On Saturday, February 23, 2019, Drs. Greg Murray and Kathy Winnett-Murray presented A New Way to Love Trees at Douglas Congregational United Church of Christ. It was standing-room only, informative, fascinating, and so very useful.
These zoologist-biologists taught us all the ways trees help our homes and communities, clean and manage our water, save energy, house wildlife, impact our health, and yes, how they communicate with one another. They also discussed their latest research on the threats to our local Hemlock populations.
Drs. Greg and Kathy like to say, ”Even trees standing outside your window in the dead of winter are providing you with ecological, economic, and health benefits that most folks take for granted.” All while “just standing there.”
They also showed us how to plan for new trees on our properties, using i-Tree Design, linked below, and how the City of Holland is working with the Murrays and other Hope Professors and students to identify and evaluate the contribution of trees to the City. We can take their lessons home with us, using these links:
i-Tree Design, Determine the best spot to plant your new trees!
My Tree (by i-Tree), Learn about your tree benefits
National Tree Benefit Calculator
PlantSnap, Plant Identification App
TreeSap, Android Phone App for Holland Area by Mike Jipping
Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute
City of Holland Sustainability
Creation Justice @ Douglas UCC 