Urban Forester Gives Free Tree Talk to Neighbors

Tony Wolcott oversees all the green in Albany. Wolcott, the city's urban forester, spoke earlier this week to a small group of neighbors at the community center, giving them the run-down on city trees and answering all their plant questions.

"Trees are great," Wolcott said. "They do so many things for us and we can do more with them."

He also plugged an upcoming session on Sept. 11 to landscape the community center grounds, getting rid of the hedges and planting various edible fruit trees.

Questions for Wolcott, who's also known as "Tree Man Tony," ranged from whether someone would coordinate harvesting pears growing in the Gill Tract to where to find a list of city approved trees for planting.

The room slowly filled with the scent of lemons after a volunteer from the weekly garden swap brought in leftover produce to share.

Wolcott reminded residents about a free program run by the city to remove concrete so there's more open soil around Albany. Cutting down on concrete allows the water table to recharge more easily and keeps water cleaner through natural filtration in the soil, he said.

Wolcott talked about efforts around the city to plant more edible fruit trees, such as loquats, quinces, filberts and persimmons.

Residents can take advantage of a city program to encourage tree planting; neighbors on Cornell Avenue have set a planting for late September. Trees cost $50, with a minimum buy of about 10. Wolcott helps with advice and planting. (There's also a free fruit tree program at various times throughout the year for those prepared to plant bare-root trees quickly.)

Wolcott will hold a free four-week tree pruning class in November. (See the attached PDF for details.)

One neighbor brought up the uptick in local deer, and asked Wolcott for suggestions.

"I was just reading in the newspaper that 46 percent of the deer population has dropped, but deer in our neighborhood are prolific," said Gib Cattanach. "We have two to three bucks, a doe, two fawns. They're yearlings. They've lost their spots."

He talked about netting each fig on one of his trees to keep them safe from the animals.

"It's routine to go back there and find deer. They lie down. They're like cattle," he said. "They're clopping along the street like a horse and carriage."

Community Services manager Chelle Putzer, of the Recreation & Community Services Department, organized the "Neighbor to Neighbor" session, called "Mad about Trees." It's part of a series designed to share skills and build community.

The next session, "Aging in Place: Supporting Our Older Neighbors," will take place Oct. 20 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Albany Senior Center's multi-use room. Here's the description, from the city's Fall 2010 Activity Guide:

America is aging. Today, roughly 37 million Americans age 65 and older represent slightly more than 12 percent of the country's total population. By the year 2030 the number of Americans in this age group will nearly double, accounting for one-fifth of the population. Older Americans want to age in place in their own homes, this is a fact also true in Albany. Join us as we explore ways and share ideas on how the Albany community can support its older citizens in aging in place! Isabelle Leduc, City of Albany's Senior Center Supervisor, will be our special guest.

In addition to the Sept. 11 planting session at the community center, other opportunities to get your hands dirty include:

• Saturday, Oct. 2: Terrace Park
• Saturday, Oct. 16: Castro Street steps at Jackson & Hillside
• Saturday, Nov. 6: Memorial Park

Want to plant trees on your block? Contact Tony Wolcott at 559-4275. Follow Tony the Tree Man on Twitter and Facebook.