Andrea Torrice’s film “Trees in Trouble: Saving America’s Urban Forests” depicts the impact of non-native tree-killing insects and diseases.
The film is being broadcast in April as part of Earth Day and Arbor Day programming on the PBS World Channel. Check your local public television station website for their schedule or visit the filmmaker’s site for more information.
Andrea’s film focuses on emerald ash borer in Cincinnati. It explores our connections to the trees and forests in our communities – and the threats to those trees. Featured experts and speakers include Prof. Dan Herms of Ohio State, Jenny Gulcik, a community forestry consultant, and Cincinnati Council member Wendell Young.
Because of the high value of urban trees, these pests’ greatest economic damage is in urban and suburban areas. [See my earlier blogs about the wood packaging pathway and this study: Aukema, J.E., B. Leung, K. Kovacs, C. Chivers, K. O. Britton, J. Englin, S.J. Frankel, R. G. Haight, T. P. Holmes, A. Liebhold, D.G. McCullough, B. Von Holle.. 2011. Economic Impacts of Non-Native Forest Insects in the Continental United States PLoS One September 2011 (Volume 6 Issue 9)]
Nor is this damage limited to southern Ohio – or even the Northeast broadly. Such pests are usually introduced first in cities – not necessarily ports! – because that is where crates and pallets, imported ornamental plants, and other articles to which pests attach arrive. Furthermore, trees along streets and in yards and parks are often more vulnerable than forest trees to such introduced pests because they are often subject to other stresses such as soil compaction, air pollution, elevated temperatures, and salt exposure. Finally, city trees are often planted as multiple individuals of the same species; when a pest that attacks that species arrives, entire neighborhoods can lose their tree canopy – and the real values that canopy provides.
See the film. Ask your friends to watch it! Be inspired by the film to contact members of Congress to ask that they support programs aimed at preventing tree pest introductions. (These programs are operated by APHIS; see my blog about APHIS’ funding needs posted in March.)
If you want to do more – visit the “resources” page of the filmmaker’s website to obtain toolkits for outreach and hosting an event.
Posted by Faith Campbell