Native Tree Society BBS

ENTS, WNTS,

Likes Your Post

I added a nee MOD and gave everyone permission to use it. It is much like the "Like" button on Facebook, for those of you familiar with Facebook. There is a button on the upper right corner of the message that vaguely looks like a "Thumbs Up" icon. Just click on it. The "Likes your message" count appearing below the posters name and icon will go up by one, and your name will be added to a list of people who liked the post at the bottom of the message. The button doesn't really do anything more than that. It is just an acknowledgment that the post was read and found interesting. The button doesn't appear on announcements, but should be there for everyone in every post. After you click the thumbs up the icon changes to a thumbs down icon. Clicking again will take away your likes. This in effects allows you to acknowledge you read the post and like it even if you do not have any specific comment to add.


Links to Between the ENTS website and the ENTS BBS

I have been doing some other upgrades to the BBS over the past couple of days. First you may have noticed I placed links on every forum on the BBS to the equivalent index page on the ENTS and WNTS website, and I also placed links on every index page on the websites to the corresponding forum on the BBS so that navigation between the two will be as seamless as possible.


Daily Digest

I also want to encourage people to subscribe to the "Daily Digest" which sends a summary of all of the posts made each day out as a single email to subscribers. In this way you can be sure that you will not miss a post and have an opportunity to see what everyone is talking about even if you do not browse all of the forums. It is a great asset and I want people to use it. The options for the Digest are under the User Control Panel page that can be accessed by clicking on the User Control Panel link at the upper left side of the BBS . Then click on the Digest tab to set your options.

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Here's a panorama I stitched together from a summer hike the first time I went to find (unsuccessfully) the Sag Branch poplar:

Trees Photographed in Infrared [PICS]

http://www.treehugger.com/infrared-tree-photo.jpg

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/06/trees_photographed_in_infrared_pics.php

With infrared photography, a film or image sensor sensitive to infrared light is used which blocks out most of the visible light spectrum. With foliage this creates a "wood effect." It makes tree leaves and grass as reflective as snow. The effect is named after infrared pioneer Robert W. Wood and not the trees themselves. Enjoy and watch out for the Oompa Loompas

http://www.treehugger.com/infrared-tree-white.jpg
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ENTS,

Today, I went to MTSF to remeasure the Jake Swamp white pine, tallest tree in Massachusetts, and so far as we know, New England. The tree was climbed by Will Blozan in 1998, Michael Davie in 2001, and Will Blozan in 2008. Here are the measurements for 2008, 2009, and 2010.

Year Height Girth

2008 168.5 10.5
2009 169.3 10.5
2010 170.1 10.55

WHOOPEE!

Jake Swamp gets a party in October! So far as I am aware, it will be the first recorded party for a white pine, celebrating the tree's reaching a height threshold. I am unsure what others think of the party idea, but it is meant in good fun. It will be held at the Charlemont Inn, not at the tree. We take extra precautions to protect the tree.

Bob

Whole Child: Developing Mind, Body and Spirit Through Outdoor Play
Physician-reviewed report examines health benefits of unstructured time in nature
08-05-2010 // Amanda Cooke

Whole_Child_Cover_219x219.jpg

http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/Media-Center/News-by-Topic/Get-Outside/2010/08-05-10-Whole-Child-Report-Release.aspx

National Wildlife Federation today issued a new health report called Whole Child: Developing Mind, Body and Spirit Through Outdoor Play.

The report reveals how America's addiction to time indoors affects our physical and mental health. Reviewed by an independent panel of medical experts, Whole Child explores how regular, unstructured outdoor play can boost the health of a child’s mind, body and spirit.

Physicians understand connection between health and outdoor time
“I am deeply troubled by some of the trends I see in my practice including increased obesity in kids and higher rates of asthma, ADHD, anxiety and depression. What all kids need are natural, safe places where they can play,” says Sandra Stenmark, M.D., a pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente and physician lead of Colorado Pediatric Cardiovascular Health who participated in NWF’s Summit on Children and the Outdoors this last April.


Download the full report - Whole Child: Developing Mind, Body and Spirit Through Outdoor Play
http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/Media-Center/News-by-Topic/Get-Outside/2010/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/BeOutThere_WholeChild_V2.ashx

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