TEXAS TREE TRAILS UPDATE

Don Henley Launches Texas Tree Trail at Dallas Arboretum

WWW.TEXASTREETRAILS.ORG

The Texas Tree Trails (TTT) program is a project to find, locate, recognize, measure, photograph, and gather data on the significant trees in the DFW area. The gathered information is available to the public in the form of a virtual tour on the Internet.

Texas Tree Trails showcases the importance of these local botanical, historic, and cultural treasures and is an integral key to preserving them for future generations.

The three supporting members of the Texas Tree Trails project (Texas Forest Service, the Trinity Blacklands Urban Forestry Council, and the Dallas Historic Tree Coalition) have been working hard to add more information plus more beautiful and significant trees to the website for your viewing.

• The newest trail addition is the Fort Worth Botanic Garden Champion Tree Trail – http://www.texastreetrails.org/tours/fwbg_trail.html. There are nine DFW Regional Champion Trees one of which is a State Champion. Each tree is represented with photographs and identification information. The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden Champion Tree Trail will be online soon. The trees on both trails were measured with the help of TTT volunteers that included the Master Naturalist and Master Gardener programs. Also on the website are extensive measuring techniques including handouts, photographs, and PowerPoint presentations. These tools give our volunteers an easy place to review measuring methods, teach friends, and to give them confidence in their measuring abilities. If you would like to be a volunteer and learn to measure these champion trees, please contact TTT at dfw@texastreetrails.org.

• Check out TTT News at http://www.texastreetrails.org/ttt_news.html. View recent articles pertaining to trees in our area by the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. Witness the official “unveiling” of Texas Tree Trails by viewing the press conference at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. Speakers included: Don Henley, Honorary Chairman; Matt Grubisich & Courtney Blevins, Texas Forest Service; Bill Seaman, Dallas Historic Tree Coalition; Sarah Bjornson, Project Manager; and Doug Pierson, webmaster. The presence of Mr. Henley, Honorary Chair, is a testament to the significance of the project.

• The Texas Tree Trails effort has received a second $10,000.00 grant from the Texas Forest Service to improve and maintain the website, hire a summer intern to help measure and photograph our current State and Regional Champions, and create a “Starter Kit” to help other cities in Texas begin their own Tree Trails.

Take a moment to tour the wonderful website and bring a little of the outdoors into your home or office.

If you have questions about the Texas Tree Trail or would like to know more about volunteering to help with the project, please contact:

• Sarah Bjornson, Arborilogical Services, Inc., Consulting Arborist

972-442-1524 • sbjornson@arborilogical.com

• Matt Grubisich, Texas Forest Service Urban Forester

214-953-1190 • mgrubisich@tfs.tamu.edu

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