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One important resource for homeowners is the “Firewise” handbook, at http://townofmontreat.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Firewise-1.pdf. For more information about the Montreat Tree Board, see .http://townofmontreat.org/tree-board/.

An important practice for all homeowners, especially those who are seasonal, is to be sure that excessive amounts of underbrush, taller vegetation, and leaf debris are removed from the area immediately around a home or garage. It is noteworthy that rhododendron and mountain laurel can be particularly flammable, so careful pruning is important to reduce risk from spreading wildfire. The photo illustrates one homeowner’s efforts to clear out vegetation close to the home, while still leaving significant shrub and tree cover to maintain a beautiful yard. See Town of Montreat guidelines for yard trash pick-up at http://townofmontreat.org/sanitation/

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Trees as an essential part of the Montreat social, economic and environmental fabric and have been celebrated since the community’s founding a century ago. The recognition of Montreat as a “Tree City USA” in 2015 formalized the community’s commitment to maintaining the forest canopy that makes the town a special place to live and visit. Trees shade our homes, institutions, businesses and streets. They clean the air and water, reduce storm water run-off, increase property values, reduce energy costs and make neighborhoods greener, safer and healthier.

The guide was adopted unanimously by the Town Council in July, and resulted from a year-long effort by the Montreat Tree Board. The board is charged with addressing issues concerned with the public trees of the community. See http://www.townofmontreat.org/TreeBoard.php . Thus it deals with topics such as dead and at-risk trees along roads, for example. It also will be addressing best practices for maintenance of trees along utility lines, as pictured here. It is the purpose of the guide and part of the mission of the Tree Board to provide data and other information for all entities and members of the Town to better maintain Montreat’s tree population.

The management guide includes sections on the history of Montreat’s woodlands, a description of Tree City USA activities, results of a 2018 inventory of trees, educational opportunities for homeowners, and various guides to tree and shrub planting and protection of buildings from wildfire. A pdf of the guide is available at  http://www.townofmontreat.org/documents/TOMTreeManagementGuideAll.pdf.

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Yet it offers a case study in how town officials, staff and citizens can join with scientists to monitor and resolve issues concerning the health of community trees. With training by professionals with the North Carolina Forest Service (NCFS), town staff and citizen volunteers have been working to make accurate tree health assessments along selected town rights-of-way. In May the volunteer citizen scientists began surveys along about a mile of 20-foot strips adjacent to Assembly Drive, the town’s main road, using I-pads and cellphones customized with an “ESRI Survey1-2-3” application to record data. Findings are being mapped by a recent graduate of Western Carolina University. This will help town staff with tree pruning and removal. Further, the map will locate at-risk trees that may pose a hazard to the safety of pedestrians, automobiles and buildings close to the town’s rights-of-way. Results will be incorporated by the Montreat Tree Board into an initial tree management plan for public trees. See http://www.townofmontreat.org/TreeBoard.php.

Meanwhile a longer term project to save and restore segments of the community’s large population of Eastern and Carolina Hemlock trees has had success. Science-based best practices in an “Integrated Pest Management” program using chemical and biological controls have proven effective in control of an invasive insect pest, the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, which has had devastating effects on the regional hemlock forest. Partners include NCFS as well as the regional Hemlock Restoration Initiative, with funding secured from county and state agencies. See http://www.montreatlandcare.org/project/hemlocks/. Other activities in this small mountain community include efforts by faculty of Montreat College to study restoration of chestnut trees; protection of 2,400 acres of wooded hillsides by the Montreat Conference Center, as a conservation easement in conjunction with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy; and location of a North Carolina Arboretum children’s educational “ecoEXPLORE hotspot” concerning plants, in cooperation with the conference center, town and Montreat Landcare Committee.(Photo A. Vinson.)

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