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Booklet helps New Mexico communities replant trees destroyed by fires By Kim Dionis
“Its universal presentation of tree planting and care technology for all ages is most appealing and useful.” —George Duda, Urban Forester with the New Mexico Forestry Division	Reprinted from Ag Sciences 2001 (January), courtesy of the College of Agricultural Sciences   The New Mexico Forestry Division has ordered 5,000 copies of the Penn State Cooperative Extension publication Planting Trees in Your Community Forest by Sylvan and Friends for its community replanting efforts following the 2000 “Cerro Grande Fire.”   The 40-page, illustrated manual was developed by community forester Bill Elmendorf and natural resources and youth specialist Sanford Smith for use by school tree planting groups, urban forestry volunteer organizations, 4-H clubs, scouts and other youth groups. The manual covers tree biology, community trees, planting sites, purchasing trees, planting methods, tree care and tree protection. Because it is arboriculturally complete, adults can use it, as well.   “Bill and I are particularly pleased to be making a small contribution to the New Mexico replanting effort,” Smith said.   The fire burned more than 47,000 acres in northern New Mexico, causing $614 million in damage. Started by the National Park Service on May 4, 2000, as a controlled burn to clear brush, the fire took more than two months to get under control. Four hundred families lost their homes.   According to George Duda, urban forester with the New Mexico Forestry Division, the Penn State booklet will be made available to citizens of Los Alamos and other communities. “Its universal presentation of tree planting and care technology for all ages is most appealing and useful,” he said.   In July 2000, President Bill Clinton approved a $661 million fund to compensate the victims. The New Mexico Forestry Division has been working with Los Alamos citizens, officials and the New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service to get the area back in order.   “Rebuilding will take time,” Duda said. “We must dispose of all burned materials, including 24 inches of topsoil, trees and whatever remains of any structures. Because of asbestos contamination, everything must be hauled away to an approved asbestos depository.”   Planting Trees in Your Community Forest by Sylvan and Friends is available free to Pennsylvania residents. For copies, they should call their county Penn State Cooperative Extension office or the College of Agricultural Sciences’ Publications Distribution Center at 814-865-6713. The booklet can be downloaded from the World Wide Web at http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/uh125.html.