New on-line tree selector available

Editor’s note: This article is from the archives of the MSU Crop Advisory Team Alerts. Check the label of any pesticide referenced to ensure your use is included.  

The USDA Forest Service in cooperation with Rutgers University and the University of Florida has developed a new Tree Selector web site. The searchable web site enables users to input information on site (hardiness zone, exposure, drainage, salt exposure), tree use, tree size and desired ornamental characteristics. The program then provides a list of candidate trees based on the user inputs. As with other searchable databases, the results are only as good as the information the user provides. However, the web site is a good initial starting point for landscapers or homeowners that want to match their tree selection with their site.

http://orb.at.ufl.edu/TREES/index.html

More web browsing

Comedian George Carlin used to wonder why they measure the official temperature at the airport when nobody lives there. To help answer that question, the EPA has compiled an “Urban Heat Island” website. This web site provides basic information on urban heat island effects as well as mitigation steps including tree planting and design practices to reduce energy use.

http://www.epa.gov/heatisland/index.html

In case the Urban Heat Island didn’t get you hot and bothered enough, the USDA and NOAA have teamed up to provide a “National Drought Monitor” website. The site is updated weekly and tracks the intensity of drought around the country. The site also provides long-range forecasts to gauge where droughts might be relieved or get worse.

http://drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html

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