Trees/Forests Resources

Delaware Forest Service

• Michael Valenti - DE State Forester, Member of Community Forestry Council

Emaill: michael.valenti@delaware.gov

• Kesha Braunskill - Urban and Community Forestry Program Director

Email: kesha.braunskill@state.de.us

Phone: (302) 698-4578

Website: https://delawaretrees.com

The Delaware Forest Service supports the conservation of all forested areas throughout the State of Delaware. Forested riparian buffers are of particular importance for water quality but forested buffers not associated with water are just as important—in rural, urban, and suburban settings.

Trees absorb CO2 and pollutants from the air and release pure oxygen; the extensive root systems (especially of older, mature trees) filter pollutants from water percolating through the soil; they help with noise abatement in areas of higher population density; they help moderate temperatures by providing shade in the summer and solar radiant heat (for deciduous hardwoods) in the winter; they provide vital habitat for a host of wildlife species but especially birds, many of which help control insect pests in the spring and summer; they provide unmatched aesthetic beauty that translates to a sense of wellbeing for people living in the area.

Rural and urban trees and forests are an essential part of our green infrastructure and should be viewed as such by everyone. I understand that as the population grows, there is a need to convert more and more land into human living spaces. However, we can lessen the impacts to trees and forests and their outright loss by considering ways to conserve and protect them in all aspects of community development. Tree buffers of any type are a great way to conserve the forests we have left and should be standard operating procedure for growing communities throughout Delaware.

Some reference sites:

• https://www.fs.usda.gov/nac/buffers/docs/conservation_buffers.pdf

• https://www.chesapeakebay.net/images/press_release_pdf/The_Role_and_Function_of_Forest_Buffers_For_Nonpoint_Source_Management_in_the_Chesapeake_Bay_Basin.pdf

• https://www.nature.org/media/centralapps/recommended-shale-practices-ecological-buffers.pdf

U.S. Forest Service - https://www.fs.usda.gov/

• People and Forests

https://sites.google.com/view/sussex2030-treepreservation/home

• Conservation Buffers

https://www.fs.usda.gov/nac/buffers/docs/conservation_buffers.pdf

Beneath the Canopy: A Historical View of Forestry in Delaware - 420-page Book

• by Bob Tjaden and Walt Gabel, both former Delaware state foresters

https://www.stateforesters.org/2020/05/04/former-state-foresters-co-write-history-of-delawares-forests/

Bob Tjaden resides in Seaford - rtjaden1@comcast.net (available after end of Sept. 2020)

Books by Prof. Doug Tallamy

Tree Cover Reduces Summer Heat

Correcting the disparity in tree cover is one way to protect low-income neighborhoods from negative effects of climate change, experts say.

• Jeanne Kuang, and Krys'tal Griffin, Delaware News Journal - July 30, 2020

https://www.delawareonline.com/in-depth/news/2020/07/30/summers-heat-up-not-all-wilmington-neighborhoods-feel-equally/5452390002/?for-guid=67bacff0-b170-11ea-84c9-ca14e22e886b&utm_source=delawareonline-Your%20Week%20with%20Delaware%20Online&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=narrative&utm_term=article_body

Climate Reality Leadership Corps

Dr. Ted Spickler, Dagsboro

302-927-0050

spickler8@comcast.net