Arbor Foundation Updates Tree Map - Most Regions Gain One Full Zone Rating

[hatrack]

EDIT

Arbor Day Foundation spokesman Woody Nelson said the hardiness zone map shouldn't be taken as gospel. The map, based on observations at 5,000 weather stations, doesn't take into account so-called "micro-climates" caused by local environmental factors such as topography and pockets of heat generated in urban areas.

Neither does it take into account other key factors, such as snow cover, soil moisture, length of cold spells and summer heat extremes, Fech said.

But Nelson said the map confirms what tree planters have known to be true, that some varieties of trees are now able to survive in areas they previously could not. He said no one would have planted a southern magnolia tree in southern Nebraska 15 years ago, but those trees are proving to be hardy there now. "A lot of what the map shows is confirmation of what a lot of people who work with trees have been seeing," Nelson said. "People weren't shocked."

Kim Kaplan, spokeswoman for the USDA's Agriculture Research Service, said the USDA is reserving comment on the Arbor Day Foundation map. The USDA is working to update its own map -- widely considered the standard by arborists. Kaplan said the new USDA map will be interactive and more precise, breaking down zones on a county-by-county basis. Instead of plugging in 15 years of data, Kaplan said, the USDA is using a 30-year model.

EDIT

http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/02/14/news/regional/12cfcdf8d2003da9872572800078868f.txt

[AndyA]

1. For the last 10 years in Tulsa, we've had annuals come back the following year.

It's crazy. Last summer, I had annuals in my yard that were thriving, and they were planted 4-5 years ago. They aren't supposed to survive the winter, but they do.

[Dead_Parrot]

2. I'm glad I'm not a forest. nt

[GliderGuider]

3. Here's the map. It's a shocker.

And here's a link to an animation of the changes: http://www.arborday.org/media/mapchanges.cfm

[phantom power]

5. that delta-map has an interesting stripiness to it.

[GliderGuider]

6. It's sort of a quantization effect

It's due to the rounding errors introduced by the zone designations being discrete integers but the actual shifts being continuous.

[phantom power]

7. Oh, of course. I'm a doofus.

[Dead_Parrot]

8. Bagpuss!

Just an old, saggy cloth superpower.
Baggy, and a bit loose at the seams.
But Emily loved it.

http://www.smallfilms.co.uk/bagpuss/intro.htm

[phantom power]

9. There's a thing I hadn't seen before.

Hey, if we wake up, will all our friends wake up too?

[Dead_Parrot]

12. If they don't...

...Gabriel the toad will be in some really deep shit.

[XemaSab]

11. Interesting how it's a bit cooler in parts of the west

Anyone have an explanation?

:shrug:

[happyslug]

13. NOT Cooler, require HARDIER TREES, Probably Drought related

n/t

[NickB79]

14. The Arborday maps mainly reflect winter low temps

I've been using Arborday zone maps for years to grow trees and shrubs up here in Minnesota, and each zone I've seen corresponded to a specific winter low. Zone 4a means you can expect a winter low of -30F on a fairly consistent basis, while zone 5a means you can expect a winter low of only -20F, for example. Winter temps have always been the main factor, and I've never read rainfall totals being a factor used for zones. For example, on the map, it now shows that parts of the central Great Plains are at a higher zone than central Minnesota, yet I know that we receive far more precipitation here than in Nebraska.

[XemaSab]

15. It's based on average low temps

according to the article.

[kestrel91316]

4. This would explain why my garden, formerly GORGEOUS,

has been a wretched failure the past few years.

Corn won't pollinate.
Bean plants FRY.
Tomatoes and peppers literally melt on the vine.
Greens bolt to seed rapidly IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER.

I am in SoCal and I cannot grow much of my own food anymore. We are about to enter a period of food uncertainty, friends.

[Gman]

10. I have a ficus tree that is managing to survive

here in South Central Texas. This is a bit north for these. Ficus trees are more common as indoor plants or trees but are common as outside trees and shrubs in South Florida and Texas, that is, tropical areas.

It froze to the ground in an ice storm 3 years ago. I cut it back an it came back very full within a year. I protected it from last month's ice storm and wrap it in blankets when the temp will be below freezing (like tonight).

I don't know anyone else around here that has a ficus tree growing outside, but it does do well as long as it's protected the two or four times it freezes.