Oriental, NC Named Tree City USA

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Oriental, NC
A Tree City USA

TREES FOR ORIENTAL

"Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children.
We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children."

Qwatsinas, Nuxalk Nation

What a difference a tree makes! It serves as a living proof that we can make a positive change in our surroundings. Every tree we plant benefits the entire world. It beautifies our homes, neighborhood and town. It produces oxygen and helps clean the air that everyone breathes The migratory birds sheltered by our trees may even be shared by people on other continents.

Trees were the obvious choice for commemorating the September 11 tragedy. They represent a continuum of life, grow more beautiful and valuable as they get older, and have the capacity to renew themselves. All over North Carolina there have been, and continue to be, memorial trees planted. Oriental planted 2 trees as part of this campaign, and 10 others in November and December to ensure an ongoing green canopy in the town. All of these trees came from our tree nursery, and are fairly small, but research has shown that in 5 years they will have caught up with trees that were 3 or 4 times larger when planted. And we saved a bunch of money, too!

This is a dreary time of the year for gardeners, although the mailman often brings new seed catalogues which keep our "digging in the dirt" instincts alive. So this is a good time to visit gardens, both to get ideas for our own yards, and just to enjoy their beauty. There are many of them within reach for a day trip--gather up some friends and go visit one, or more. Tryon Palace in New Bern is the closest, of course, but there are several in Wilmington: Arlie Gardens (fantastic camellias), New Hanover County Arboretum, Orton Plantation Gardens, and Greenfield Park and Gardens. Duke Gardens in Durham, N.C.,Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill, and the N.C State (J.C. Raulston) Arboretum in Raleigh, a great way to see what you can grow in North Carolina. At the Raulston Arboretum there is a new tree they're experimenting with--a wingnut tree--doesn't that stir up your curiosity?

The Tree Board of Oriental meets the first Tuesday of the month, at 9 a.m. at Town Hall. Everyone is invited to attend these meetings. Occasionally this changes because of an election or holiday, so check with Town Hall to confirm the date.

TREES FOR ORIENTAL SEPTEMBER

TREES HAVE BEEN WITNESS TO ALL OF OUR GRANDEUR; ALL OUR SILLINESS, ALL OUR MISTAKES AND ALL OUR VICTORIES.

James Whitmore

Interested in a "low tech" solution to summer's high air-conditioning cost? Plant trees on the east and west sides of your house, 10 to 12 feet from its walls. Plant trees to shade windows especially, as 3/4 of solar heat that enters your house comes through windows. As the tree grows, it can be pruned high, to keep the view open. Planting a tree to shade your air-conditioning unit/heat pump will increase its efficiency by 10%. Choose trees with high shade value, and trees that are native to this area, such as Maples, Hackberry, Green Ash and Sycamore. Sweetgum and Oaks have a little less shade value, but are useful native shade trees.

Virginia Russell from the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service Department of Urban Forestry attended the August meeting of the Oriental Town Board to present the Tree City USA award for 6 years of planting and caring for trees. Trees are major capital assets in America's cities and towns. Just as streets sidewalks, sewers, public buildings and recreational facilities are a part of a community's infrastructure, so are publicly owned trees. Trees are important assets that require care and maintenance the same as other public property. Every year we lose trees, from old age, storms, new building, etc., but every year we plant more trees and keep an eye on all town trees to see that they get pruned, fertilized, mulched, and in the case of newly-planted trees, watered as needed.

Grateful thanks once more to Pete Newman for continuing to supply mulch for needy plants and trees, and to Mac's Minimart for donating space for storing it. Bring your own shovels and containers. Remember not to place mulch right up against tree trunks--that creates lovely homes for un-lovely insects, molds and fungus. Keep mulch about 6 inches from the trunk.

Leaves will soon be falling, giving a major mulch opportunity. Run the lawnmower over them to shred them, and leave them on the lawn. If you have a gigantic amount, and must rake them up, they make nutritious additions to your compost pile--so nutritious that your surplus would be welcome gifts to friends and neighbors who have compost piles.

I AM MYSELF AND WHAT IS AROUND ME, AND IF I DO NOT SAVE IT, IT SHALL NOT SAVE ME.
         Jose Ortega y Gasset

                        'Tis the season for planting trees, from now until April, and also for pruning. Crape myrtles grow vigorously, sending out root suckers and multiple twigs from their branches, so they especially need yearly pruning. Oriental has almost 100 crape myrtles.

                        Members of the Oriental Tree Board tackle the pruning job each Wednesday morning, but each year some trees don't get pruned--we need help! Those of you who attended one of the pruning workshops, or those who would like to learn some pruning techniques, please join us any Wednesday at Town Hall at 9 a.m. Two hours, one hour, one-half hour; whatever help you can give will be appreciated by a needy tree.

Winter is also mulch season, and mulch is an important feature of gardening. The rules are simple: about 3 inches deep, NOT right up against the trunk of trees or shrubs, extend mulch out 8 to 10 inches from the tree trunk. Mulch composts gradually, so needs to be replenished gradually.

                       About 50 people were present on November 10 at the site of the new Southeast Pamlico Volunteer Fire Department where a live oak tree and a dogwood were planted as memorials to the firemen involved in the tragedy at the World Trade Center in New York City. Oriental's new tree nursery furnished these trees, as well as several others which have been planted in town recently:3 bald cypress, 3 cedars, a sycamore grown from a seed carried on a spaceship which landed on the moon, and, in front of Town Hall, a golden raintree grown from stock at Historic Williamsburg.

                      The Garden Club of the Oriental Woman's Club planted shrubs around Town Hall, and a watering system has been installed to care for them. Thank you, ladies, it's a pleasant sight for everyone passing by.

                       Now that outside gardening is at a minimum, houseplants can occupy a gardener's green thumb. They are, of course, attractive, but also useful. Today's houses are designed to be almost airtight, consequently air pollutants are trapped inside. NASA, in studies done to develop life-support systems for long-term space travel, has found that many common houseplants will remove the most prevalent indoor pollutants. The more variety, the better.

    HAPPY HOLIDAY WISHES FROM THE ORIENTAL TREE BOARD

The people's choice for a National Tree was the oak, which received one-fourth of the votes. Runner-up was the Redwood, which is certainly an impressive tree, but voters obviously preferred a downhome tree, one that has been part of the landscape throughout the U. S.. There are many .varieties of oaks, a dozen of which are growing in Oriental and Pamlico County. Two years ago, a live oak, water oak and willow oak were planted in Lou/Mac Park, and they are doing well--growing slowly, as oaks do, but the payoff is that they have long lives.

The six trees, three river birch and three red maples, which were planted last winter at the Recreation Park are also looking good. They have to be watered between rainfalls, as do all newly-planted trees, But the extra effort results in healthy, happy trees. Those of you who planted Millennium trees last year, take note: They should be watered weekly when there is less than an inch of rain during the week. Our high temperatures make the okra thrive--but the soil dries out rapidly, and new young trees need continuous moisture to help get their roots established. Mulch will help retain the moisture. Organic mulches decompose, leaving a rich, spongy soil, so new mulch must be added at least once a year.

It's crape myrtle blossom season, and Oriental has some spectacular bloomers (flowers, that is!) along its streets. Some of the trees, however, have only a few flowers, and some none at all, even though all of them were equally fertilized, mulched and pruned. This happens every year, everywhere. They must need a rest and recuperation period occasionally; however, they are attractive trees, with or without their flowers.

WITH TREES YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP!

If you didn't get a "round tuit" yet, it's a prime time to prune your crape myrtles and other trees and shrubs. There is a pruning guide for crape myrtles available at Oriental Town Hall, and these instructions apply to any kind of tree. The County Extension Service in Alliance has some excellent pamphlets on pruning shrubs and trees; stop in and get them on your way to the grocery and/or drug store.

We received a grant to construct a small tree nursery on town property near the sewage treatment plant on White Farm Road. The first stage, piping water to the area, is almost complete. Then the plot will be leveled and fenced in, before planting tables and raised beds for the potted trees are built. This month we received and potted 100 seedlings (Oaks, Ash, Red Maple, Baldcypress, Blackgum, Water Tupelo), which, added to those we potted a year ago, give us a variety of 20 different trees to be planted in Oriental over the next few years.

The National Arbor Day Foundation is sponsoring a drive to designate a National Tree for the U.S. You can vote for your choice by mail: National Arbor Day Foundation, Nebraska City NE 68410, or by E-Mail: arborday.org It's great that everyone can be part of the selection process, so send in your vote before April 1. The list of candidates is long. It includes California Redwood and Giant Sequoia, which are certainly distinctive and spectacular. However, a tree that grows everywhere in the U.S. would be a good choice, so that we could all have a specimen of the National Tree in our own yards. Posters of the voting drive are up at Town Hall and at the Post Office, so you can see the list of candidates--but be warned--you may need a magnifying glass to read the small print!

Another of Oriental's grand old Oak trees had to be removed last month, the one beside the Cartwright House on Church Street. It had been pruned several times in the past 6 years in an effort to preserve it as long as possible, but it became too likely that pieces of it would break off and damage property or people. If the old trees that have been removed in Oriental over the past 5 years were on private land, or in locations where breaking limbs would fall harmlessly to the ground, they could be left standing for many more years. But in an urban area, the hazard to people and property has to be reckoned with, so down they come, and our regret at seeing their demise must inspire each of us to plant another in order to perpetuate Oriental as a Tree City.

There have been several articles in magazines recently about plantings to encourage birds in your neighborhood. Regularly mentioned are Oaks, Dogwood, Crabapple, Viburnum, Hawthorne, and Eastern Red Cedar. The Cedar is an especially good tree for Oriental, as it is heat and salt resistant, tolerates all kinds of soils, and stands up well to WIND. There are two of them on South Water Street, between the crab plant and the yacht club, which were planted four years ago, and have come unharmed through all the hurricanes since then.

Note: Do not plant both Crabapple and Cedars in your yard; the Crabapple will acquire a rust disease from the Cedar--not deadly, but definitely ugly.
(Learned this the hard way. Editor)

Crepe myrtles are frilly Sunday afternoon girls Walking home with double-dip Raspberry ices.
Janet Adkins

Projects for the coming year:

1.. Tree nursery facility
2.. Purchase & potting of 100 seedling trees (different varieties from those last year)
3.. Plant a Tree in the year 2001 campaign in November and December
4.. Tree inventory. This project has encountered multiple and various setbacks, but we are DETERMINED to get it done.
5.. When the Recreation Park is completely laid out, we will begin planting trees in the picnic area and other locations away from the playing fields.

Ongoing projects:

1.. Monthly Trees for Oriental article in the Pamlico News & on the Pamlico N.C. website
2.. Adopt-a-Tree volunteers. This includes Maintenance of the Welcome Sign area by the Oriental Woman's Club Garden Club.

Oriental has again received the Tree City USA award--we are 5 year veterans!

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