Volunteers for Trees
- The West TN Chapter of the TN Urban Forestry Council was founded in 2004 to promote TUFC’s mission: “We inspire and empower people to grow healthy community and Urban Forests.”
Volunteer Opportunities
Thanks Volunteers for giving 1000's of Hours in 2020 to Help the Health of Our Forests
Turn in your Hours to Judi or sign up & log your hours with Cabot Creamery --log in hours within 7 days https://rewardvolunteers.coop/
Wed. 1.13.21 Elmwood's Carlisle S. Page Arboretum tree planting
12 noon til 3:30 ish. Meet with Amanda Knight to plant 13 trees. Mask. Bring your labeled shovel and dress for high 30 degree temps. Another day may be added.
Sunday Jan. 17, 2021, Spanish AM War Park: Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Meet with Judi. Mask and bring your tools: rake, shovel, clippers--- one or more. Make sure your tools are labeled with your name. General cleaning, pruning, raking, and kudzu bulb hunt and destroy mission. -with Volunteer Memphis & Leadership Memphis
register for TUFC Webinar - 1/21/21: Stand Dynamics in the Old Forest ... Eric Bridges
Champion. Landmark, & Historic Tree Team
Sign up with Judi for the Shelby County Team. To view TUFC State Champions click
January Tree: Savannah Holly
Ilex x attenuata ‘Savannah’ at Memphis Botanic Garden
In Winter, Provides Red Berries Contrasted with Glossy Green Leaves. Feeds & Provides Protective Shelter for Birds, Use the Evergreen for Privacy Screening or as a Specimen. Moderate Resistance to deer damage
Height: 35 ft tall & 8 ft wide at 40 yrs
Moderate Growth Rate
Leaves: 1-3" glossy green, with an apex & 2-4 evenly spaced spines
Trunk/bark: thin; gray
Fruit: vivid red 1" berries on female trees; solitary or 2-3 per cluster
"Ilex × attenuata is a naturally occurring hybrid originally found growing in the wild in Florida in 1924. It is a cross between I. cassine (dahoon) and I. opaca (American holly), both of which parents share native territory in the far southeastern U.S." source: Missouri Botanical Garden
Culture: Full Sun to Partial Sun; slightly acidic well drained soil- withstands drought
Wildlife Support:
Native Bee : Colletes banksi : these specialized native bees support holly (Ilex) pollination;
only forage on Ilex; are solitary, ground nesters; common names: cellophane, plasterer or polyester bees because of their waterproof cellophane lined brood cell construction
Birds: Important shelter & food source to many species including, Cedar Waxwings, Mockingbirds, and Robins
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c527
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st316
https://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/Pages/ileattsav/ileattsav.shtml
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ilex-x-savannah/
Article by Linnea West
Don’t be taken in by pretty looks – This beauty is hollow at the core. Beware of Loni maack…
Lonicera maackii, Amur Honeysuckle, is a highly invasive woody shrub in the eastern United States and beyond. USDA MAP link below.
Imported from east Asia for the nursery trade, it seemed a gardener’s dream: fragrant honeysuckle flowers, early and long-lasting leaves untouched by chewing insects, glossy bright red berries to attract birds, prolific arching stems… and therein lies the problem. This rapidly spreading shrub has become a nightmare. (The USDA lists L.maackii on its Federal and State Noxious Weeds List.)
Lonicera maackii has growth and reproductive traits that allow it to out-compete native plants in our deciduous forests on many levels: It has large ‘fruiting events’ in late summer with juicy red berries attractive to migrating birds but offering little nutritional value. To survive the arduous migration journey, birds need the high lipids and antioxidants of native plant berries such as dogwood, viburnum, holly, hackberry, elderberry.
Unfortunately, many birds, migrating or over-wintering, eat Amur Honeysuckle berries which offer inferior nutrition. Sugar-rich, they are the gumdrops of the plant world. The seeds remain viable after passing through bird digestive systems, so we end up with wide-spread maackii populations. White-tailed deer and many rodents eat these berries, furthering the spread.
Thickets of Amur Honeysuckle make poor nesting habitat. By providing quite dense, low shrubbery, they encourage birds who would otherwise nest higher to, instead, select locations more easily accessible to predatory snakes and wood rats.
The berries are washed into streams and rivers and remain viable for long periods under water and wherever they land. Opportunistic Lonicera maackii germinates and sprouts with ease, able to adapt to whatever sunlight and space it is given. When young, maackii seedlings can shoot upwards quickly if in a crowded location, then showing ‘environmental plasticity’, they begin to spread out their branches to overshadow the native competition.
In spring, Amur Honeysuckle is one of the earliest shrubs to leaf out. In autumn, the leaves turn a clear yellow and persist long after most woodland leaves have fallen. This invasive honeysuckle will often create dense thickets along riparian banks. When maackii leaves wash into streams, they can alter the microbial community. Different microbes are needed to break down Amur Honeysuckle leaves than those for our native streamside plants, leading to changes in decomposition and nutrient cycling in the waterway. This alters amphibian habitat, leading to behavior that makes them more susceptible to predators.
(ID tips: Note opposite branching; pointed entire leaves with parallel veins; grayish tan ‘fake-suede’ twigs with light tan axillary buds. Larger stems develop a ‘deer antler’ look and are hollow.)
Amur Honeysuckle crowds out native flowering plants that have evolved with specialist pollinators. For example, when Amur honeysuckle shades out Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) seedlings, the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly will have fewer hosts and its population will decline. Many of our native plants serve as larval hosts of butterflies, moths, and other beneficial insects which in turn serve as food for birds and other animals. Reducing the variety of native plants that provide sustenance for native insects and animals makes them all more vulnerable to predators and pathogens.
Besides shading out native seedlings, Amur Honeysuckle has another weapon against native plants. Lonicera maackii has alleopathic effects on surrounding vegetation. Root, shoot, leaf, and fruit extracts reduce germination and growth of many native plants, harming entire plant communities from herbaceous plants to woody shrubs and our magnificent trees. With its strong resistance to our native insect and animal predators, this alien honeysuckle can spread unchecked while reducing the total leafy biomass of our forests.
If all of the above hasn’t been enough to inspire you to dig out Amur Honeysuckle, be advised that dense Lonicera maackii thickets are a preferred egg-laying site for mosquitos and may also increase the number of Lone Star ticks infected with the Ehrlichia pathogen from increased White-tail Deer visitation.
Suggestions for what to plant instead:
Native Cornus species: florida, racemosa, amomum, asperifolia,… (Dogwoods)
Aronia arbutifolia (Red Chokeberry)
Amelanchier species (Serviceberry)
Ilex verticillata (Inkberry)
Lindera benzoin (Spicebush)
Native Viburnum species: dentatum, prunifolium, rufidulum, lentago, nudum
Myrica pensylvanica (Bayberry)
Linnea West 2020
Sources: McNeigh & McEwan, Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 143(4) 2016; Callaway & Ridenour 2004; Hartman & McCarthy 2007; Ingold & Craycraft 1983; Castellano & Gorchov 2013
Tree Articles & Books
The Social Life of Trees: book
Native Trees Can Withstand Significant Flooding
Planting Trees to Reduce Flooding
Robert Powers : Best Books to Read on Trees
Trees to Combat Urban Heat Islands
Where do Winterberries Come From?
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
The Journeys of Trees Zach St. George
A story about people, our forests, and our future. https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324001607
How to Remove Kudzu; Trees Atlanta
https://www.treesatlanta.org/how-to-remove-kudzu/
Eric Bridges has also developed effective methods to remove kudzu @ Overton Park Conservancy.
West Tn Chapter:TN Urban Forestry Bylaws
revised 2018
Bylaws of the West Tennessee Chapter,
Tennessee Urban Forestry Council – A Chapter of The Tennessee Urban Forestry Council
ARTICLE I
Name
The name of this organization shall be the “West Tennessee Chapter, Tennessee Urban Forestry Council” and shall, within these bylaws,
be referred to as “Chapter.”
ARTICLE II Purpose
The purpose of this Chapter shall be synonymous with the mission of the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council (TUFC): to promote and improve Tennessee’s urban forests by providing leadership and guidance through education, planning and advocacy with a focus on West Tennessee issues.
Specifically, the Chapter will work to coordinate and stimulate programs that will:
1) Promote current, sound urban forestry practices within West Tennessee;
2) Promote public awareness of urban forestry through education, advocacy, and special programs; and
3) Cooperate with allied associations, public agencies, and academia in conducting programs beneficial to urban forestry, the green industry and all related natural resources in West Tennessee, Tennessee and the Mid-South Region.
ARTICLE III Membership, Privileges, Dues and Donations
SECTION 1: Membership
Any person, firm, corporation, association or organization engaged in urban forestry or interested in the welfare and benefits of urban forestry within the State of Tennessee shall be eligible for membership in this chapter, in accordance with rules and regulations adopted by the Chapter Board of Directors.
SECTION 2: Privileges
Each person, firm, corporation, association or organization duly qualified as a member shall be entitled to one vote each.
SECTION 3: Dues
The Chapter Board of Directors shall determine the basis of membership dues. Dues paid to the Chapter are non-refundable and apply only to the current calendar year beginning January 1st. Upon payment of Chapter dues, a member shall have access to all Chapter privileges. Chapter dues do not grant Chapter members access to those privileges provided by the TUFC. To receive these additional privileges an individual or entity must join the TUFC.
SECTION 4: Donations
Donations made to the Chapter will be utilized at the local level. The TUFC will provide Chapters with a list of members with corresponding levels of membership dues. Chapter donation solicitations from TUFC members on the list provided will be conducted in cooperation with the TUFC so as not to conflict with TUFC objectives.
ARTICLE IV Board of Directors
SECTION 1:
The governing body of the Chapter shall be the Board of Directors (Board). The Board shall be composed of 7 elected members all of whom shall be dues paying members of both the TUFC and the Chapter. These dues must be paid by January 15th of the year in which they are elected to serve. The President, Vice-President, and Immediate Past President shall continue as members of the board until the completion of their officer terms and are included in this number.
SECTION 2:
The last chapter meeting of the calendar year shall be considered the annual meeting at which the offices of the Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and
2 at-Large Board Members shall be elected. These 5 plus the new President and Immediate Past President shall make up the new Board of Directors. A nominating committee shall be appointed by the current President at the chapter meeting prior to the annual meeting with one member being named the committee chairman. This committee shall submit its slate of nominations to the membership for vote at the annual meeting. Additional nominations from the floor shall be invited.
SECTION 3:
The term of office of the Board of Directors shall begin on January 1st and shall be for 1 year. Upon completion of their term, each member shall be eligible for re-election to the board except for the Immediate Past President who must sit out a year before again being eligible.
SECTION 4:
In the event a vacancy occurs with a Board member at-Large, it shall be filled by the Board. This replacement Board member shall serve for the remainder of the unexpired term.
SECTION 5:
Board of Directors shall include persons with diverse backgrounds representing government, business, civic, educational and citizen interests who have an interest in urban forestry.
SECTION 6:
The Tennessee State Forester and West Tennessee Urban Forester shall be ex-officio members with full voting privileges.
SECTION 7:
The Board shall act upon all business of the Chapter arising between annual meetings.
SECTION 8:
The Board shall meet at least quarterly and as needed. The President or 3 board members, as needed may call special meetings of the Board. In the case of special meetings, ten calendar days written notice of the time and place shall be given to the Board
SECTION 9:
A majority of the Elected Board Members shall constitute a quorum. Ex-officio members shall not be considered in determining a quorum.
SECTION 10:
Two consecutive non-notified absences by a Board member to the President or Secretary shall constitute a resignation from the Board.
SECTION 11:
The board shall develop an annual budget and submit it to the membership at the designated annual meeting for approval
ARTICLE V Officers
SECTION 1:
The offices of Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be elected at the annual meeting.
SECTION 2:
The term of office for each Officer shall begin on January 1st and be for one calendar year. The Vice President shall be the President-elect.
SECTION 3:
An Officer vacancy other than the President shall be filled by a vote of the Board of Directors and that Board member voted on by the board shall complete the unexpired term. Should the office of President become vacant, the Vice President shall become the President for the unexpired term and go on to serve his/her term of President as well.
ARTICLE VI President, Vice President and Past President
SECTION 1:
The President shall preside at all meetings of the Chapter and of the Board. The President shall appoint the chair of all committees and shall sign all contracts made for and in behalf of the Chapter. Each Chapter President or his/her accredited representative shall represent the Chapter at all meetings of the TUFC Board of Directors.
SECTION 2:
The Vice President shall preside in the absence of the President. The Vice President shall assist the President and shall act in his/her place in the event of sickness and inability of the President to perform the duties imposed upon him/her or incident to the Office of President.
SECTION 3:
The immediate Past President shall be a Board member of the Chapter the year following his/her tenure as President. This person shall have full voting rights but will not be eligible for re-election to the board for one year.
(See Article IV, Sect. 3)
ARTICLE VII Secretary/Treasurer
SECTION 1:
It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to properly account for all receipts and disbursements, and to make reports to the membership showing the balance on hand and outstanding obligations at designated meetings. The Treasurer shall have charge of and be responsible for the membership records and other books of account. In addition, the Treasurer shall provide financial reports at the Board’s regularly scheduled meetings.
SECTION 2:
The Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Chapter, give notice in writing of all annual and special meetings of the Chapter and its Board, keeping a permanent record of all the business conducted. In addition, he/she shall provide additional copies of all activities including elections, Bylaws and Annual Reports to the Executive Director of the TUFC within one month of completion.
ARTICLE VIII Membership Meetings
SECTION 1:
Chapter membership meetings shall be held at least quarterly with at least 30 days advance notice.
SECTION 2:
Special meetings may be called by action of the Board provided the membership is given at least 10 calendar days written notice.
SECTION 3:
A Chapter quorum is determined as the number of currently paid members attending any membership meeting.
ARTICLE IX Procedure
SECTION 1:
The Chapter shall make and adopt by-laws, rules and regulations for its own guidance as may be expedient insofar as such are consistent with the mission and bylaws of the TUFC. Amendments to these Bylaws may be made by a two-thirds affirmative vote of all the members present at an annual meeting or at any special membership meeting called for that purpose provided that written notice of such meeting shall include a copy of the proposed amendments. The Chapter will inform the TUFC of adopted Bylaw revisions (Ref. Article VII, section I).
SECTION 2:
The fiscal year for the Chapter shall be from January 1 through December 31.
SECTION 3:
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised Shall govern the Chapter in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the chapter may adopt.
ARTICLE X Dues
SECTION 1:
The Chapter shall establish a dues schedule for various levels of membership. This schedule shall be adopted by and may be amended by a majority vote of the board (or membership), upon notification to the general membership, and is incorporated herein by reference.
ARTICLE XI
Committees
SECTION 1:
All committees shall be formed during a Board meeting.
SECTION 2:
The term of the non-standing committees shall expire with the term of the appointing President unless another expiration is provided by an establishing resolution or successful motion.
ARTICLE XII Chapter and State Relationships
SECTION 1: Organization
A local Chapter shall consist of a group of TUFC – West Tennessee Chapter members. No Chapter shall use the name “Tennessee Urban Forestry Council” without the written authorization of the TUFC Board of Directors.
SECTION 2: Financial
In addition to dues, the members of each Chapter may assess themselves for any costs incurred in connection with the activities of the Chapter.
SECTION 3: Bylaws
A Chapter shall make Bylaws for their governance consistent with Mission of the TUFC and shall file their Bylaws with the Executive Director of the TUFC (ref. Article VII, section I).
SECTION 4: Reports
Each Chapter organization shall file copies of an Annual Report with the Executive Director of the TUFC. Each Chapter President or his/her accredited representative shall represent the Chapter at all meetings of the TUFC Board of Directors.
SECTION 5: Grants
Chapter grant requests will be in line with the mission of the TUFC, clearly communicated to both the State and Chapter Boards, and will not conflict with the fundraising efforts for statewide programs supported by the TUFC.
SECTION 6: Media Releases
A Chapter shall have the right to release through its Officers, or a duly authorized spokesperson, expressions of opinion, views, statements, or other public pronouncements on matters of interest to the welfare of its members of the Chapter and the general public. Said public pronouncements shall not contain directly, indirectly, or by implication material at variance with the Constitution, Bylaws, or Policy Statements of the TUFC. Copies of all releases shall be furnished to the TUFC Executive Director at the time they are issued.
SECTION 7: Endorsement
The TUFC does not assume any responsibility for any Chapter unless such action shall have first received the approval of the TUFC Executive Committee.
SECTION 8: Self-funding
The TUFC will not assume any liability for debts incurred by, or for the expenditure of any Chapter. Upon Chapter dissolution, any remaining funds shall revert to the Council.
SECTION 9: Charter
The TUFC Executive Committee shall have the right to rescind the Charter of any Chapter.
