Celebrate Johnny Appleseed's Birthday on September 26th!

September 26th marks the birthday of American folk hero Johnny Appleseed, one of the most altruistic men America has ever seen.

Born on Sept. 26, 1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts, Johnny Appleseed's real name was John Chapman. In the late 1780's, he set out alone in a canoe to plant orchards of apple trees along the frontier. Everywhere he went, he gave settlers and pioneers apple seeds and saplings to take home to plant in their own orchards. He traveled all over Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana, refusing to sleep indoors, planting thousands of apple trees throughout the Midwest.

Johnny Appleseed is described as scrupulously honest, deeply religious, and with a sense of humor. He quickly became a popular folk hero in the region, and is said to have worn a tin pot as a hat, a coffee sack as a shirt, and no shoes. He died March 18, 1845 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and is buried there at Archer Cemetery.

Your class can follow the tradition of Johnny Appleseed by growing
an apple tree of its own. Plant your tree on Earth Day next April!

1. Remove the seeds from your favorite variety of apple. You may try two to three different varieties of apples to see which grows best.
   
2. Chill the seeds in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about six weeks.
   
3. After chill period, take a small container, make a drainage hole in bottom and fill with potting soil.
   
4. Place 2 to 3 apple seeds on top of the soil and cover with another 1/8" of soil. Water lightly but do not over-saturate.
   
5. Place container in a shallow dish and place in a sunny spot.
   
6. Cover container with a clear jar or glass or a clear sandwich bag to create a moist environment. Keep the seeds moist by watering from the bottom until the seeds germinate. Seeds will germinate in 2-3 weeks in the summertime, or up to 8 weeks in the wintertime. Once the seedling sprouts, remove the jar but do not let the plant dry out.
   
7. Continue to nurture your sprouts indoors until they are large enough to survive outdoors.
   
8. When your tree is 8"-10" tall, you may plant it outside in a sunny spot with plenty of room to grow. Late spring is the best time. Keep plenty of mulch around the base, and water the tree regularly. Protect it during the winter with a light covering.
   

Dried Apple Faces

Here's a neat idea for Halloween - make dried apple faces!

Here's how:

1. Peel and core apple - any variety will do, but larger apples are best, as they will shrink when dried.
   
2. Use a plastic tool to carve eyes, mouth, nose, chin, and cheeks, as you would carve a pumpkin. But do not cut all the way through the apple. Carve large features, as they will shrink when dried.
   
3. After face is cut, soak apple for 20 minutes in a bowl of water, two tablespoons of lemon juice and one tablespoon salt.
   
4. Put a pipe cleaner through the apple core and hang in a warm place to dry. Takes about four days to dry.
   
5. Hang apple faces or use them to decorate your Halloween table.

Forest Products Companies Recognized for Preservation of Cat Island

Louisiana's Cat Island, deemed by Congress as "one of the most valuable and productive wildlife habitat types in the United States," will soon become a National Wildlife Refuge. Georgia-Pacific and The Timber Company worked with The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana for five years to preserve this unique tract of land, which is home to rare songbirds, bald eagles, flocks of migrating waterfowl and Louisiana black bear, as well as large groves of virgin bald cypress.

The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana recently presented its top corporate award for conservation to Georgia-Pacific and The Timber Company for their work to establish the Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge. The Chairman's Corporate award is given annually to a company that has shown a strong commitment to The Nature Conservancy in both capital and human resources.

Click here for full story.

North American Forests are Growing!

North American forests are abundant and growing, according to a recent United Nations' State of the World's Forests report. The UN report says that forest coverage expanded nearly 10 million acres over the last decade.

According to Dr. Patrick Moore, ecologist and co-founder of Greenpeace, "There is a common misconception that our forests are shrinking and we are running out of trees, when actually the opposite is true. The volume of North America's forests has grown and continues to grow."

North American forestry practices have been so successful that the United States and Canada now serve as role models for other countries. Consider these forest facts:

• Canada and the United States together maintain the largest area of protected forests in the world, greater than Sweden, Finland, Russia, Brazil, Germany and the UK combined.
• Today, the US has about the same amount of land covered by trees as it did 100 years ago.
• Every year, some two billion seedlings are planted in Canada and the United States - more than six new trees a year for every person in both countries.

• Water makes up more than 50% of a tree. (http://www.gp.com/educationalinnature/topics/waf.html)
  
  
• Wood products come from trees grown in sustainable forests. In these forests, trees are planted, nurtured, and then replanted after harvesting to provide a continuous supply of fiber as well as habitat.
  
  
• Although the U.S. population has grown by 143% since 1920, forest growth exceeds forest harvest by 33% each year. (www.apulpa.org)

Question: How many trees are planted every year in the United States?

Answer: The U.S. forest community - companies, private landowners,
and government agencies - helps to plant about 1.6 billion trees a year.
Because trees are a renewable resource, the cycle of planting and
harvesting trees can go on forever.

American Forests has a great site that explains the importance of planting trees - particularly in urban and metro areas. It contains information about some of America's Famous and Historic trees, and you can even purchase seedlings grown from such trees as a Johnny Appleseed apple tree and a Martin Luther King, Jr. sycamore. Visit www.americanforests.org

Did you know that the Oak has been chosen as America's National Tree? Learn more from the National Arbor Day Foundation. Visit www.arborday.org

Forestinformation.com shares facts about North America's abundant forests. This interactive site contains some special features such as a "Virtual Walk in the Woods," and sponsors live web casts from the forest. Also includes curriculum ideas for teachers. Visit www.forestinformation.com

Treedonia is a site from International Paper that is a fun "virtual tour" of a southern forest. Visitors can "hit the trail" to find animals, birds, and various tree species. Visit www.treedonia.com

The Elm Research Institute is working to re-establish the American Liberty elm in the United States. The "Johnny Elmseed Regional Nursery Project" provides funding for organizations such as Boy Scouts and other non-profit volunteer groups to help restore elms to cities and towns. Visit www.libertyelm.com.