The Prairie View A&M University Cooperative Extension Program will offer a free Forest Production and Management Program on March 23 in Rosenberg. This is a joint workshop with Trees for Houston and Cooperative Extension Program, College of Agriculture and Human Sciences at Prairie View A&M University.
The event will be from 9-11 a.m. at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office for Fort Bend County at 1402 Band Road.
The program is free, but participants must register at https://tx.ag/March23ForestManagement. The first 50 participants who register will receive a free tree to take home from the program.
Contact Abdul Hakeem, Ph.D., Prairie View A&M agriculture and natural resources agent who works in the AgriLife Extension office in Fort Bend County, for additional information or with questions at 281-342-3034 or email abhakeem@pvamu.edu.
Importance of trees for people, the planet
Hakeem said Houston ranks eighth in air pollution in the nation. In 1920, the Houston population was just 137,276; the current population is 2.288 million. Texas has 8.08 million registered cars and trucks, whereas in 1920 the entire country had fewer registered vehicles.
“Risk of lung cancer, mesothelioma and cancers of the mouth and throat significantly increases as air pollution levels increases,” said Hakeem. “Due to ozone layer depletion, many health challenges are on the rise. Planting more trees can be helpful to reduce adverse effects of air pollution.”
In addition to helping reduce air pollution, trees can help reduce erosion caused by unpredictable weather events due to climate change and provide habitat for wildlife.
Forest production and management topics
The program will cover the following topics:
- How to Plant a Tree.
- Benefits of Urban Forestry.
- Sustainable Forestry.
- PVAMU Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention Program.
- Tree Planting Demonstration.
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