September 20, 2007
Horseradish Increases Resistance to Cancer
A University of Illinois study shows that horseradish has substantial quantities of glucosinolates, compounds that has been shown to increase human resistance to cancer.
"Glucosinolates increase the liver's ability to detoxify carcinogens and they may actually suppress the growth of existing cancerous tumors," said Mosbah Kushad, U of I associate professor of food-crop systems. "And our analysis of various horseradish varieties shows they are a rich source of these compounds."
Posted by Ron Wolford at 3:50 PM | Permalink |
September 2, 2007
Violent Wind Storms Hit Chicago
One cannot appreciate the damage wind storms cause to trees until they've experienced a storm like the one that passed through Chicagoland on August 23, 2007. Fortunately, major wind storms do not occur on a regular basis. The trees that normally take the brunt of the damage - Chinese and Siberian elms, poplars, silver maples, birches and willows - are the predictable victims. All of these species have brittle wood and are easily damaged by wind storms.
Homeowners often plant fast-growing species like the ones mentioned above for rapid shade. Fast-growing trees normally have brittle wood and develop weak, V-shaped crotches that easily split apart under added weight. Often, trees with extensive internal rot and decay that may not have been evident from the exterior receive severe damage. Many times these trees overhang the house, driveway or power lines servicing the home. When large limbs or tree tops are broken in a wind storm, they can cause major damage and expense.
For homeowners with trees with major limb or top damage, two questions should be addressed. The first one is: "Does the condition of the tree warrant efforts to save it or should it be removed?" Major tree repair can be quite expensive and should only be attempted if a major portion of the tree is still intact and efforts can be made to maintain its attractiveness and value to the property. If the whole side or top is gone, it's questionable whether it's worth spending the time and money to salvage the tree. This is especially true if it's one with brittle wood that lends itself to similar problems in the future. While no one wants to remove a large, mature tree, the prudent decision may be to replace it with a young tree possessing desirable qualities.
The second question to consider is: "Can you handle the damage repair yourself or should you seek professional help?" Small limbs can be removed easily with pruning shears or a pole-lopper provided they are within your reach. Do you feel comfortable climbing a ladder up into the tree? Power equipment should never be operated from a ladder or in the tree where firm footing is questionable. Removing hanging limbs should be left to professional tree services. Look for them under Tree Service in the Yellow Pages. Make sure they carry proper liability and workmen's compensation insurance before allowing them to start the job. Ask if they have a certified arborist on their staff. You can also find a certified arborist through the International Society of Arboriculture website at http://www.treesaregood.org/findtreeservices/FindTreeCareService.aspx
The following are websites with information on how to deal with storm damaged trees and flooding:
Repair and Replacement of Storm Damaged Trees
Points on how to repair storm damaged trees and what to consider when replacing a tree
http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/disaster/facts/edentrees.html
Pruning Storm Damaged Trees
Tips on pruning a damaged tree and how to hire a certified arborist from Jennifer Fishburn, University of Illinois Horticulture Educator
http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/sangamonmenard/blogs/eb102/index.html
Storm Damage to Landscape Trees: Prediction, Prevention and Treatment
How to identify trees that may be susceptible to storm damage and steps to take to prevent damage
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/naturalresources/DD7415.html
Repairing Storm Damage to Trees
Tips on repairing trees damaged by wind, ice and lightning
http://www.kbs.msu.edu/extension/storm/
Repairing Storm Damage to LandscapeTrees
Understanding the effect of floods on trees
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/DisasterRecovery/treedamage.htm
Can These Trees Be Saved?
How to evaluate a tree for repair or replacement
http://www.arborday.org/media/stormrecovery/2_canthesetreesbesaved.cfm
How to Keep a Living Memory of a Tree with Cuttings
If you want to try to keep a living memory of the tree and are willing to invest the years to see it mature, you can take cuttings before the tree is chopped up and hauled away. Success is not guaranteed; cuttings from mature trees do not root as reliably as cuttings from young trees. But if your tree is damaged beyond saving, you have nothing to lose by trying. From Beth Botts's Chicago Tribune Blog, The Chicago Gardener.
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/chicago_gardener/2007/08/how-to-root-a-t.html#more
Trees Are Good
Tree care information from the International Society of Aboriculture
Selecting Trees for Your Home
This site will help you make knowledgeable decisions when selecting a tree for your landscape
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/treeselector/
Illinois Tree Selection
This website provides you with a guide for selecting the best tree for your situation. It includes selection information, a list of some common diseases, and common insect or insect related problems for each species.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/treeselect/
University of Illinois Disaster Fact Sheets
Fact sheets on disaster preparedness and recovery
http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/disaster/guide/g_facts.html
Flood Clean Up Information
Tips on cleaning clothing, furnishings, household appliances and walls and floors after flooding
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/DisasterRecovery/flood.htm
Posted by Ron Wolford at 3:10 AM | Permalink |
September 2, 2007
Roundup Losing Its Power
In the age-old struggle between farmers and weeds, farmers have enjoyed the weed killer Roundup. Some have called it the herbicide of a lifetime. But after 30 years on the market the chemical seems to be losing its power over some weeds, changing farming practices nationwide. Read more...
Source: NPR
Posted by Ron Wolford at 1:32 AM | Permalink |
September 2, 2007
Tending 'Defiant Gardens' During Wartime
For many, gardening is a simple meditative act–a way to get in touch with nature. Others may think of gardening as a mundane chore. Whatever the view, there's more than meets the eye. For instance, the compulsion to create a garden during wartime reveals something vital about the human spirit.
Kenneth Helphand's critically acclaimed book, "Defiant Gardens: Making Gardens in Wartime," argues that planting and cultivating a garden is a symbol of resiliency, and ultimately, an act of resistance amid a landscape of fear, destruction and disorder.
Helphand, a professor of landscape architecture at the University of Oregon, comes to the University of Michigan to discuss his findings in a lecture and slide presentation that illuminates the "astonishing tenacity required to create life in the face of death," according to Booklist.
In his book, Helphand explores the reasons people create gardens in extreme social, political, economic and cultural conditions. He examines the construction of gardens in the trenches in World War I, and in Warsaw ghettos and Japanese-American internment camps during World II. He also looks at unique gardens planted by soldiers during the Korea, Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars.
Contact: Frank Provenzano
Phone: 647-4411
University of Michigan News Service, 412 Maynard, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, newsrel@umich.edu
Posted by Ron Wolford at 12:18 AM | Permalink |
September 1, 2007
Detroit Mothers Reveal Environmental Abuses Through Photography
Watch the video > | Quicktime version Watch
With the snaps of their cameras, Detroit Head Start mothers are speaking out against what they see as environmental injustice that harms their children.
In the Photo Voice project, mothers are documenting the abuses through photography. Their photos have captured cases of illegal dumping in their neighborhoods by trucks with covered license plates. Some photos show air pollution from factories, as well as abandoned, unsafe buildings.
The project began five years ago by faculty in the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment and the U-M School of Social Work to draw attention to lead contamination in Detroit. The project focus later expanded to include environmental injustice, and U-M faculty wanted to help Head Start mothers make improvements in their neighborhoods.
Maizah McCann, mother of a 4-year-old boy, is involved in the Head Start photography effort because she believes her son deserves to live in better conditions.
"What makes people think they can dump here? When a kid grows up and that's what they see, they think: 'This is all I'm worth.' I'm not going to accept this," she said.
Most recently, the group included 15 mothers who documented environmental racism, which excludes minorities from environmental decisions affecting their communities, such as exposure to toxic and hazardous waste, said Bunyan Bryant, director of the Environmental Justice Initiative at the School of Natural Resources and Environment.
Communities of color disproportionately suffer from environmental hazards and toxins and Detroit is no exception, he said. With a minority population of approximately 87 percent, Detroit houses more than 40,000 toxic facilities, according to the Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice.
These factors have overwhelming effects on children who are more susceptible to the hazards due to their smaller size and developmental processes, Bryant said.
Detroit children are twice as likely to have asthma as other metropolitan areas throughout the country. This environmental injustice can lead to an increased occurrence of learning disabilities, increased aggression and cancer in minority children, he said. The mothers worked with Bryant and Michael Spencer, an associate professor in the School of Social Work.
Contact: Jared Wadley
Phone: (734) 936-7819
University of Michigan News Service, 412 Maynard, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, newsrel@umich.edu
Posted by Ron Wolford at 11:42 PM | Permalink |
