trees

Berkshire residents may have noticed that the county has been blanketed in fluff this spring. WAMC asked the hard questions to find out what’s behind the ubiquitous airborne seedlings.

National Book Award winning author Richard Powers spent a year under the redwoods of California.

That reflection led to his new novel, “The Overstory,” about the world of trees and a band of people determined to change the way it’s perceived.

On Saturday, April 29th, a small army of volunteers will spread out across Saratoga Springs to plant new trees.  Sustainable Saratoga's Urban Forestry Project is holding its sixth planting day one day after Arbor Day.

WAMC's Lucas Willard spoke with program chair Tom Denny about the upcoming event and the organization.

For more information visit: http://www.sustainablesaratoga.org/projects/urban-forestry-project/

  Writer Tracy Chevalier spins fiction from history. Her new novel, At the Edge of the Orchard, takes us back to the Gold Rush era to tell the tale of a pioneer family on the American frontier.

A just-released scientific study says imported forest pests such as the Asian longhorned beetle and emerald ash borer are causing more than $2 billion in damages each year in the United States.

A new program about environmental awareness kicks off in western Massachusetts today. The US Forest Service along with the University of Massachusetts, the city of Springfield, and the nonprofit Regreen Springfield will hold a series of workshops to highlight the importance of trees, birds and water in urban neighborhoods.   WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill spoke with David Bloniarz, a researcher with the U.S. Forest Service.

Massachusetts is expanding an initiative to reduce energy use in urban neighborhoods by planting trees.  In western Massachusetts, the city of Chicopee is now a beneficiary of the program.

The “Greening the Gateway Cities Program” has a goal of increasing the urban tree canopy by 10 percent in selected neighborhoods in cities where age and a history of manufacturing has contributed to a loss of trees through the years.

   The Sugarmaker’s Companion is the first guide of its kind addressing the small-and large-scale syrup producer seeking to make a profitable business from maple, birch, and walnut sap.

This book incorporates valuable information on ecological forest management, value-added products, and the most up-to-date techniques on sap collection and processing. It also looks at an integrated sugaring operation, interconnected to the whole-farm system, woodland, and community.

Joining us today to answer your gardening questions is our panel of gardening experts.

Joining us today to answer your gardening questions is our expanded panel of gardening experts.

Greg Ward runs Ward’s Nursery - a lawn and garden resource in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

Fred Breglia is director of horticulture and operations at the Landis Arboretum in Esperance, New York.

Joining us today to answer your gardening questions is Fred Breglia, director of horticulture and operations at the Landis Arboretum in Esperance, New York. WAMC's Ray Graf hosts.

Members of the Pittsfield community gathered to celebrate Arbor Day at Pitt Park. The park was founded 100 years ago, one of the city’s first parks.

The public gathered in the park under the branches of an Eastern Cottonwood tree that Jim McGrath, Parks and Open Spaces Director for the City of Pittsfield, said was here before the city was founded. It is at least 300 years old.

"We're pleased that we can celebrate this grand champion on Arbor Day," said McGrath.

Joining us today to answer your gardening questions are two folks you may already know, and two new guests.