Vol I | Fall 2016 | Issue II
the ARBORIST
In This Issue
Why Trees Love Litter
Why Leaves Change Color
Past Events
I have always loved fall. My pumpkins look ready for harvesting and
baking, and the trees start to move toward hibernation. How amazing!
I hope you find as much wonderment in fall as I do.
Quick Links
Donate to the UNR Arboretum
Check out our Commemorative
Tree Program
Volunteer with Us
Contact Us
Featured Recipe
~Kirsten Schuhmacher
Editor
Why Trees Love Litter
Mulching with woodchips. How much is too much? How close is too
close? These are the questions commonly asked, and Arborist
Christoph Weber is answering.
Why Leaves Change Color
Reno is a great place to find
unpicked apple trees (a fact that
comes in handy when you make
your own apple pie filling). Even
UNR has an apple tree ready to
be picked. The search for apples
around town can make for
delicious apple pie filling. Read
more
1
Maybe you learned in school why the leaves change color. Maybe you
didn’t. Rod Haulenbeek gets inside the thoughts of some of the
Arboretum’s prettiest fall trees to explain how the whole process
works.
Read more
Arboreous
[ahr-bawr-ee-uh s, -bohr-]
adj. Living in or among trees
Vol I | Fall 2016 | Issue II
Why Trees Love Litter
By: Christoph Weber
Forest litter, that is—the fallen leaves,
branches, and downed trees that slowly
decompose and cycle nutrients back into the
soil. In the urban environment we break this
cycle by raking up leaves and removing dead
trees. But we can simulate forest litter with
one of the best things we can do for our
trees: mulching with wood chips.
Benefits of wood chips:
1) Release essential nutrients into the
soil
2) Retain soil moisture, cutting
irrigation needs by up to 50%
3) Inhibit weed growth
4) Increase earthworm and
microorganism activity
5) Prevent soil compaction
6) Regulate soil temperature
7) Reduce erosion
8) Provide low-maintenance,
manicured look
Healthy Woodchip Mulch
What not to do-Woodchip pile
2
Vol I | Fall 2016 | Issue II
Further reading:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/24
5.pdf
http://agris.fao.org/agrissearch/search.do?recordID=US19830890573
A Little Info About
Christoph Weber
Reno native, Christoph Weber is a certified
arborist, author, and board member at the
University of Nevada Arboretum. His short fiction
has appeared in Nature, among other
publications, and he's a winner of the 2016 Writers
of the Future Award.
He is definitely a nature lover and writer
extraordinaire to watch. If you haven’t had the
pleasure of meeting Christoph yet, you should
make a priority to do so. His passion for the
environment, learning, community involvement,
and writing comes through in nearly every aspect
I know about him. He is truly a neat person and
the Arboretum is lucky to have him on our board.
If you would like to see more of what he does, you
can check out his website at:
www.christophweber.com
3
Vol I | Fall 2016 | Issue II
Why Leaves Change Color
By: Rod Haulenbeek
To answer this question, we’ll pretend that a tree
can speak English. Here is some testimony from a
tree with Attitude:
“Hi! I’m Roy, an Amur Maple tree. My answer is
both complicated and simple. Any high school
biology student knows that my leaves contain
chlorophyll, which aids in photosynthesis.
Chlorophyll makes my leaves look green. It aids in
reactions in which sunlight, oxygen, carbon
dioxide, water and nutrients combine to form food
for me (such as carbohydrates, fats, sugars – in fact,
all that stuff you humans have except that nasty
cholesterol!). Chlorophyll is an unstable substance,
constantly breaking down, and I have to keep
manufacturing it to keep photosynthesis going.
Black Tupelo Tree Leaves
“But photosynthesis basically stops in winter,
because reactions go so slowly. Besides, my leaves
have no insulation to prevent the watery fluids
coursing through them from freezing, expanding
and wrecking them. Also, after several months, my
leaves have been scorched by the sun, tattered by
the wind and chewed up by insects. My less-evolved
distant cousins the conifers try to gut it out each
winter; they do this with small wax-covered needles
and built-in antifreeze.
“Since I choose not to have this scenario every
winter, I drop my leaves. As Fall progresses, I
decrease the amount of water going into leaves and
build up a few layers of cells connecting leaves and
branches. This helps the chlorophyll degrade,
whereupon my true colors start to appear (there is
so much chlorophyll in summer that the yellow or
orange color of carotenoids in my leaves can’t be
seen). Now here’s the part where I have a jump on
my less fortunate and less colorful cousins the
Black Tupelo Tree
4
Vol I | Fall 2016 | Issue II
Norway Maples: during the day I manufacture
anthocyanins (a type of sugar), which make some of
my leaves color red and purple. The shutting off of
my leaves from my branches means that these
sugars accumulate and make my beautiful orange,
orange-red, purplish and red leaves even more
beautiful. Depending on the Fall weather, I may
have more or less color.
freeze like we had last week, their leaves fry with no
Fall color and my leaves just take it in stride.
“Ah, but then weather events occur (such as rain,
snow, wind or a sudden freeze). At a certain point,
those brittle layers snap and my leaf falls.
Everybody’s happy: I am protected from Winter and
you enjoy a gorgeous display!”
And here’s where I have another leg up on my
neighbors the Mulberry trees: If there is a snap hard
A Little Info About
Rod Haulenbeek
Rod Haulenbeek, also known as "The
Tree Hunter," has been interested in
trees since his youth. He pursued a
career as a geologist in two major oil
companies. About 20 years ago, he
changed careers to pursue his interest
in trees. Without a formal education in
trees but spurred by his passion for
them, he has published two books
about trees, is heavily involved in the
Nevada Big Tree Program, has
completed tree inventories of over
15,000 trees with over 200 species, and
has dedicated much of the last year to
5
the trees at UNR. His certifications
include Master Gardener, Tree Worker,
Arborist, and Tree Risk Assessment.
If you have never met Rod or listened
to him talk about trees, you definitely
are missing out. Rod is a man of many
passions and it shows through his
dedication to the Arboretum. He is
currently completing a set of selfguided audio tours of the Arboretum.
Stay tuned! Rod is a great member of
the Arboretum board that certainly
should not be looked over.
Vol I | Fall 2016 | Issue II
Past Events
th
June 20-26
was pollinator week not
only for UNR but for the entire United States as well
as other countries like Mexico and Canada. UNR
celebrated pollinator week on June 22nd by hosting
an event surrounding the University’s native plant
pollinator garden. The event ran from 10:00 a.m. to
2:00 p.m. and was supported by many local, state,
and federal organizations such as the Nevada
Division of Forestry, the US Fish and Wildlife
Service, Nevada Bugs and Butterflies, and many
6
others. This was the second year that the event took
place, and it seemed to be doing well. Many of the
activities were designed to be kid-friendly, but I still
found many educational opportunities for adults as
well. I wasn’t able to get very much information
about how the community could help spread the
word or donate to help with the native plant
pollinator garden, but I’m sure word of mouth is
better than nothing. If you’re ever in the
Agriculture Quad, look by the stairs to check out
the pollinator garden. It shouldn’t be missed.
Vol I | Fall 2016 | Issue II
7
Vol I | Fall 2016 | Issue II
Past Events, Continued
another dedicated team of volunteers. This
fall, there will be twenty-five new tree markers
installed. There will be another twenty-five
more added the following year. This fall’s tree
markers were written by Christoph Weber.
The next time you walk by a tree with a new
tree marker, check it out.
If you would like to help out by getting more
tree markers created and installed, please
donate to the UNR Arboretum
If you happen to be walking around
campus and you notice that there are new posts in
the ground in front of some trees, then you have
recognized the Arboretum’s new tree markers.
These tree markers replaced the weathered
Memorial Tree Markers, which have now been
digitized. The new tree markers were designed and
written by the chair of the Arboretum, Prof. Cheryll
Glotfelty. They were hand-glued together by a team
of volunteers. They were also installed by hand by
8
Vol I | Fall 2016 | Issue II
Past Events, Continued
If you read the last issue of The Arborist,
then you might remember a story about a thorny,
coniferous, Chilean tree called the Monkey Puzzle
tree. Two Monkey Puzzle trees were donated to the
Arboretum. I am pleased to say that both trees, one
from the ASUN and one from Grounds Services,
look to be doing very well. They are planted in the
concrete planters to the north of the new
Pennington Achievement Center. One of the trees
was planted ceremoniously on Arbor Day, April
29th. The Arboretum was also joined by a Tree
Campus USA representative to help spread the
word and to maintain the University’s Tree Campus
USA certification. If you would like to help us plant
more unique trees like the Monkey Puzzle tree,
then please donate to the UNR Arboretum
9
Vol I | Fall 2016 | Issue II
Featured Recipe
Simple Apple Pie
Filling
One of my favorite things about
Fall is my craving of warm foods.
Nothing is better than making
apple pie filling and mixing it
with oatmeal or generously
covering a waffle with it. This
apple pie filling is a personal
favorite of mine, and it tastes
especially good with apples
picked from around town. This
recipe is especially nice for
freezing so don’t worry about
making too much!
You don’t necessarily need to
add lemon juice unless you
don’t like brown apples. You
can also add ½ cup more sugar
if you would like it sweeter.
Ingredients
18 cups thinly sliced/chopped
apples
3 tablespoons lemon juice
8 cups water
4 cups white sugar
I cup cornstarch
4 t ground cinnamon
1 t salt
½ t ground nutmeg
Directions
1. In a large bowl, toss apples (and lemon
juice) and set aside. Pour water into a pot
(preferably a Dutch oven to prevent burning)
over medium heat. Combine sugar,
cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a
bowl; add to water, stir well, and bring to a
boil. Boil for about 2 minutes, stirring
constantly.
2. Add apples and return to a boil. Reduce
heat, cover and simmer until apples are
tender, about 6-8 minutes. Cool for 30
minutes.
3. You can now ladle this into containers for
freezing or leave it for eating (beware you will
have a lot). This can be store in the freezer for
up to 12 months.
The Presence of
Trees
I have always felt the living presence
Of trees
The forest that calls to me as deeply
As I breathe
As though the woods were marrow of my bone
As though
I myself were tree, a breathing, reaching
Arc of the larger canopy
Beside a brook bubbling to foam
Like the one
Deep in these woods,
That calls
That whispers home
-Michael S. Glaser
10
Vol I | Fall 2016 | Issue II
Raising Wild is Michael
Branch’s new book of short
stories that combines humor,
nature writing, and nonfiction
within the Northern Nevada
Great Basin. It is always
important to support our local
authors, and Michael Branch is
a great local writer to support.
His writing is refreshing and
humorous while providing a
different perspective on the
environmental writing canon.
You can buy his book from our
local bookshops or from
Amazon. You can also see
what else Branch is up to on
his website:
http://michaelbranchwriter.c
om/
Praise for Raising Wild
“It is about our daily reality,
not our fantasy possibilities…
Michael Branch’s book points
forward, not back.”—Gary
Snyder
Important Dates
See UNR Arboretum Website for
Details
October 20-22
UNR Homecoming
October 21
Nevada Shade Tree Week Planting Event
October 25
Tree Talk-Jean Earl on Basque tree rubbings around Tahoe
November 29
Tree Talk-Steve Churchillo and Naomi Duerr on Reno’s tree inventory and
Urban Forest Management plan
March 1
Tree Talk-Marty Sillito on the greening of the campus landscape
March 28
Tree Talk-Dan Baird on the difference between the Forest Service and the Park
Service
April 25
Tree Talk-Charlie Truettner on his tree ring research
~Stay arboreous
Kirsten Schuhmacher
Editor
11