Avoiding Ice and Snow Damage to Trees

Avoiding Ice and Snow Damage to Trees Brittle tree species that retain dead, persistent winter leaves normally take the brunt of heavy icing after a winter storm. Knowing and managing your brittle trees and you can make it through a normal ice storm. Many of the elms, most true poplars (not yellow poplar), silver maples, birches, willows, and hackberry are tree species that simply cant handle the weight of the ice slurry coating their limbs, persistent leaves, and needles. They do well with the snows of the north but have problems in areas that have regular ice storms. Cold climate conifers like fir, spruce and hemlock can handle moderate icing. Southern yellow pines usually take a beating during major icing events that occur on the edge of their natural range. Brittle trees tend to be fast growers. Because of their desirable growth potential and the prospect of making quick shade, weak trees are sought out and planted by homeowners in late winter ice zones. Planting these trees will only exacerbate the problem of limb breakage during heavy icing. Fast-growing trees often develop weak, V-shaped crotches that easily split apart under the added weight of ice. Because these trees usually take some damage from storms throughout the year, internal rot, decay and included bark (some of which you cannot readily see) lead to weakened trunks and limbs (some callery pears). Multiple leader, upright evergreens, such as arborvitae and juniper, and multiple leader or clump trees, such as birch, are most subject to snow and ice damage. Smaller trees need to be wrapped and larger trees with wide-spreading leaders should be cabled in ice-prone areas. Here are things you can do in the yard or landscape to prevent ice damage: Plant Only Strong Trees in Your Landscape Certain trees are popular year in and year out for a reason - they show well and live well. Prefer these trees but eliminate those I have mentioned that door poorly in ice-prone regions.   Brittle Species Should Not Be Planted These species will not do well on sites where heavy ice and snow is a problem. Brittle species include elm, willow, box-elder, hackberry, true poplar and silver maple. Avoid Planting Species With Persistent Leaves Species  that hold their persistent leaves into late fall and early winter where early ice storms are common isnt a great idea. These trees are quickly damaged and removed where the ice storm is common. Wrap Small Multi-Leader Trees So you have a valuable, small specimen you want to preserve. If ice is predicted, secure the tree with strips of carpet, strong cloth or nylon stockings two-thirds of the way above the weak crotches. Always remove any wrapping during spring to avoid binding new growth and girdling limbs and trunk. Begin an Annual Pruning Program When Trees Are Young There is not much you can do with a weak crotch so use tip 4. Prune dead or weakened limbs and excessive branches from trunk and crowns. This reduces ice weight that can rapidly destroy the trees form. Hire a Professional Arborist The expense is worth it for particularly valuable susceptible or wide-spreading large trees. An arborist can strengthen a tree by installing cabling or bracing on weak limbs and split crotches. Favor Conical Formed Trees Trees like conifers, sweetgum or yellow poplar will be robust additions to your landscape. Species with less branch surface area, such as black walnut, sweetgum, ginkgo, Kentucky coffeetree, white oak, and northern red oak are preferred.

Biography of Jack Johnson, American Boxing Champion

Biography of Jack Johnson, American Boxing Champion Jack Johnson (March 31, 1878–June 10, 1946) was an American boxer who became the worlds first African-American heavyweight champion. He came to fame during the Jim Crow era, when the South was still racially segregated. Johnsons success in the ring made him one of the most famous African-Americans of his time. Fast Facts: Jack Johnson Known For: Johnson was an African-American boxer who reigned as the heavyweight champion from 1908 to 1915.Also Known As: John Arthur Johnson, Galveston GiantBorn: March 31, 1878 in Galveston, TexasParents: Henry and Tina JohnsonDied: June 10, 1946 in Raleigh, North CarolinaPublished Works: My Life and Battles (1914), Jack Johnson: In the Ring and Out (1927)Awards and Honors: International Boxing Hall of FameSpouse(s): Etta Terry Duryea (m. 1911-1912), Lucille Cameron (m. 1912-1924), Irene Pineau (m. 1925-1946) Early Life Jack Johnson was born John Arthur Johnson on March 31, 1878, in Galveston, Texas. His parents Henry and Tina Johnson were former slaves; his father worked as a janitor and his mother worked as a dishwasher. Johnson left school after only a few years and went to work at the docks. He later moved to Dallas, where he first began learning how to box, and then Manhattan, where he roomed with boxer Barbados Joe Walcott. Johnson eventually returned to Galveston, where he participated in his first professional match on November 1, 1898. Johnson won the fight. Boxing Career Johnson boxed professionally from 1898 through 1928 and in exhibition matches until 1945. He fought 113 fights, winning 79 matches, 44 of them by knockouts. He defeated Canadian Tommy Burns on December 26, 1908, in the World Boxing Championship held in Sydney, Australia. This began a quest to find a Great White Hope to defeat him. James Jeffries, a leading white fighter, came out of retirement to answer the challenge. The ensuing match- known as the Fight of the Century- took place on July 4, 1910, in Reno, Nevada, in front of a crowd of 20,000 people. The fight went on for 15 rounds, with Jeffries growing wearier and wearier. He was even knocked down- for the first time in his career- twice. His team decided to surrender to save Jeffries from having a knockout on his record. For the fight, Johnson earned $65,000. News of Jeffries defeat ignited numerous incidents of white violence against blacks, but black poet William Waring Cuney captured the exuberant African-American reaction in his poem â€Å"My Lord, What a Morning: O my Lord,What a morning,O my Lord,What a feeling,When Jack JohnsonTurned Jim JeffriesSnow-white faceto the ceiling. The Johnson-Jefferies fight was filmed and became one of the most popular motion pictures of the era. However, there was a strong movement to censor the film, as many people did not want to publicize the news of Johnsons victory. Johnson won the heavyweight title when he knocked out Tommy Burns in 1908, and he held onto  the title until April 5, 1915, when he was knocked out by Jess Willard in the 26th round of the world championship fight in Havana, Cuba. Johnson defended his heavyweight championship three times in Paris before his fight against Jess Willard.  He continued boxing professionally until 1938, when, well past his prime, he lost his final match to Walter Price. Johnson was known for his defensive fighting style; he preferred to gradually wear down his opponents rather than going for a knockout. With each passing round, as his opponents became more exhausted, Johnson would ratchet up his attacks until going for the final blow. Personal Life Johnson received bad publicity because of his three marriages, all to Caucasian women. Interracial marriages were prohibited in most of America at the time. He was convicted of violating the Mann Act in 1912 when he transported his wife across state lines before their marriage and was sentenced to a year in prison. Fearing for his safety, Johnson escaped while he was out on appeal. Posing as a member of a black baseball team, he fled to Canada and later to Europe and  remained a fugitive for seven years. Wrench Patent In 1920, Johnson decided to return to the U.S. to serve his sentence. It was during this time that, searching for a tool that would tighten or loosen nuts and bolts, he made improvements  to the design of the monkey wrench. Johnson received a patent for his innovations in 1922. Johnson’s wrench was unique in that it could be easily taken apart for cleaning or repair and its gripping action was superior to that of other tools on the market at the time. Johnson is credited with coining the term â€Å"wrench.† Later Years After his release from prison, Jack Johnsons boxing career declined. He worked in vaudeville to make ends meet, even appearing with a trained flea act. He opened a night club in Harlem in 1920; it was later purchased from him and renamed the Cotton Club. Johnson wrote two memoirs, Mes Combats in 1914, and Jack Johnson: In the Ring and Out in 1927. Death On June 10, 1946, Johnson was in an automobile accident near Raleigh, North Carolina, after speeding away from a diner where he was refused service. He was rushed to the nearest black hospital, where he died at the age of 68. Johnson was buried in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago. Legacy Johnson was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954, followed by the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. His career inspired numerous people, including heavyweight champion Muhammed Ali and jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, who recorded an album in 1971 called A Tribute to Jack Johnson. The 1910 film of Johnsons famous fight against James Jefferies was added to the National Film Registry in 2005. Johnsons life was the inspiration for the 1970 film The Great White Hope. On May 24, 2018, President Donald Trump issued a posthumous pardon for Johnsons 1912 conviction. Trump called the heavyweight champion one of the greatest that ever lived and a truly great fighter. Sources Johnson, Jack.  Jack Johnson: in the Ring and Out. Kessinger Pub., 2007.â€Å"Remarks by President Trump at Pardoning of John Arthur ‘Jack’ Johnson.† The White House, The United States Government.Ward, Geoffrey C.  Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson. Yellow Jersey Press, 2015.