Guidelines for Measuring Big Trees

  American Forests Champion Trees: Measuring Guidelines Handbook, a PDF document  published by American Forests, offers detailed information about our nation’s most majestic trees. The link to this publication, which offers detailed information on how to measure our national treasures will be placed on our Big Trees page.    

Annual Baltimore County Forestry Board Workshop, The Web of Life, March 18th: Sign up soon – only 25 slots left!

Our Baltimore County Forestry Board (BCFB) is excited to bring back the annual March Environmental Workshops, which were canceled in 2020. We are restarting this exciting workshop day on Saturday, March 18, 2023 from 9 AM to 3 PM, with food provided. Location: Oregon Ridge Lodge in Oregon Ridge Park and near Oregon Ridge Nature …

Backyard Buffer Seedling Packet Giveaway

The staff and volunteers of the Maryland Forest Service and the Baltimore County Forestry Board will distribute free Backyard Buffer Tree Packets. This year’s packets include the following species: Willow Oak, Swamp White Oak, Persimmon, Common Ninebark, and Possumhaw. Each packets includes 25 seedling. Please select one packet in this form. Planting instructions are included in …

Kestral Chicks All Alone After Mum Disappears: Dad to the Rescue

When kestrel mum Mrs Kestrel disappears, she leaves six chicks all alone. Cold and hungry, they will surely die without her. Find out what happens and learn how tough kestrel mums need to be to bring up their babies in the wild. The Mr Kestrel pitches in and the brood survives. and

Time Sensitive Announcement: Arbor Day Posters Due Noon, January 20th

For those who missed the press release about the invitation to submit the 2023 Arbor Day Posters: The Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Forest Conservancy District Boards invite all Maryland fifth graders in private and public schools to participate in the annual Arbor Day Poster Contest. The theme for 2023 is: “Trees Are Terrific…and …

Articles of Interest

FALLEN LEAVES: A TREE’S GIFT TO THE STREAM, December 2, 2022 This article in  Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay discusses the many ways in which the decay of fallen leaves on the ground and in water benefits our wildlife, the ground, and our water sources. Click on the link to read this interesting article. Upstate New …

About Trees

Trees are on our minds this season. These links lead to good tree news and bad.  Baltimore County 2023 Christmas Tree Pick Up starts Monday, January 9th Evergreen Trees for Birds, The Spruce.Com Urban Forest’s water retention, infiltration, and transpiration, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture Oak Trees Are Dying at Record Rates Across Chesapeake …

Baltimore County Forestry Board Annual Workshop Day: March 18, 2023

The Baltimore County Forestry Board (BCFB) is excited to bring back our annual March Environmental Workshops. Our last annual workshop, entitled "Native Species & the Web of Life,” was canceled in 2020. We have rescheduled a similar workshop day with updated information on Saturday, March 18, 2023, at the Oregon Ridge Lodge in the Oregon …

Leave the Leaves in Fall: Don’t Rake

Leaves provide food and shelter for pollinators throughout the winter months. Click here to read the entire article from xerces.org.

Is There Hope To Stop Them? Spotted Lanternflies Might Have Met Their Match

This article from The Rocket on October 7, 2022, stated: Scientists have identified the fungi Batkoa major that killed 97% of spotted lanternflies on tree trunks when reproduced in a lab setting. They also identified a second fungi, Beauveria bassiana, that killed 51% of the flies while on the ground. Batkoa major killed the rest …

Love Trees? You’ll like these books!

Linda Barker, our Big Tree Coordinator, suggests the following books for those who want to know more about our native trees. Identifying Trees of the East: Michael D. Williams This field-tested guide for identifying trees in any season, not just when they are in full leaf, features color photos and line drawings showing bark, branching …

Spotted Lanternflies Laying Egg Masses: How You Can Help

An article by Deb Belt, posted on  Maryland Regional Patch, discussed the egg masses laid by spotted lanternflies in Maryland. They are laid from September through December, and will not hatch until spring. This lag time provides us with an opportunity to report any egg masses to agencies that are designed to destroy them. "The …

Carroll County’s Big Tree Program

CarrollMagazine.com recently featured its county’s Big Tree Program. Click on their site to read this highly interesting article.  Carroll’s Big Tree Program 16 DAYS AGO  |  Carroll Magazine Synopsis by Muck Rack. Written by Amanda Milewski, photography by Nikola Tzenov. Recognizing Some Of The County’s Shadiest Specimens. In a county known for its farmland and …

A Giant Moth Trusts Her Rescuer

When a giant moth, just out of its cocoon, lands on a young lady's hand, she sits quietly and places the insect in a protective spot for the night. The following morning the moth's rescuer spots her with a male. When a storm approaches, the girl provides shelter in a tent for the moth, who, …

Deep Sea Octopuses Find Ways to Use Human Trash for Shelter

Creative ways octopuses are using garbage in oceans is an interesting article in Huffington Post about how intelligent cephalopods use trash and litter for shelters because sea shells are gone. The Smithsonian Magazine also discusses this topic. My Octopus Teacher, the fascinating 2020 Netflix film, teaches us about the intelligence of our intriguing friends in …