The former vacation spot for President Herbert Hoover in Shenandoah National Park that was in danger of collapsing under the weight of an oak is now free from its clutches.

Before presidents had Camp David, Hoover vacationed at the Brown House in Rapidan Camp. The house was built around the tree. It had a hole in the deck for it, and part of the roof was cut away to accommodate it. But 85 years later, it was a big problem.

Rangers watched Wednesday as the historic tree, hundreds of years old, was removed from the Brown House.

"When they took the first limb out, because I'm a very sentimental person, I teared up a little bit, said interpretive park ranger Patressa Kearns.

Kearns says they really had no other choice. "It was causing the roof to buckle and causing maybe the wall, the load-bearing wall, to buckle, so it would have done more damage as time went by."

But getting the tree out was no easy task for crews. "The deck was built around it, and then the roof was grooved around the tree where the tree went by the roof, and through the years the tree had gotten extremely large, and it was beginning to shift the cottage, and the front door wouldn't open anymore, said John Shifflett, who owns the tree removal company that did the job.

The tree was so close it actually grew into the roof of the house, carving a rut into the living wood. The crew needed a crane to remove the tree in pieces, but it was difficult to even get one near the house.

"We were limited to crane size because the bridge crossing Rapidan stream here, we had a weight limit, Shifflett said.

The stump of the tree was below the deck, causing even more problems.

"We had to crawl under the porch and deal with that, considering we watched two snakes go under there this morning when we got here, Shifflett said.

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Crews Remove Tree that Threatened Historic House

Thirsk residents angry over tree removal

8:43am Wednesday 18th June 2014 in Ryedale news

A NORTH Yorkshire MP has petitioned Parliament over the removal of trees from Thirsk Market Place.

Anne McIntosh, MP for Thirsk, Malton and Filey, presented the petition, which had been signed by Thirsk residents, angry at the removal of birch trees from the Market Place.

She said: I have been contacted by many constituents who have been angry and disappointed that the trees were removed so suddenly from the Market Place and without any consultation.

I hope that this petition will go some way in encouraging Hambleton District Council to think again and take note of the concerns of Thirsk residents. Feelings locally are running very high, which is demonstrated by the fact that 1,000 residents have signed the petition.

Residents are keen to know that replacement trees will be in place and which variety.

The petition urges the Government to encourage Hambleton District Council to replace the five trees that were removed.

See the article here:
Thirsk residents angry over tree removal

Published: Tuesday, 6/10/2014 PETTISVILLE

BLADE STAFF

PETTISVILLE, Ohio The Ohio Department of Transportation will begin removing 21 trees on residential walkways today, after the commencement of the Safe Routes to School project on Monday.

The project to improve sidewalks and signs around local schools requires the removal of some trees that are in the way of renovated sidewalks. Some other trees slated for removal are just unhealthy, state officials said.

The tree-cutting, funded by $400,000 in federal money, was delayed last week, after residents complained about the number of trees that were going to be taken down.

The Fulton County Commissioners voted to approve the project on June 6, with the requirement that ODOT consult with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and individual homeowners to determine which trees were salvageable.

Based on national regulations and advice from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, ODOTs contractor had marked 42 trees for cutting, but it reduced the number after a reassessment of the area.

Teresa Pollick, an ODOT spokesman, said representatives went door to door to discuss the project plan with residents, and to explain to them the reasons for the cutting.

By the time the project is completed in October, ODOT will plant 31 new trees in the area.

Read this article:
ODOT to begin tree removal for sidewalk project

Emerald ash borer, the invasive beetle that is killing ash trees in the U.S. at an alarming rate, has been detected in North Andover, Mass., just 3 miles from the New Hampshire border, and 30 miles from Portsmouth.

As a result, Essex County, Mass., has placed a quarantine on the transportation of firewood and untreated lumber. EAB was detected in Concord in 2013 and a similar quarantine is in effect for Merrimack County. If we want to save our ash trees, it's time to start treating them on the Seacoast.

The discovery of EAB in North Andover was lucky, and it shows how we can all help keep an eye out for the spread of this pest. Matthew Mountzuris noticed a stand of trees with dead canopies and increased woodpecker activity and called the Department of Conservation and Recreation in Massachusetts. Turns out they were all white ash, and all infected.

Here's what you can do:

If you find signs of infestation, you can submit a report at the N.H. Bugs site, http://www.nhbugs.org. If you see trees this spring that have dead or dying canopies, that's a great indication of a potential problem.

The Emerald ash borer has already killed millions of trees, and the spread has continued every year since it was first discovered in Michigan in 2002. Let's all make it a priority to protect our region against the spread of the EAB. In turn, we'll be protecting our forests, our Seacoast, our campsites, our fishing holes and our neighborhoods.

Dan Mello is a certified arborist and owner of Seacoast Tree Care LLC. His team provides expert prevention and maintenance of all tree and shrub species for homeowners, commercial clients, landscape architects and landscaping professionals. He can be reached by calling 431-0101 or visiting

http://www.seacoasttreecare.com.

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Emerald ash borer threatens Seacoast

My last column elicited several requests for more detailed information on controlling quackgrass. Following is the question from one reader and response. If you have tree, shrub or lawn questions, you may e-mail me at the address at the end of the column. I will respond directly and cover the more common questions in my column.

Dear Doug,

An online service is needed to view this article in its entirety. You need an online service to view this article in its entirety.

Need an account? Create one now.

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The rest is here:
Field notes: There's no ducking intensive treatment for quackgrass

#Tile work #Kitchens by Mario
Natural tile enhances bathrooms and kitchens. Just installing a tile back splash can do wonders for your kitchen.

By: Kitchens By Mario

Read more here:
#Tile work #Kitchens by Mario - Video

Summary: After almost a year since it started taking orders, Tile is finally shipping. It's like having 'Find My iPhone' for your keys.

Tile(@TheTileApp)is a small square Bluetooth LE device that can be attached to keys (or just about anything) and be located via Bluetooth when you're close enough, and via a crowdsourced community of users and people that install the app. The use case is attaching the square device to your keyring and using the free iOS app to locate Tile when you misplace your keys.

For background, I recommend that you read my original Tile article (from a year ago)and my follow-up interview(from May 15, 2014)with Tile Co-founder Mike Farley.

I backed Tile on June 21, 2013, received my address confirmation email on May 22, 2014and my Tiles shipped on June 2, 2014. (I alsoreceiveda Tile press unit on May31, 2014.) So it took just under a year to get my Tiles, which is a long time by any standard, but not completely unheard of for a startup.

Tile has shipped over 20,000 units to early backers, but, when will you get yours?Tile has published the followingshipping schedule:

So, how well does Tile work? In about a week of testing my units, I'm comfortable saying that Tile works as advertised. It's pretty simple, really: you activate a Tile by pressing and holding the "e" then pair it to your iPhone via the Tile app (free, App Store), then attach the Tile to your keychain, MacBook or kid and forget about it.

When you inevitablymisplace your keys or MacBook (but hopefully not your kid!) just launch the Tile app and use it to find the missing Tile. Since it's based on Bluetooth 4.0 (a.k.a. Bluetooth LE) you'll need to be within 50-150 feet of the Tile. If you're not within range, the Tile app will display where it was last seen on a map. The app uses a proximity indicator to show when you're getting closer to the Tile. Pressing the "Find" button in app makes your Tile play a little tune that helps to locate it. Some have complained about the volume level of the Find sound, but it hasn't been a problem for me.

You can watch a video demo of the Tile iOS apphere.

Where Tile gets interesting is in its community tracking features. Like other Bluetooth trackers on the market Tile uses a crowdsourced model to help find your Tiles when you're not within range.Each phone running the Tile app is capable of picking up the location of any Tile, regardless of its owner. Tile allows other community members to anonymously and unknowingly report the location of a lost item. For example, if you lose your bike and another Tile user happens to be in the area of the Tile on your bike, that user will anonymously and securely update its location.

My wife and I recently took an overnight trip to Philadelphia to celebrate our wedding anniversary. To test my eight Tiles, I attached two to our keys, two to our bags, two to a pair of MacBooks, and I gave two to our kids. Via the app I'm able to easily track all eight Tiles and see their location at any given time. When I want to know a Tile's exact location I simply touch an icon to see it on a map, and I can use the Find button if it's lost.

Read more:
Review: Tile Bluetooth tag (verdict: Great)

OLEAN Almost immediately after graduating from Olean High School in the early 1970s, Kurt Ireland found a decent job working at the former Olean Tile.

I was a laborer there running the different machines, he told the Times Herald. I worked all the shifts they offered there, and it was hard work.

The line work even with its steady pay and regular hours just wasnt enough for him.

I knew that I wanted to have a profession in something and not just a job, he said.

Thats what he ended up finding in law enforcement.

On Friday, Capt. Ireland will retire from the Olean Police Department after 36 years on the force. Hes the departments senior-most officer.

Growing up, Capt. Ireland never had any intentions of becoming a cop. But that changed after a conversation with former Olean Police Officer Joe Connelly during his fifth year at Olean Tile.

He suggested to me that I take the police test and helped me prepare, Capt. Ireland said. So I took it and scored well.

Capt. Ireland was hired along with four other officers in 1977 by former Olean Police Chief Michael Luty. His first day as a cop was Nov. 14 of that year.

He quickly learned police work is complex.

More:
Olean police Capt. Ireland to retire

CROSSVILLE The Crossville Chronicle brought home a number of awards from the Tennessee Press Association (TPA) Ideas Contest, including sweeps of best self-promotion of a newspaper and best Internet banner or tile ad categories.

Pauline Sherrer, publisher, said, "I am so proud of our entire newspaper staff, from the advertising and composition staff, to the editorial staff, circulation, classified advertising and bookkeeping departments, mail room/inserters and press room, for their hard work and dedication to promoting our local businesses in a first-class newspaper. We are thankful for the support of our local business and retail community for allowing us to serve the Upper Cumberland region both in the newspaper and online."

The TPA contest included more than 820 entries from 30 newspapers and were judged by the Arkansas Press Association.

The Crossville Chronicle took first, second and third place in the best self-promotion of a newspaper in the non-daily newspaper with 5,000 and greater paid circulation for the Spot on Advertising campaign and Readers' Choice publication. Other awards include:

Second place for best sales promotion for a retailer for McCulley Siding and Windows;

First place, best black and white ad, Brownstone Day Spa;

Second place, best feature page or pages, Breast Cancer Awareness;

Third place, best feature page or pages, Spring Cleaning Time;

First place best 1/4-page or smaller ad, Villa Del Funk;

Second place best furniture and/or appliance ad, Mayberry's Home Furnishings;

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Chronicle brings home TPA Ideas awards

These days, tiles come in all different shapes, sizes and styles, so it's easy to find a look you both like and can afford.

Ceramic and porcelain tiles are really popular because they are within most budgets and are easy to lay and care for. Glass tiles are also low-maintenance and look fantastic, but they're usually expensive. Stone tiles, such as slate, marble and limestone, can be costly too, as well as higher maintenance, and they can vary a lot in thickness, colour and texture.

Mosaic tiles are available in lots of different materials and are perfect for creating a feature wall or splashback, but they're rarely cheap. They come in sheets on a mesh (or paper) and the mesh is supposed to keep the individual tiles evenly spaced - but it doesn't, in my experience, work very well. The number of grout lines means mosaics can also be hard to keep looking good too (depending on where they are and the colour of the grout).

If you're buying tiles online and you haven't seen them in person, make sure you get a sample first because you could end up being disappointed. Of course, you may prefer to buy tiles in store, where you can see what you're getting. Another advantage of buying in store is that you can ensure all the tiles come from the same batch (as long as there's a batch number on the boxes), so they're exactly the same colour and finish.

To work out the number of tiles required, multiply the length by the height of each wall (or part wall) to be tiled (minus the area of any doors, windows, etc) and add them together to get the total area - then remember to allow around 10% more for breakages and wastage. Lots of tiles are sold per square metre and even if they're not, it should say what the price is per square metre - this is the easiest way to work out the cost.

Don't forget to factor in the cost of the tile adhesive and grout, tools, spacers and other accessories. Cutting the tiles can be tricky, but using an electric tile cutter with a water-cooled diamond blade makes it much easier.

The adhesive and grout must be suitable for where you're tiling (not all can be used in showers, for example) and the sort of tiles you're using. I find ready-mixed adhesives and grouts easiest to use, as it can be hard to get it right when mixing up powdered products. Combined adhesives and grouts are particularly useful, especially if the adhesive oozes through the gaps between the tiles - it's much easier to use the same product to grout than to clean out the gaps.

Like all DIY, tiling takes some time and patience to get right, but it will save you a lot of money if you can persevere.

Product of the week

How-to tip

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A very versa-tile look