Thursday, April 9, 2015

Looking at “Altadena’s Urban Forests” on April 16

Altadena Heritage Presents Altadena’s Urban Forests

Thursday, April 16, 7 to 9 pm

Altadena’s Heritage of Abundance includes its trees, from native California scrub oaks, sycamores and certain palms to the eucalyptus, silk, carob and fruit trees introduced later … and don’t forget our mile-long stretch of giant deodars known as Christmas Tree Lane!

Come to the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive, on Thursday, April 16, to hear from two experts about what we all can do to help preserve and revitalize this precious heritage.

Don Hodel is an environmental horticulturist for the University of California Cooperative Extension, Los Angeles County. His presentation will focus on:

the beauty and benefits of trees in urban areas;
drought-tolerant, sustainable, low-maintenance landscaping techniques; and
how to select trees that are suitable for Altadena’s climate, along with tips for planting, irrigation, feeding and mulching.
Frank McDonough is the botanical information consultant for the L.A. County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. His presentation will explain:

proper pruning methods;
the negative consequences of bad pruning;
and solutions for trees that have been damaged by poor topping/trimming, or by area pathologies such as the polyphagous shot hole borer.
Attendees will be able to ask questions, and will be the first to learn about Altadena Heritage’s new tree-trimming campaign – “Stop it. Don’t top it.” – and an upcoming contest to identify Altadena’s “Heritage Trees.”

This free event – open to the public – is part of Altadena Heritage’s continuing Sustainability Series. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to AltadenaHeritage@earthlink.net.