Going for the Green.(Salt Lake Olympic Committee plans tree planting)(Brief Article)

OLYMPIC ATHLETES HAVE ONE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE - GO FOR THE GOLD. THE Salt Lake Olympic Committee (SLOC), on the other hand, is going for the green - and I don't mean money, I mean trees.

SLOC identified urban forestry as its primary goal. SLOC's environmental plan includes a zero-waste goal, a zero-emissions goal and an air quality plan.

One goal is to plant 100,000 trees statewide prior to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. The planting is designed to offset ground-level ozone and improve air quality around the venues.

SLOC also partnered with treesaregood.org to promote "Plant it Green 2002," which is designed to elevate SLOC's environmental platform to a world stage. The Internet-based program advocates the importance of urban forestry and its link to quality of life. Plant it Green 2002 encourages responsible tree planting and a method by which people can obtain information on the benefits of urban trees as well as urban forest stewardship.

Plant It Green unites partners in urban forestry, including Alliance for Community Trees, American Forests, the International Society of Arboriculture, Millennium Green, the National Arbor Day Foundation, the National Tree Trust, TreeLink.org and the USDA Forest Service.

Anyone in the world can plant a tree in their community in honor of the Olympics and register it on www.saltlake2002.com. SLOC will provide each Olympic tree planter a certificate recognizing his or her role in enhancing the environment. The goal is to have two million trees planted in time for the Olympic Games.

Planning, Foresight and Hard Work

The task for urban foresters in Salt Lake City is tremendous. The work involved in preparing the city for the Winter Games required a lot of planning and foresight. It has required and will continue to require a lot of hard labor to maintain the trees for the Olympics and beyond.

But urban foresters in Salt Lake City are not the only ones with winter tree work on their hands. This issue of Arbor Age delves into the planning and foresight required to work safely in extreme winter weather (see "Combat the Cold," page 10). The exclusive interview with Dr. Rex Bastian covers winter safety, clothing, training and equipment maintenance.

Although many companies consider winter to be business as usual, there are some companies in colder climates that look at winter as the off season or at least the down season. This issue of Arbor Age also includes information about snow-removal equipment.

Warm Weather Winter

At this point, Arbor Age readers in the South and West are getting ready to dismiss this issue as the cold-weather guide to tree care - don't. As with every issue of ArborAge, the goal is to provide information that appeals to all. Although our readers in hot climates will not need to plan for ice and snow any time soon, the other features contained within this issue cover such wide-ranging topics as heavy equipment, chippers and cabling and bracing. Enjoy, and keep reading.