A beetle-and-fungus combo is about to wipe out millions of South California trees — and that means people's lives are at stake, too.  Read the story here.

A tree stump contains many different types of tissues.  Some decay rapidly and some decay extremely slowly.  Read this bulletin to learn about the different types and how to accelerate decay in each.

When cities plant trees, they do more than make the place look nice.  They also help cut energy use (by reducing the need for air conditioning), store carbon dioxide, trap airborne pollutants, and intercept rainfall.  Oh, and raise property prices:  As any real estate agent will tell you, "leafy neighborhoods" are more valuable than non-leafy ones.  Read more here.

The objectives and authority of the Tree Committee are detailed in Codified Ordinance 1104, officially titled the Harpers Ferry Tree Conservation Ordinance. The Committee is responsible for the enforcement of the Ordinance, the provisions of which are enacted to:

• Establish a responsible authority for the management of the Corporation’s urban forest;
• Establish and maintain the optimal amount of tree cover on public property in the Corporation;
• Maintain the Corporation’s trees in a healthy and non-hazardous condition through good arboricultural practices; and
• Establish and maintain diversity in appropriate tree species and age classes to provide a stable and sustainable urban forest.

The Harpers Ferry Tree Committee officially consists of eight members:  five voting members, appointed by the Town Council; the Town's Maintenance Supervisor; one representative from the West Virginia Division of Forestry; and one representative from Potomac Edison (successor to the former Allegheny Power).  Of the five voting members, one must also be a member of the Planning Commission.  In addition, the Mayor of the Corporation of Harpers Ferry is considered an agent of the Committee.

Meetings of the Tree Committee are held the fourth Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Room at Harpers Ferry Town Hall.