by Mark Gilson

There are two Clevelands, two Akrons, two Northeastern Ohios.  There is the proud bustling workhorse of the past and present, turning out engines and steel, pistons and paint, tires and complex chemistries for a hungry nation.  There is also the quiet Cleveland, the soil and rivers and forests of our youth, the farms, nurseries and parks that stretch from Summit and Portage to the Lake, a vast watershed of memories, legacies and possibilities.  Our vision, our challenge, is to bring together these mighty opposites in a dynamic, responsible and sustainable partnership yielding a region where we can live and play in a vibrant emerald ecosystem, profit from our conscientious industry and ethic, and grow old with the knowledge that we work and yearn within a vital nexus of grand ideas and restless energies.

by Elsa Johnson

Ok, dear readers, I’m sorry – but this article is about a downer. Oak wilt is a devastating fungal disease affecting oak trees and it is here in Northeast Ohio. Once trees are infected by the fungus there really is nothing one can do to save the tree.  The tree must be cut down and disposed of properly so that it does not infect other trees.

The first symptom is leaf margin browning. Also, fungal mats may form under the tree bark and may crack and lift the bark. Trees that show symptoms during the summer are usually dead by the following spring.

Oaks in the Red Oak family (red oak, scarlet oak, black oak, pin oak) (all with pointed lobes) are more susceptible. Oaks in the White Oak family (white oak, swamp white oak, burr oak) (with rounded lobes) are less susceptible – but once they are infected they also die, just more slowly.

This fungal disease is transmitted in two ways. # 1 — Insects, primarily beetles, are attracted to damaged or cut wood and carry the disease from tree to tree.  # 2 — The fungus can also be spread via roots. Oak trees growing in proximity to the infected tree can become infected through their interconnected root systems. In situations such as one finds here in our older residential neighborhoods with many large old oak trees, the disease can spread in an ever expanding circle.

Control is challenging and preemptive. When a tree has died due to oak wilt, that infected tree must be removed. The wood can be used for firewood but should be debarked.  Or if not debarked it should be stacked and covered and sealed during the warm months (April to October).

Preemptive treatment of healthy oaks is possible through application of a fungicide. However, once a tree shows symptoms, it is too late to do this.

Other things you can do?  Avoid compaction under trees.  Mulch under trees (preferably out to dripline) – but no ‘volcano’ mulching please (that means no mulch piled up around the base of the tree – that is precisely where the tree does not need it).

Do not prune or have your oak trees pruned during the warm months, roughly April to October.

And — If you suspect you have a tree with oak wilt, have your tree (s) looked at by an ISA Certified Arborist. Help protect one our most vulnerable natural resources – our venerable old oak trees.   

by Catherine Feldman

“The Martian,” in theaters now,  revels throughout in the abilities of the New Man: the kind of person who uses numbers and computers to manage daily tasks as well as to innovate. Almost all of the diverse roster of characters are supremely capable in this way and they are fun to watch in action. But only our hero, Mark Watney (Matt Damon,) stranded alone on Mars, has the full range of skills necessary for survival.

Like Adam, Mark is the  First Man on a planet, yet he has thousands of years of human development and knowledge at his fingertips.  In addition to his technological abilities, he is a botanist with the inspiration and ability to increase his food supply by growing a garden. He confidently takes the risk of  planting his ration of  potatoes! He knows that he needs water and fertile soil, so he uses his background in mechanics and chemistry to create a water-making machine and in ecology to inoculate the soil of Mars with bacteria from recycled human waste. He also has character traits that enable him to survive the loneliness: he is humorous, brave and persevering. Using these strengths to meet these challenges, Mark becomes the Future Man, a hero who grows a version of Eden out of next to nothing. This delights us.

Mark faces and overcomes challenges on Mars that may have some similarity to the consequences of  climate change on Earth: devastating storms, barren soil, extreme temperatures, lack of water. What appear to us heroic abilities now may become the basic survival skills of the future.  A big scary challenge!

Fortunately, we would not be alone. There is another component to Mark’s survival that is at the core of this movie: community and friendship. The world and his teammates come together to bring him back to Earth. Will we be able to  work together with bravery, ingenuity, and skills to survive the coming changes? And  even to grow a new Eden here at home?