests from the public, Duncan is bringing the farm to your fork by offering this health and wellness

Living Christmas Trees

From the Arizona Community Tree Council

Living trees are a perfect choice for those who want to plant a tree after the holidays. Living trees absorb carbon dioxide, supply oxygen, reduce soil erosion, increase property values, reduce energy use and beautify our surroundings.

Look for varieties that will grow in your area. For the low deserts choose Aleppo Pine, Eldarica (Afghan) Pine, Canary Island or Italian Stone Pine. For higher elevations look for Austrian Pine, Pinon Pine, Douglas Fir or Arizona Cypress. Make sure that the tree you choose will fit into your landscape. Most trees used as Christmas trees will eventually reach heights of 40 feet.

Living Christmas trees can be purchased at many nurseries and garden centers and at some retail lots and choose-and-cut farms. Purchase your tree early for the best selection. Look for trees with healthy, well-colored needles. Avoid those that show brown tips, are yellowing or shedding. Container-grown trees should not be root-bound. After purchase, be especially careful to avoid injury to the tree’s root system. Do not carry the tree by its trunk or drop it. Living trees can be stored in your yard

PHOENIX, Arizona (September 20, 2011) – Daniel Stevens climbed to the No. 2 spot in at the 2011 ISA International Tree Climbing Championships that were held in Sydney, Australia July 23 – 24. Stevens placed second in the world in the belayed speed climb with a time of 25:90 seconds and finished as the sixth-best climber overall in the World at the international championships, which drew 62 of the world's best climbers from 19 countries. All 62 competitors advanced from regional competitions in their own countries to qualify for the international climbs.

Stevens placed second in belayed speed climb, placing behind Mark Chisolm, from New Jersey, with a time of 24:82. Chisolm won the ITCC 2010 championships. Placing sixth overall in the world, Stevens' competitors who placed first through fifth included No. 1 Scott Forrest of New Zealand, No. 2 Jared Abrojena form the U.S., No. 3 Joe Harris from Australia, No. 4 Johan Gustavsson from Sweden, No. 5 Jonathon Turnball from the UK.

Join Duncan Family Farms in the Third Annual Friends of the Poor® Walk on Saturday, September 24, 2011 at The Hammers Complex on 99th Avenue and McDowell at 5:00 p.m. The three-mile Walk is a unique fund raising effort organized nationally and locally by Councils and Conferences of the Society of St. Vincent De Paul. It allows community members from all walks of life across the country to participate in a simultaneous, nationwide event to raise national awareness of the challenges faced by the nation’s poor and to raise significant funds for use in direct service to the poor. Funds raised locally will be used locally.

Duncan Family Farm's goal is to raise $10,000 as participants in the Annual Friends of the Poor® Walk. Arnott and Kathleen Duncan have a strong commitment to food access and participation in this national effort is one more way to support their goals.

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Trees for Arizona to Replace Trees Lost in Fires in Arizona

Arizona Community Tree Council Launches Effort to Replant Native Trees

Wallow Fire Trees for Arizona PHOENIX, Arizona (June 27, 2011) – As the Wallow Fire, the largest fire in Arizona history, continues to burn, the Arizona Community Tree Council (ACTC) is initiating efforts to replant trees on residential, commercial and community lands damaged by the fire. The Arizona Community Tree Council estimates more than a half-million seedlings will be planted.

"As with the Rodeo-Chediski's “Trees for the Rim” program, the Arizona Community Tree Council (ACTC) Trees for Arizona program will coordinate the replanting efforts and is creating a special fund to manage the contributions," said ACTC President Harold Hummer. "ACTC will work with volunteer organizations and will be replanting trees and forest shrubs beginning October 2011."

Trees for Arizona is a community response program of the Arizona Community Tree Council dedicated to securing financial resources for replanting trees on residential, commercial and community lands damaged by fires around the state of Arizona including the Wallow Fire. The climate in Arizona's high country is as unique as its massive stand of pines had been. Forest experts realize that importing and planting seedlings from other areas will not be successful. The Arizona Community Tree Council had previously collected seeds from native trees in the area damaged by the fires and is now in the process of germinating them in greenhouses at Northern Arizona University.

The Wallow Fire has burned more than 532,086 acres of high country as of June 23, 2011, becoming the largest fire in Arizona's history and the 10th largest forest fire in the United States in the last 100 years. The scope of devastation nearly defies description - almost 750 square miles burned to moonscape appearance, the largest continuous stand of ponderosa pines on earth scarred with serious damage to Arizona’s watershed areas, destruction of wildlife and the mountainous habitat of thousands of animals, and measurable loss of oxygen production in our immediate area's eco-system.

The Wallow Fire is one of five fires currently burning across Arizona. Collectively all five fires have consumed more than 851,354 acres in Arizona as of June 23, 2011. Statistics of all current Arizona fires are summarized below as of June 23, 2011.

Willow Fire started June 19, 2011; current size: 213 acres, percent contained:45%; location: one mile north of Bear Canyon Lake on the Mogollon Rim

Monument Fire started June 12, 2011; current size: 28,236 acres, containment: 59%; location: the Huachuca Mountains in the Coronado National Forest, just north of the Arizona-Mexico border; the breakdown of ownership burned is: USFS 14,471; private 8,074; NPS 4,843; BLM 198; State 455; DOD 195. http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2324/

Murphy Complex (Includes the Murphy Fire and Pajarita Fire) started May 30, 2011; current size: 68,078 acres; percent contained: 90%; estimated cost to date: $5,500,000; fuels: grass, shrub, oak, mesquite http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2268/

Wallow Fire started Sunday, May 29, 2011 size: 532,086 acres, percent contained: 58% acres by ownership: USFS = 496,838, AZ State= 4,531, Private = 6,284, San Carlos Indian Reservation= 9,200, Fort Apache Indian Reservation = 12,972. http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2262/

Horseshoe 2 Fire: began Sunday May 8, 2011; current size: 222,954 acres; percent contained:45%; acres by ownership: private 13,934; state 2,874; USFS 192,647; BLM 1,336; NPS 12,163. http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2225/

For more information, or to donate to the reforestation of these areas, go to www.treesforarizona.org.

About Trees for the Rim Program
The Trees for the Rim program was a direct response to the Rodeo-Chediski and conducted from 2002 - 2008. This program was founded even before the fire was officially extinguished, funded the growing and distribution of over 200,000 trees, shrubs, grasses and plants in the burned area. The survival rate of plantings provided under the Trees for Rim program exceeded 95 percent due in good part to the required educational planting and care class that recipients completed in order to qualify for free plantings. About 2,000 acres of private property, representing more than 525 property owners, were restored after the fire.

About The Arizona Community Tree Council
The Arizona Community Tree Council, Inc. (ACTC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the care and planting of trees, and promotes the education and exchange of information about trees and the essential role they play in the well being of all Arizona communities. Founded in 1990, the ACTC is composed of representatives from individual Arizona counties, tribal communities, government agencies, professional organizations and other individuals who have a statewide interest in the Council’s mission. ACTC membership includes arborists, landscapers, nursery operators, growers and members of the business community. The organization has the knowledge and resources to supply the correct species of trees for damaged areas at the right time for planting, and to educate people on how to plant and care for trees. When Trees for Arizona was established, the Committee stipulated that 100 percent of all proceeds be dedicated to replanting native trees and shrubs in fire-devastated communities.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Conni Ingallia,
ED, Arizona Community Tree Council
602-354-3023
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Community Public Relations,

Annie Loyd, Principal

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