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moleshow · 2 years ago

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what would you say to someone (me) who is thinking about moving to chicago

it's a good city. without information on what you're looking for, where you're coming from, what your line of work is, what your finances are like, or whether you want to study here i can only give general advice. so without further ado

what exactly is a chicago

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

POPULATION:

we have the largest population of polish people outside of poland

we are located within COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS which contains the ring of inner suburbs that border chicago. our 3 transit systems are the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), which operates the L (back to that in a second) and our city bus system. the suburban bus operations are run by Pace, and the L has two lines which extend into the northern suburbs of Skokie, a predominately jewish and to a lesser extend filipino neighborhood (don't quote me on that), and Evanston, which is where the main campus of Northwestern University is located. Metra runs our suburban commuter trains, but they don't own all of the tracks. metra trains have a few stops within the city, but generally serve the Greater Chicagoland area.

note that Chicago and Chicagoland are different places and the terms are not used interchangeably. chicagoland is always the burbs. this is a chronic issue: people from the suburbs will claim they are from chicago. do not let them trick you. ask them what neighborhood.

the CTA operates the Red, Purple, Yellow, Green, Brown, Blue, Orange, and Pink Line trains. all of these converge in the Loop. because they form a Loop. the other stuff in this picture that do not go into the loop are metra lines.

the "base point" for our address system is in the loop, at Madison/State. major roads will have numbers and N/S or E/W on them to indicate where they are relative to that intersection. you might hear, like, "5200 block on north clark", which will tell you where along clark that location is (in this case, clark street is 5200 N at foster).

regarding politics

if you live here, you will benefit greatly from understanding the politics. we have a council-mayor system. each city council member (known as an alder-wo/man/person or sometimes just alder) represents one of 50 wards. we use a weak-mayor system, but there's coalitions and mayors usually tap into that (unless they're hostile nutjobs)

as you might be able to tell there's a lot of politics happening here. to that point, we do big city democrat boss/machine politics here. you should look up richard j daley and then richard m daley to get a peek into that. it's the politics of knowing a guy

we have a new mayor. you might know this already but this is a lead-in to a larger point which is that chicago is, relative to the extent that any place can be after the 1980s, a union town. brandon johnson comes to us, broadly speaking, out of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU). they are to city hall progressives what the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) are to the conservatives. teachers union vs police union. fight

note that our conservatives are not republicans. our conservatives and progressives are democrats, because everyone only votes for democrats. the national party labels don't apply so the policies are what's different

vexillology

we have one of the finest flags possibly in the history of man.

there is no east side because there's a lake.

where to move

you'll get more transit access for your money if you look for apartments on the north side east of ashland, or at the very least, damen. around the brown line might be tempting but it doesn't run 24h and i found that difficult to rely on when i was along it. the area i've described has decent redundancy so you can have a lot of options a few blocks apart.

older buildings almost always use gas stoves and steam radiators. that's something to be aware of when you're looking depending on whether or not you care.

rapid fire north side neighborhood ratings from someone who doesn't go west of ashland because i refuse to cross it

rogers park good, mid around loyola university, edgewater mid if you aren't on wilson, uptown good, andersonville overpriced and mid, ravenswood barely a neighborhood but cheap and mid

this area is so lame it's uninhabitable. over here it's always christian girl autumn. drivers are aggro as fuck, they all drive SUVs, and the food sucks. don't move there

continuing further south: lakeview after belmont (e/w) is good and better on broadway to the east. this is where boystown is due to gay men being there. lincoln park nice to look at but mid to be in. downright bad around depaul. "ranch triangle" is barely a neighborhood, wealthy and mid. near north side is complicated due to proximity to the Viagra Triangle. gold coast is not a neighborhood but has good peoplewatching. nonetheless, mid. old town is where they invent new ways to be mid. and river north is a nuclear mid-off but has fairly swank restaurants if you don't spend too much time there

6. the dollar

apartment prices vary depending on what amenities you want. a basic oldschool unit without a dishwasher or central air but with laundry in the building will generally set you back $750-1000 for a normal, rather than weird, studio. you shouldn't pay more than $1600 for a one bed. it is better to look for places in person but come off of anon and i can give you the name of a company i rented from that had good units in good areas for good prices. and parquet wood flooring.

if you are poor and or gay we have medical services for that. the howard brown health system does sliding scale and has locations across the city

things aren't too pricey here in terms of having fun but the main thing people do is drink, go to the lake, and drink at the lake. there's other stuff of course. the restaurants are good generally speaking and the industry is frankly enormous here. usually all around the same price point, we don't do a whole lot of the Fine Dining stuff here.

culture notes

this is longer than i intended it to be

we have sports teams only three of which matter. these are the cubs, white sox, and bulls. cubs and white sox are both baseball teams and appeal to different demographics. cubs fans usually live in the suburbs or on the north side, white sox fans are largely from the south and west sides. the bulls are a basketball team. you'll see all of this stuff on hats

we got a few newspapers: the chicago tribune, chicago sun-times, and block club chicago are some of our heavy hitters

all the cops and firefighters live out here in the bungalow belt

don't move there

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nonooddo · 9 months ago

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Just What is this Developer Up To..?

Oddo Developments is building, planning or has built tower blocks of thousands of beds and and 'townhome' developments across this part of the county and the greater Kansas City area.

The developer is relentless in fighting communities across the region - with teams of architects, lawyers, illustrators, PR people and paid-up engineers all producing 'unbiased reports', 'scenic' renderings and of course candid submissions in multiple sets of municipal planner meetings. Meetings that local residents know nothing about until the Oddo Project is already baked - and its odor has already seeped all through the corridors of the various city halls.

"You Cant Handle The Truth" - until its too late for you to do much about it..!

And IF there is a need for high stacked rental housing - maybe all these legal maneuverings - that just happen to NEVER include the locals and the communities Oddo moves it resources into - are meeting that need. But that doesn't explain why Oddo is determined to grab hold of the gateway to Cedar Creek...

Hiddeous

The Oddo company's other plans, on a much less significant Cedar Creek adjacent site - (between Valley Parkway & 103rd/Hwy 10), are much more modestly scaled. Not on a high elevation - those plans are only intended to be TWO STORIES HIGH...!

Yet More ODDO It will be doubly difficult to sell apartments with traffic views if the luckless Oddo residents wake up to find that Oddo over-development in Lenexa is causing traffic to back up onto Hwy 10...!

Of course selling views of traffic on K-10 would be more of an uphill battle than selling views from the top of the hill on Cedar Creek parkway. Cedar Creek views that we provide, at our expense, and Shadow Glen golf course views that Oddo will appropriate along with the name 'Shadow Glen'.

So is the deal - 'stacking "synthetic stone cladding" and "cement board" multi-level micro apartments' all along K-10 designed to catch the eye of commuters? Those forced to wait for a space on the Cedar Creek off-ramp will have noting to look at but tail-lights and 'ANOTHER ODDO DEVELOPMENT' billboards? Logical maybe - if cheap and nasty.

But what does that do to the claims of luxury resort living..? Is that really the way you recruit top level tenants? Somehow I think not. So really - what is Oddo Developments doing trying to take over the entrance to Cedar Creek..? Why does THIS site have to be 6 stories of building - as opposed to 2 elsewhere (from which he clearly must be able to turn a profit...)?

I'll tell you - this is all about what we have, we created, we should own and we should be in charge of (were it not for another developer who clings onto control through a faux HOA)...

Oddo Developments wants to loot Ceder Creek of its views, its open spaces, its character and its green resources... He has no way to prevent his tenants using our open property, crowding the carefully stewarded natural spaces - and our absurd developer-run HOA has no plans, ability or inclination to stop Oddo. After all - birds of a feather....

So we should be in no doubt that the rapacious machine presently gnawing at our door, does not have a better face or a nicer plan. There are no 'more acceptable' approaches or alternatives. Not from an entity that is here for the singular reason of appropriating for itself all that we have worked for, contributed to, managed, observed, maintained, stewarded and paid for. Oddo's very presence in Cedar Creek is fundamentally at odds with all of us who live here. And that difference is irreconcilable.

The essence of Cedar Creek is at stake here. Nothing more, nothing less.

NO...!

Oddo can't be allowed to win.

#Oddo Developments #kansas #Olathe #Cedar Creek #unwelcome #green space #fighting developers #Olathe Planning #City hall

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trainsinanime · 2 years ago

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Trains in Wednesday

If you watched Wednesday (2022 Netflix TV show), then you've probably wondered what the train was, and whether it makes sense. The answer to that is: Sorta, by accident!

We see the train briefly in establishing shots in a number of episodes, but especially episode two, where it pulls into the station. The station is full of American flags everywhere, and the show is set in America, so as you'd expect, the station and train are from…

…Romania, actually. Not quite Transylvania, but close (at least the castle, I don't actually know about the station). This train is a CFR class 96 DMU (diesel multiple unit).

Picture by Stefan Bichler (Stbichler), via Wikimedia Commons, published under CC BY-SA 3.0

To much the rest of the world, this type of train is known as a Siemens Desiro. Specifically it is nowadays known as a Siemens Desiro Classic. There are plenty of other trains named Siemens Desiro, generally with a suffix, that are technically and visually completely different (e.g. the ones for the UK, Russia, Belgium, the newer ones for Germany and Israel, the one for Malaysia… all completely different trains).

The Desiro Classic was designed to offer better service on rural German branch lines, with high acceleration, level boarding, air conditioning and accessibility. Several other companies built similar trains during the late 1990s and early 2000s as part of a big program to modernise Germany's regional rail lines, and all of them managed to sell theirs far and wide beyond Germany as well. Siemens in particular managed to get a good foothold on south-east Europe. They sold significant numbers of these trains to Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece, as well as Denmark in a different direction. Most were diesel, but some electric versions also exist. Romania in particular got 120 trains (all diesel), about half of which were produced locally, which makes them the second-biggest user of this type after Germany.

As a train designed to continental European standards, it does not meet US-american crash worthiness requirements, which are all designed around "the heavier the train the better", and have largely ignored "built stuff in to avoid collisions". As a result it can't run on the US mainline rail network. And so you'd expect me to say that this makes no sense in the US, and I'd really like to…

…but as it turns out, for almost any early-2000s low floor German DMU, you can find like one or two lines in the US were these were used as a super innovative regional rail project. For the Desiro, that place was North San Diego County, California, where twelve of these trains run under the name "Sprinter" between places I never heard of (Oceanside and Escondido) in the greater LA metro area.

Picture by Amtrak455, via Wikimedia Commons, published under CC BY-SA 4.0

Different colors, obviously, and I think it got more AC units on the roof, but it's still the same train. The lower crash standards means that it's considered "light rail" in the US, meaning it legally counts as a better type of tram, and freight trains can't run when these trains are running.

Twelve of these trains isn't a lot, but it's still more than the three Bombardier Talent DMUs (a similar type by a different company) that used to run in Ontario, and that people always bring up whenever I talked about a Bombardier Talent somewhere.

Wednesday is set in Vermont, obviously, far from California. But Nevermore and the town of Jericho are clearly fictional, and it's absolutely possible that in the alternate universe of the show, there is a branch line in Vermont that got these trains in the mid-2000s. It's a bit of a stretch if you get down to it, e.g. with the Romanian colours (and for that matter why is the station electrified? Is Jericho a junction on a branch of the North-East Corridor?). But it's way more plausible then the show's love triangle.

#wednesday #wednesday show #wednesday netflix #train review

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libraryofcirclaria · 3 months ago

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17 January 1261

Library of Circlaria

Third Level Society: First Version

Story Five: Oscar Lehman

Last I wrote, I was about to head to Bridgetown. Now I am in North Kempton.

Two months ago, November 16th through 17th, I think, I made my way to Bridgetown and met with Meon. I took a plane from Gentry County Airport to the Airfield in the greater area of Lerutan. From there, I took a cable train which arrived to Midway Station in Bridgetown. Meon's flat was one block East and one block North of the Midway Platforms, on the Bridge, itself, on the Combrian side.

So it was a long day of travel, I think about three hours.

When I arrived, Meon invited me in and sat me down with some coffee. I told him of everything that happened between Marcus Terrings and Karlin Maryk, more than what I could say over telephone or ticker. Meon seemed to listen intently; but when I finished, instead of providing insight and advice on the matter, he simply stated that he had nothing to say and then changed the subject.

The conversation drifted into politics, during which Meon felt certain that Jackson would win.

"I don't see how a radical third-party candidate from an upstart organization can bring down the mighty Foundationist-Laborist establishment," I remember saying.

"You would be surprised how many think differently," Meon said.

Of course, I did not believe him at that moment. In fact, I was completely dumbfounded by his actions. He seemed a completely changed individual, not the Meon I knew for years and years. And in this case, I even began to wonder if he was either politically swayed or knew something that only few others knew.

And my dumbfoundedness was increased even moreso by what he said next.

"Go back to Cabotton next week, and finish your semester," Meon said. "After finals, I need you to do me a favor. I will send over 500 qors to your bank account that week. Whenever you see that, and whenever your academic break starts, take the plane and train routes necessary to reach the town of North Kempton. See if you can find Cray Fenton."

"I thought you no longer had interest in the happenings of Cray Fenton," I protested. Indeed, that was true. Meon had made countless mentions with me in conversation throughout the years about his fallout with Cray Fenton. After Fenton's downfall, Meon was hoping to reach out in the hope of consolation. He had tried this many times but was met with cold silence. Eventually, Meon gave up, or so it would seem.

But Meon placed his hands on my shoulders. "Don't mention me," he said. "Also, when you get there, approach him as if normally someone from the outside wanting to make friends. In the process, get as much information from him as possible, his whereabouts, his relations, especially with the Galleston family, and especially his craft."

"What is the meaning of all this?" I asked.

"Just do as I ask." Then Meon smiled. "It will benefit all of us."

Usually, a conversation with Meon made me feel whole whenever I came to him during low points in my life. But that particular conversation made me feel even more fragmented and confused. I returned to Cabotton the same way I came. And during the last week of November, first week of December, I just simply felt emptier than before. I stopped engaging on the most part with the Third Level Society, not just because of having to focus on my final examinations, but because I simply became a shell of who I was.

My mind turned quite frequently to the Four Towers on the University Campus.

I went through the motions. I took and passed my exams. At the end of the first week of December, I put the Society and Meon completely out of mind.

And then, in the late hours of Friday December 7, news broke that the electoral Docks District in South Masonia was handed to Edward Jackson. That was the final building stone in this year's contested election, the outcome of which determined the outcome of the election. So Edward Jackson of the radical Diplomatic Party was named the next Prime Minister, unseating the incumbent James Black and breaking the Foundationist-Laborist dynamic having been in place since the beginning.

Meon Bell was right.

In all this chaos and uncertainty, Meon Bell's seemingly off-hand and semi-delusional statement regarding the politics in the outside world was actually right on point. I actually had thought that Meon was converted into a brainwashed hopeful of that libertarian campaign platform. But now I realize that perhaps I was misunderstood. With Meon Bell serving as the point of fixture in the socio-political soup, I decided to finally follow through with his advice.

I still paid a visit to my family for the first week or so of winter break, staying over the holidays of Stellacrux and the New Year. But afterward, I set out to North Kempton. I decided to take the following Spring Semester off from Cabotton University.

When I got there, I realized that the rumors I heard in the past spoke true about North Kempton. I saw pictures of the town before everything happened. Nothing but a few farmsteads. But when the Airship Pirafone crashed in one of their cropfields, national attention was drawn here. Before long, the airship industry saw the place as a potential stopover; so they built an airfield here, dedicating it to Captain William Solomon, having received a hero's honor for having landed the Pirafone on the ground without casualties. In fact, Cray Fenton having broken his wrist was the only injury requiring a hospital stay.

Things changed dramatically for that town. Before 1251, it was said that "nobody outside of North Kempton knew that North Kempton existed." Where there used to be nothing but open fields and scattered farmsteads stands, today, a proper town. There is a town square with intersecting avenues and traffic lights. And there's line after line of shops.

That was not what got my attention, however. What struck me was the arrangement of the residential housing estates. Those, in North Kempton, are complete squares with uniform houses and uniform lawns. Now we've had estates throughout Middle Remikra and the Great North for the past half-century or so, but these housing plots here in North Kempton are peculiar with their yard decorations, more specifically the bushes and hedges, whose shapes are obviously crafted by humans. And for the past thirty-six hours, I learned from a few North Kemptonians that there is a norm to have the best hedge and the best-kept lawn. Not necessarily an actual competition, but more like a competitive vibe. And this extends to fences, housing exteriors, and even sidewalks.

Another element of culture here is a similar incentive to produce the best model family of the town. In other words, there is a stronger drive here than I've seen elsewhere to graduate from school, join the military if you are male, obtain a college degree, obtain a job, then marry and start a family. And may I add that there is a strong expectation for adolescents to participate in sports. In fact, that norm is so popular that the local high school has more than one team for each of their sports.

And there also seems to be a community expectation extending to even relatively private behaviors such as one's conduct at the family dinner table, as well as pressure to attend Alconist worship every Sunday.

I'm not able to pinpoint what exactly about this bothers me slightly. All the norms here are present elsewhere, including Cabotton. But something feels a bit extreme about all of this. It seems that North Kempton and its very function seems to revolve around the norms of the individual and of the family. And North Kempton is the first town I've seen to boast a slogan: "Tradition and Community."

Regardless, I was happy to finally meet Cray Fenton. At first, I found someone who knew him, but that person would not respond to my inquiry other than "He's busy these days with private matters." I had booked an extended stay at the Town Center Hotel. So I decided to take another approach by leveraging some rumors.

What I gained from that was that Cray Fenton and members of the Galleston family were setting up and running a dymensional plane that simulated the city of North Kempton, itself, with avatars only in the form of humans and animals doing normal things. It seemed boring the way these sources conveyed these activities.

But then I came across Carla Solden. I told her everything that I heard about the Cray Fenton project, and explained to her how I had, on the most part, separated from the Third Level Society. That seemed to catch her interest; and when I asked to observe a session one night out of pure curiosity, she obliged and gave me the address to the Galleston Farmhouse.

So I arrived on the evening of January 14th to the Galleston Farmhouse. It was snowy, and had been all day. But I could see that they had about an acre of crops that they grew during the appropriate season. Indeed, they were right next to the William Solomon Airfield, which was quite a vast area; and Peter Galleston, who met me upon arrival, explained how that all belonged once to the Galleston family, initially as a large grainfield. The airship industry had paid a large sum of money to that family for purchase of the field, as well as paid for a lifetime of wheat flour imports.

The dymensional plane was in the house basement, but we convened in the living room on the first floor, where I finally met Cray Fenton, members of the extended Galleston family, and some of their close friends.

Fenton seemed quite calm and friendly, in stark contrast to what Meon Bell had told me. I guess that being away from the Third Level Society for as long as he was did much to calm him. So I told them everything regarding my recent experiences with the Third Level Society.

For a moment, Fenton's jolly vibe disappeared and was replaced by an air of serious acknowledgement. "Indeed, some things may have changed. But some things also remain the same." Then he beckoned for me to follow him down into the basement, where he showed me the dymensional plane.

It was basically a rendition of North Kempton. "Every significant building, every street, every zone, every geographical feature, crafted to the best possible detail with respect to our ability," Fenton explained to me. "It's not much, I know. Just a simple re-creation of the real world. But it serves an important purpose. Of course, that would take all night of explaining. So it is better for you to cast your own avatar and take part."

And I did. Thus far, things seem a bit less structured here. They do not even have a name for their organization let alone a policy book or Statute of Principle. But one rule here is that the avatar you cast must be an exact replica of yourself, with no unreasonable alterations.

But aside from that, there are no rigid leadership roles, although Fenton seems the "head of the round dinner table." There are no bizarre political dynamics here like in Cabotton. There seems to be an air of common sense for once. I haven't yet fully indulged, although I will in due time. But this already feels more comfortable for me than the Society ever did.

"There's probably more of you where you came from," Fenton said at one point. "Let them know that I would like to extend my perpetual invitation."

I am taking Spring Semester off from Cabotton University. In fact, I may even take off Fall Semester.

<- 13 November 1260 <- || -> 01 March 1261 ->

#LOC-ThirdLevelSociety #LOC-TLS_FirstVersion #LOC-TLS-FirstVersion-5-OscarLehman

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naturecoaster · 5 months ago

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How NatureCoaster is Making a Difference for Florida's Nature Coast

We love Florida's Nature Coast. We work hard to support the many organizations that help make the wonderful place what it is, whether through events, activities, preservation, or assistance to residents and visitors. That is why NatureCoaster.com covers the best of the area and not the crime and politics that divide it. Being involved in politics - the organizations and governing entities that manage our area's resources - is important. Attending County Commission meetings, Southwest Water Management District meetings, Florida Fish and Wildlife Meetings, City Council meetings, and Metropolitan Planning Organization meetings are all ways that we can shape how our area grows. NatureCoaster.com covers notices about when and where you can get involved. When you speak up and get involved in the process you can influence positive change and chart direction. Today's feature story is about the details: who, what, where. Let us know what you think in the comments. Supporting the Florida Wildlife Corridor One of our passion projects is the Florida Wildlife Corridor, which is certainly bigger than our Nature Coast. The Corridor extends from the Keys to Alabama and Georgia, providing a connected path for wildlife to move freely and somewhat safely through the entire state. The Nature Coast is an important piece of the Corridor. The Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation has partnered with us to promote you, our readers, getting involved. To that end, Diane Bedard, NatureCoaster's founder has been involved with this organization for several years. "I believe that each of us can contribute to something greater by trying. I believe God honors effort and when we take the time to put our vision into action, we can contribute to a greater good," Diane says. A Celebration to Help the Cause On April 6, 2024, NatureCoaster.com held a party for our tenth anniversary at the Masaryk Winery in Masaryktown, Florida. We invited all our readers, our advertising partners, and the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation's friends to come out and celebrate with us on the 53-acre u-pick farm, winery, restaurant, and venue. Autum Proctor of Traveling Art Parties kicked our celebration off with a custom paint class featuring a Nature Coast theme. Here are some of the finished pieces with their creators. Image by Dennis Bedard. We made a custom art piece under the guidance of Autum Proctor, owner of Traveling Art Parties. We enjoyed some of the finest blues music around by the Sarasota Slim Band. We held a silent auction that had donations from small businesses throughout Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco Counties, and we learned more about the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation by watching their latest film, O2O: the Path to Connection and hearing from a panel that included Justin Alsedek, the artist who created the Florida Wildlife Corridor Brooksville mural, Austin Jenkins, US Army Veteran and Trek participant on the O2O film, Donayle Whitmore, FCWF's Director of Outreach Programs, Barry Meindl representing Brooksville Main Street, and myself. The event was catered by Suzy's Kitchen, a farm-to-table place inside the Masaryk Winery. We had a marvelous turnout at our celebration and raised over $1,300 to donate to the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation. This donation, while not monumental in size, will help the organization continue fighting to connect and protect the nature that makes our Nature Coast such a magical place. https://youtube.com/shorts/sOi1nTZrxKE?si=Z3MUslnycn1denWa Let's take a moment to thank the partners who contributed to the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation fundraiser at our Tenth Anniversary Celebration. What a great team! - Chop Block Grill - Florida's Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau - Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation - Freedom Boat Club - Gypsea Arts - Main Street Eatery - Marilyn Tate, Artist - Movin’ Grooms - Philip Bomhoff, Attorney - Richey Suncoast Theatre - Roots Creative Company - Sally White Photography - Tampa Bay Retired Police K9 Foundation and Dog Phonics - The Plantation on Crystal River - The Red Brick Place - The White Heron Tea & Gifts - Traveling Art Parties Raising Funds and Presenting a Check Mallory Lykes-Dimmitt, Chief Executive Officer of the Corridor Foundation, stated, "The awareness you raise through your efforts is significant to our goal of connecting and protecting a safe space throughout our State and we are grateful for your partnership." Her thank you letter for the financial donation stated, "Together we’re continuing to make tremendous strides to keep the Corridor connected and working with a growing array of partners and resources to collectively achieve our critical mission. " We were able to go to the June 8th Gallery opening at their St. Petersburg office to present the check and share some of our NatureCoaster.com branded wine made by Masaryk Winery. NatureCoaster Sponsors Organizations and Events to Help Raise Funds for Local Charities And NatureCoaster is a local publication with a global reach. We help sponsor and promote events year-round to raise funds for charities that provide everything from food for food-insecure schoolchildren to animal care and everything in between. Here is a list of some of the local events and organizations we donate to - The Arc Nature Coast - Florida Manatee Festival - Heroes Boat Parade - Florida Strawberry Festival - Summer Bark Festival - Kumquat Festival - Chasco Fiesta - Live Oak Theatre - Friends of Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park - Friends of Weeki Wachee Springs - Brooksville Main Street - Art in the Park - New Port Richey Main Street - Dade City Monarch Butterfly Festival - East Pasco Chamber - Pigz in Z’Hills Blues & BBQ - Tampa Bay Retired Police K9 Foundation - Walk of Arts Sidewalk Chalk Competition - Drive for Champs Golf Classic - Brooksville Gallery 201 - Red, White & Brews - Walk for Alzheimer's - Floral City Heritage Council - Citrus County Historical Society - 100 Women Who Care Nature Coast If we go back more years, there are more, and I am certain there are some that have been inadvertently left off the list. We want to make a difference for our Nature Coast and with your help, we do. Support the organizations that invest in advertising with NatureCoaster.com. Without our partners, we would not be able to continue connecting you to the best of our area. We hope to see the Butterfly Lady at the 2024 Monarch Butterfly Festival in the newly renovated Touchton Park. Miles the Butterfly, photo ops and much more are sure to be at the annual Dade City Monarch Butterfly Festival on October 26. Image by Dennis Bedard. We Partner with Chambers of Commerce and Visitor Bureaus We belong to several Chamber of Commerce organizations in our region, including the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce and the East Pasco Chamber of Commerce. In previous years, we have been members of the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce, the Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Hernando Chamber of Commerce. We work with all three County tourism or destination marketing organizations: Discover Crystal River, Florida's Adventure Coast, and Florida's Sports Coast. They support us and we support them in attracting visitors to the area to experience the best we have to offer. Some of Our Readers' Remarks about NatureCoaster.com In May 2024, we did a reader survey, asking what readers like about NatureCoaster, and here are the comments. Some are repetitive in this list format, but we didn't want to take away from any of the responses. Let us know if you agree - or if you have some to add. - I learn about the Nature Coast. Helps this snowbird feel connected until we return. - Information on events and restaurants - Just good local events and news and I like how much there is about nature! - Events from a couple of counties for better options for family time/memory makers - It's relevant to my home - So fun and informative! - I learn things about my county that I would not think about. - Good Local News Articles and Events - Interesting - Wide and varied coverage - It alerts me to events that I may want to attend. - I get news about the community! - You are local and you are passionate about promoting local! - Keeps me updated on community news and events with interesting stories and things to do - Gives me the facts about what is happening - It provides interesting information about the local area. - "The articles are informational and local and I love to share them on various Facebook pages that I manage. - It lets me know what events are going on and where! - It is an incredible source of local events, local businesses, local news and overall local spots to be visited! - Up to date - It keeps me up-to-date on local places to go - I like the feature stories, and event notices, along with community news. - It goes where other media doesn't. - It informs me of events and places in my county - The background history of places on the Nature Coast - I am interested in learning and participating in outdoor educational activities - Good local information If you get to this paragraph, know that we are trying to help make Florida's Nature Coast a better place with our God-given talents and we couldn't do it without you. Read the full article

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evanvanness · 10 months ago

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A screening list for an English club to buy

It's long been a dream of mine to buy a football ⚽ club in England and bring it up the divisions and try to turn it into a big club worth billions.*

What would be an ideal club to buy:

League Two (or possibly League One). League Two is the 4th division, league One is...the third division. In American terms, very roughly speaking, League One is AA minor league baseball, and League Two is A.

Close to an international airport with a direct flight. In practice from Houston this means greater London, maybe greater Manchester/Liverpool (there's a direct singapore air flight). On the other hand, maybe you move there and go 24/7.

Big stadium without urgent need for renovations where fans attend even in lean times. The gate is a big piece of the economic puzzle in lower divisions. The better the attendance in lean years means that you can (theoretically) lever up more with debt because the downside is lower (theoretically)

Higher GDP in surrounding area the better. More sporting success means more economic success. Also generally less xenophobia for when you buy the club and for the inevitable times when your team doesn't live up to expectations.

League Two (via Wikipedia)

League One:

Clubs on this list (12 in League One, 6 in League Two) roughly within an hour of Manchester airport without traffic: Bradford City, Tranmere Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Wigan, Barnsley, Port Vale,

Within an hour of Heathrow: Swindon Town, MK Dons, Charlton Athletic, Reading, Portsmouth, Oxford United.

Top of League One and League Two (by stadium capacity) are both clubs who would probably be pretty gunshy, for some different reasons. Derby County went busto, MK Dons got moved in controversial circumstances.

Even knowing how football mad the general area is, it's somewhat surprising how many clubs are within an hour of the Manchester airport.

You notice Wrexham in the bottom left corner, as it's a short drive from the airport. A few actors managed to buy the club in a particularly brilliant manner by cross-promoting all their investments using a documentary, all the while acting as if they're losing money.

[I find the documentary really annoying. Lots of dumb jokes, overacted "reality scenes," not enough football, business or Wales. I do enjoy the Wales bits though.]

They did manage to go from the 5th division to the 4th division, however, which is a big accomplishment. They got the club apparently for free, by simply promising to invest in the club.

There's a few clubs in London if you're willing to look at the 5th division, but the stadiums are small. For example, of that map, the largest stadium is Barnet at 6400. Since it's London, presumably expanding or building a new stadium when you need to is much more expensive.

I also think that 5th division complicates an obvious blueprint: for me, it would be recruit from Argentina relatively young and create a culture where players aren't homesick and can perform. Beyond that, Chelsea also showed us that buying lots of players cheap when they're young and loaning them out until you sell or play them is a profitable strategy.

_* Almost 20 years ago I spent hours figuring out Peter Thiel's email when he was at the height of his success as a macro trader to send him an extremely half-baked suggestion of buying a club in administration. If you assume he didn't respond, that is the safest of calls.

_** Technically the top level (the Premier League) is no longer a member of the EFL.

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catboybiologist · 7 months ago

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Oh yay, stuff I get to nitpick! Sorry if this seems snippy, I just love talking about California geography and nitpicking the subregions is an easy way to do that.

There's a lot of distinctions here that I wouldn't make, and some that I would.

I would strongly argue that wine country isn't distinct from either the far North, or as a "rural", bougie offshoot of the bay. Personally, I'd have it as a "greater Bay and Northern San Jouquin" region that covers the Bay Area, Stockton+Sac, and the North Bay that you have as wine country here. The other funny thing about wine country is that wine production is a lot less consolidated in California than most people assume. While Napa is obviously the most famous and most productive, Paso Robles, Monterey County, and various spots on the central coast creep their way up there.

Eastern California is also mostly just the East slopes of the Sierras plus the Owen's valley, and has the same kind of vibes as the Sierras overall. You also cut them off way too early to the South and somewhat early to the North I would say. A good frame of reference is that Death Valley is in the direct rainshadow of Mt. Whitney- here, you have the tallest and most classic part of the Sierras as "desert", which isn't accurate.

I bring this up bc those divisions are probably a lot less significant than one you missed out on- North Coast vs true "state of Jefferson" Northeast. They're both very low population areas, so people don't think of them much, but the culture is completely different- just compare Eureka to Redding. The North Coast climatically and geographically is very wet, with lots of misty headlands and redwood forests, whereas the interior is a lot of dry brush and pine forests, including the South end of the Cascades.

I'd also rename the central corridor to just central valley. I also personally nudge the SoCal/central Cal border a bit further North than most people, but I know most disagree with me lol

Not that this changes anything. SoCal is probs the worst part either way, it just has the most population by a massive margin, so its gonna win. And the other major population center is the Bay, so that plus socal are gonna take up the majority of the votes.

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cashloans2go · 1 year ago

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Lifestyle as Associated with Your Vehicle Choices

Finally, you are going to own your car. Alternatively, maybe it is time to get the second (or the third one. Have you arranged your finances? Did you finalise your car model? If you haven’t, then this post might do you good.

To get a suitable car for your life, you have got to think about your lifestyle first. Your lifestyle does get a boost. However, the same lifestyle choices determine the best car for you. Read on to find out more about it.

What Car May Fit Your Lifestyle the Best?

You know very well that vehicles are meant for different purposes. Of course, your responsibility comes more relevant here as a car owner. If you can choose the vehicle meant for the purpose you have, then materially, it’s a correct decision.

However, one may need a minivan not only for the purpose it is created for but also for something extra. For example, people buy a minivan to commute with many passengers. However, simultaneously, you may use it for your business shipment process with delivery people.

It all then comes down to your personal preferences. Put more focus on why you want to own a car’ to come to a clarified decision. It will help you with your purchase. Types of vehicles you might need to consider:

Coupes (cars with two doors)

Sedans (cars with fur doors)

Vans

Mini-Vans

SUVs (utility vehicles)

Trucks

Campervans or Motorhomes

When you are sure of the kind of vehicle you want to buy, then you can organize your finances better. Nevertheless, what if you don’t have a good financial condition? What if you have spotted your favourite car and an affordable limited-period offer, yet you cannot own it for lack of money? In that case, take a car loan from the new direct lenders in the UK. They can offer you personal loans for buying your car. Yes, you can get money for your car without having to use it for collateral.

Your Residential City or County Matters a Lot

Maybe you live a lifestyle from which others gain inspiration. We can define the lifestyle we live based on our choices. However, part of that is defined by the location we live. If you are a person on a hamlet in the UK, then you would live differently than a Londoner. It’s that simple.

In case you are staying in a city that got narrow roads or navigational areas, then it is wise to choose a smaller vehicle. You can navigate through the city more easily. You can squeeze your car into tight parking spaces.

Nevertheless, staying in the countryside or a more wide space than a city, such as a town or a village, can help you own a larger vehicle like an SUV. You won’t have issues driving or parking it. Besides, the larger wheel diameter can get more distance covered for you.

How about the Type of Driving or Commutes You Are Looking at

I am going to give you an example with skateboards. My friend Zack has a longboard. The longboard comes with a greater size and softer wheels. Hence, it helps a person to roll with stability for a longer period. The plain reason for that is the length of the board deck and the larger wheel diameter. He uses it to commute to the office, which is about 5 miles from his home.

Chen is another mate of mine who bought a penny board. It is a cruiser. These are smaller longboards with the same sort of wheels. However, their sizes are comparatively shorter. They are great for navigating the roads, alleyways, and pavements of a city.

Have you got your answer? If you are into a cab business or your navigational area is mostly in the city spaces with tight twists and corners, a small SUV will be a good fit for you. You might also go for a coupe that comes in smaller. On the other hand, you can choose a larger SUV if you stay in a freer area with long-distance travelling as your necessity.

Family Members

I would ask you to consider sedans and SUVs if you have a family. I mean, if your family consists of only 2 people, and you know that the number of members is not increasing in the future, then that two-door car is going to be good for you. Again, having a sedan or an SUV is more important when you have many family members.

A van might also be a good option if you have a large family. There will be times when you want to go on road trips. A family of that kind needs these occasions at times. If you have a high-budget capacity, I might want to recommend the campervan or motor home. It is splendid not to carry too many people but to accommodate them for a short period quite comfortably and safely.

For the Solo Travellers

Some people like to call the road their friend. No, I am not trying to tell you that you need to live in your car like a few people are doing these days. That’s a different thing. However, wanderlust may have made you infected with an urge to travel. With that, you’ll need a stronger car.

I want to pick an SUV. However, if you are a traveller who does not like the company of others, then a small truck is good. It can get your things loaded at the back. It has a good hauling capacity, which you can use for long road trips or for things like camping.

For Businesses

Now you want to ship things. You have a brand, and you would like a transportation partner that is going to get your things moved from one place to the other. You might be working in retail, manufacturing, or the restaurant industry, where you have to come across shipping needs for your customers constantly. It is also a common thing for businesses like dropshipping.

A small truck or a pickup truck will work as a perfect business partner for you. Yes, they are a little costly. However, we can pay that high price if we put our brains to use.

To Conclude: Financing a Car in Poor Conditions

Sometimes, for an individual or a business, buying a car or any vehicle gets mandatory. But they might face a financial hurdle. A poor credit score or low income can be a few of these issues.

Why worry much? You can take out long-term loans for bad credit from a direct lender online. These loans may not be secured loans. You can take them out without collateral. Your lender wouldn’t mind a bad credit score as long as it is a direct lender organisation and you are transparent with repayment using your salary.

As a parting piece of advice, I would only like to reflect on the fact that you should research a little more about the car you want. Maybe this post has told you enough about what areas to check. You might have special requirements. Take time to understand them and then finalize your purchase. It is then going to be effective.

#quick cash loans #long term loan

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rgvrollo · 2 years ago

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Clearly, #spacex feels their launch was a success!

I would agree to a certain extent, but it's failures alarm me! Here's why:

When NASA, was been placed on the back burner for deep space enthusiasm, Elon has gone somewhat rogue. This can lead to serious consequences for People, Environment, and Sea Life.

NASA spent billions of Tax-payer dollars that funded the research of its launch facilities to accommodate the Saturn 5 Rockets, and The Space Shuttle. Although the fuels, and oxidizers may be different, the concept remains. Very high heat at launch, and lots of down force blast at take-off. NASA has it down. Elon chose Boca Chica, built his own dreamy launch system, and his incredible Merlin engines. Clearly, He didn't account for, or neglected the math. Not only did his launch facility fail at its most Basic design, but destroyed his craft. There was tons of fine silica particles from sand, and concrete blasted even smaller into the Atmosphere in the huge dust cloud after take-off. The prevailing winds carried the Dust Cloud up towards South Padre Island, and West, NW of the Launch site. This would encompass The Entire Rio Grande Valley, and up to Central Texas(San Antonio). This alarms me more than a launch failure. Elon, who has Tesla, a green car company, isn't concerned about Air Quality?

Something to consider, is the fact that Mexico deliberately burns their trash dumps during these predictable winds from the Gulf Coast, that blows carcinogens, and toxic metals, directly into the above mentioned regions. We cannot control Mexico, aside from an invasion, which I will mention in upcoming posts. What we can control, is What We Are Doing Here!

Also, The Ripley Sea Turtles, which many scientists still believe to be highly endangered, nests right on the Beach next to SpaceX launch facility. Often consumed in Mexico for it's eggs, meat, and prized oil for cosmetics; This turtle continues to be challenged for survival! We can't control Mexico, but we can control Our coast! Not Elon! He has tunnel vision!

Why then, would a billionaire, build a launch facility, not up to NASAs well researched standards, and in the Center for breeding of a protected species, like the Ripley Sea Turtle? Good question! Its clear, that something made it easy for him!

The Rio Grande Valley is a predominantly impoverished region of either Extreme Wealth, or Extreme poverty. The same as in Mexico! Very little is gained via legal routes to success. Basically, if you got money; Anyone in politics here, can be bought! Look up RICO arrests in Hidalgo, Willacy, and Cameron counties for the last 50 years..Much higher than anywhere else in the country! Why? Greed! The levels of success are envisioned by The car you drive(important), and the boat you have! Notice I didn't mention the home? That doesn't matter here! Success is what people see outside of the home! A shanty area will have homes worth >30 grand, with a 80 thousand dollar truck parked in front. Those may be street level thugs(Drugs, human smuggling). My fear is that under this highly volatile mixture of greed, and corrupt politics; Elon got his launch pad...No oversight, no further discussions! A Carte Blanche to thrill the world with explosions, and failed attempts to launch! Why, when Elon, and his Money could go to NASA, and SHARE their Well-built, and Launch proven facilities? It's called negotiations! Sadly, in the RGV, pay under the table, and now we're friends, is Daily business! Elon knew he could go to The RGV, and Brownsville to accept his offer. I'm sure he thinks we are just dumb Mexicans here! Yes, we have about a 50% or greater illegal population than anywhere else, and the border is highly porous; yet vastly militarized, in presence...Nothing makes sense here!

Folks, I am NOT against Elon Musk, and his Ventures! I actually support him immensely! My issue is the Environment after this last failure, and detonation of hundreds of thousands of tons of contaminated sand blown into our Air! The long-term effects on an arguably near-extinct Sea Turtle, and most importantly; The shoddy construction, and design of its launch pad facilities. Who was the code-enforcer on this one?

Mexicans build this countries roads, homes, and buildings. They later cut the grass, and clean those homes, and buildings! We feed the Country by picking their fruits n veggies, and working their farms. They process the meats you eat! When no one will, and no one can? Ask a Mex-I CAN! They will try. One thing for sure, and after watching the work crews at SpaceX; They don't know Rockets, or understand why NASA had sterile environments... Hence, it will never succeed there!

NASA needs to allow a merge of facilities to SpaceX for launch purposes! We know this Rocket can go up, yet no one considered the downward thrust, and high temperatures of its 33 Merlin Engines. Unprecedented! So testing continues till success? At what cost to the poor, and uneducated? They don't understand the extent of damages it actually costs. All this to line the pockets of a very few...

In closing, I urge you to voice your thoughts! Good or Bad; It's time to go beyond a shoddy Environment Impact Study by the FAA..Dig deeper; it smells worse than methane!

We now need to #investinelon, and provide a BETTER launch facility; One that may have already seen a Moon trip... Hence, NASA! It's already built, it's elsewhere, and it's proven!

Win/Win!

Good day!

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luxuryapartmentsinriveroaks · 2 years ago

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The Definitive Guide to High Rise Apartments in River Oaks

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mossyquill02 · 4 months ago

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Definitely some valid points, but I can provide answers to some of these questions as someone who grew up in a “town” that was legally classified as a village.

> Why is there a Walmart?….How much land was the grandfather hoarding?

There’s always a Walmart. The area I lived in was in extremely rural and bordered on an Amish settlement that my grandparents frequently sold to (animal nutrition) and was a few hours from an indigenous reservation. We had a Walmart, a Kmart, a Blockbuster, two major banks (and a credit union), DollarTree, Dollar General, etc… Even in an area where some schools had a “drive your tractor to school” day, where kids missed school to help on their family farms, we still had major chain stores.

This is because, as much as farmers markets are great, farmers can’t afford to spend their time or the time of their helpers/family just sitting at a booth selling a pick up truck’s worth of produce. They wouldn’t be able to make ends meet. So they sell in bulk to chain stores, and in smaller quantities to friends and neighbours, and then they still need somewhere to buy the rest. So Walmart and the other chain stores still have plenty of business to stay open with (very) minimal staff and high profit margins.

In the case of Stardew, I always kind of assumed that the NPCs we meet and are able to interact with are like the role of friends and direct neighbours/small interpersonal communities that form in villages and small towns—not a representation of the entire population of the area. I think the one thing in game that best supports this idea is the map itself, which has several regions—farm, woods, beach, mountains, etc. In an actual rural area, especially one with this level of different environments, the land space would be massive and everyone would be car/bike dependent. Walking just to your closest neighbour’s house would take upwards of 10 minutes (at a minimum—often further). In order to make the game a playable scale, only the player’s farm is left at a “normal” scale, while the land area for every other area is reduced, including the number of houses and people within that land area. If you scaled things back up, everyone would have a greater amount of land/space and the PC’s land wouldn’t seem so out of proportion. There would also be a lot more people and families, probably enough to qualify as a village.

> How was there enough money for Lewis to embezzle?

I’d say this is connected to several things. One, the population scale. More people = more income = more taxes to embezzle. Two, the shut down of public institutions—the community center, the bus, and any schools. And three, if there ever WAS a gold rush, or even a solid mining boom, then that would have brought in a lot of money.

> What happened to the mine? Where are the miners?

So, when you first start the game, the mine is actually closed off due to a cave-in of some sort that blocked access, which Joja deals with. I don’t believe it ever says how LONG that blockage was there for. Miners also don’t usually own land (or at least not much) and from Penny’s family we can see that there IS an acceptable area for people with mobile/trailer homes to live. Putting those together, it is possible that the line had been naturally closed off for a while before Joja showed up, causing the miners to pack up and leave since they couldn’t make any money without access to the mine—and especially without any land ownership to tie them down.

> No school??

Yeah…uh…that’s real. Even a decade ago, before I left the area, there were schools getting shut down and merged, causing kids from County A (smaller population) to have to be bused out to the County B school, causing overcrowding and conflict over tax allocation/school funding. A lot of smaller communities (including the village where I lived) have a small and very much aging population—those who wanted more, or to start a family, left the area. So there were fewer and fewer young families and even fewer children. This has created an economic strain that my grandparents are still dealing with while living there.

Many people in this situation decide that home school is a better option (aka childcare with Penny). The kids get taught the family business, help out on the farm, and that’s about it. Many get taught the basic addition/subtraction from books and online resources, but don’t go much further.

Honestly, the most “unrealistic” thing to me is definitely the bus, but only because the US sucks at public transit.

Stardew Valley but the town is a real town which makes sense

#stardew valley #sv #stardew #stardew farmer #stardew 1.6

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oumaheroes · 3 years ago

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hii its bougie <3 if you're still taking hc requests, i was wondering if you'd have thoughts on something that's been on my mind for a while. i was interested in the nuance to english culture due to regional differences. eg.,dinner being called "tea" in the north of england, rugby being more popular in the south, the difference in how scones with jam and cream are enjoyed in Devon and Cornwall?? or how certain english accents are perceived as... "less attractive" i guess (the black country accents are unpopular apparently?) -- you'd probably know more about these particularities than me ;u;

i was wondering how these cultural differences might map onto hws England's character, and how they might influence his attitudes and behaviours. because there's such a clearly defined stereotype of the english that i think shape people's expectations of what the english are like, i usually think that Arthur usually consciously acts according to what counts as positive interpretations of himself. however, i love nuanced and somewhat subversive interpretations of his character, and am very curious if you might have any ideas on how these kind of internal regional differences might shape him.

--------------------

Bougieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee <3

I’m not gonna lie this sent me down a RABBIT HOLE of thoughts, so hang on tight cos we're gonna get messy.

Accents:

Let’s start with my personal favourite, so excuse me whilst I geek out for a second. I’ve gone into this area already in this headcanon, but I personally see England being a very proud little dragon regarding English accents, those both native and non-native to the British Isles. Focusing just on accents within England for this post, the way Arthur himself sees them, (regarding class and general preference), comes a lot down to how I see him feeling about language and the unification of England in general.

England is a tiny country. It’s really teeny, compared to some, and yet holds an incredible number of regional accents and dialects (from digging about the internet for a good source, I keep finding numbers ranging from 37 to 43). There are a number of reasons for this, but the one that I love the most is that accents are influenced by the previous/ influential other languages spoken in a given area. Accents on the East of England are more influenced by Viking invaders, both phonologically and via the dialectal words used, and accents/ dialects in the West are more influenced by Welsh, for example.

Accents and dialects tell the history of a place, all who ever came there and influenced it to some degree. The map of English accents is a patchwork quilt of old cultures and people now lost to time, but their ways of speaking have been preserved in the modern tongue. The old English kingdoms might now be mere counties- Kent, Essex, Sussex, East Anglia, etc- they may not have their own influence or language these days as they used to, but their old ways have been imprinted on their people of today whether they know it or not and they carry pieces of the past in their words and how they speak them. Older speakers of the Northern English dialects liek the Yorkshire dialect still use ‘thou/thee’ where this has fallen out in other areas, the Midlands and parts of the South-East still keep the ‘-n’ ending for possessive pronouns (‘yourn’ instead of ‘yours’, ‘ourn’ instead of ‘ours’), and there’s even some linguistic research into how Brittonic, the ancestor of Modern Welsh, influenced English structure and phonology (for references, see notes at the end).

Back to England the person (to contain myself slightly), his regional accents are a story of himself, his history being kept alive in all of its variety every day. He doesn’t hold a classist view of a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ accent because he knows why they’re all there- what languages and people influenced them and how these events affected him- the older generations now lost and forgotten being kept alive in the smallest of phonemes.

Every dialect, every accent, and every language tells the story of a people, from the smallest phonological marker right up to a language as a whole and England takes comfort and pride in his dialects and accents’ longevity and variety. He is as much of the North as he is the South, as much of the East as the West and a patchwork man born of patchwork cultures it makes no sense for him to favour one particular accent over another.

That being said, he is aware that there is a common cultural stance on accents as well as an opinion regarding ‘ugly’ ones, ‘common’ ones, and ‘classy’ ones, but he himself doesn’t partake in these ideas. I like to think that a nation takes on the speech of the people and the area they’re in, matching the person they speak to or the area they visit to relate to their people. So, for me a Chav Arthur exists as much as a Brummie one does, or a Scouser, or a Geordie, or a Cockney. They’re all English, and thus they’re all a part of him.

Class

I have to include this one, if only to touch on it lightly regarding accents and dialects. Class does influence which words you speak, arguably just as much as which accent (this is known as a sociolect). Although I said that England adopts the accent of whatever area he’s in, or whomever he’s talking to if they’re English, the class people are will also affect which words he choses to use.

Here’s a short example from here:

'It is pudding for the upper class. Dessert is sometimes used by upper middles, but afters and sweets very clearly put you below stairs.'

Have some more!

Upper class: Spectacles, Lavatory or loo, Die, Napkin, Sofa

Middle class: Glasses, Toilet , Pass on, Serviette, Settee or couch

(Working class is a mix but harder to find sources for).

This is where England treads a fine line. It could be that he again adopts more of a class lexicon regarding who he is speaking to, matching his people word for word. However, England is not unaware of the affects of class, regardless of how he himself feels, and also although class snobbery and divide frustrate him, he cannot deny using this understanding to benefit himself, which also conforms to how his own people behave. (I myself have, many times, diluted and filtered my speech to be seen as ‘better’).

Want to be seen as more reliable and powerful? Want to be taken more seriously? RP and Estuary English (a lot more so these days), hold undeniable sway and England is not above adopting a manner of speaking to come across ‘better’ or more polite, or a more ‘common’ accent to fit in with the working classes. I think of England as leaning more towards a working-class mindset- he’s very hands on, very up for and used to manual labour and this particular English class has always made up the bulk of his population. It makes no sense for a nation, who represents all of their people, to have a snide view or a preference for a particular group and England as a person I see is someone who does not enjoy the foppery and false airs of aristocracy.

That being said, England is an intelligent man. He knows how to work a room and use a crowd to his advantage, knows what must be done and what he needs to do to achieve a goal and if this entails courting the upper classes for a time then he will do so. He’s adepts at switching himself like a chameleon, blending his behaviours, accent, and dialect to match who he’s talking to to achieve a goal or to fit in with someone’s perception of him, or to gain influence or prestige. He also doesn’t hate his upper classes- they are of him too, and the middle and working class have their own prejudices and ideas against the others. But he doesn’t adopt a stereotypical distain of lower classes because to him, it really doesn’t make much sense.

Abroad, this need to cultivate a particular perception defiantly comes under greater pressure. RP and Estuary English are more well know, more heard and taught, and more recognisably ‘British’, and so these are what he uses when speaking English to other nations or foreigners, either wanting to uphold an image of himself (more so in the Victorian/ Edwardian period than nowadays) or just for the ease of being understood.

Regional Differences

Okay, this one is a lot more fun. Does England put in his milk first or last when making tea? Does he put jam first, or clotted cream when having a scone? Does he have chips with gravy, or curry sauce? Does he have dinner at 6, or 9? To marmite, or not to marmite.

Ah, that is the question, and England does not know the answer. Does he do what he does because that’s what he likes, or because that’s what his people do? He didn’t grow up with these habits, after all, they’re all relatively recent in his lifetime, and so these habits are defiantly things he cultures for a particular audience.

I’m not really sure if the above preferences are class based, (well, milk first when making tea is argued to be, but I can't find any sources I'd consider entirely credible. I put the ones I did find in the notes below, in case any one's interested), so it’s hard to get a sense of which one to use. Overall, it doesn’t matter which you do and neither is right or wrong, but the English feel strongly about them, one way or another, and often Arthur the man isn’t sure at all which one he himself actually thinks is better.

Food in another sense though is something he can be surer of. A Cornish pastie not from Cornwall is not worth eating, nor is a Bakewell tart outside of Bakewell. England can be very particular about this sort of thing and enjoys maintaining and supporting the ‘original’ flavour or recipe of a thing where he can, considering this to be the ‘best’. Sally Lunn Buns from Bath, Gypsy tarts from Kent, Eccles Cakes from Eccles.

England wants to preserve his food and culture and has what could be considered a snobbish view on the ‘best’ way of creating or eating his national foods. Some things he is more lenient with: he will eat cheddar cheese, whether or not it is from Cheddar, same from Cumberland sausages not from Cumbria. But he certainly has a preference and he is not afraid to voice this when asked for his opinion.

Okay, we're done

Phew! This had me digging out my old linguistic student brain. To anyone who has made it this far down, gosh golly miss molly thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the ride, and especially @prickyy who was kind enough to want to hear my opinions about all of this <3

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Notes:

Brittonic influence on English:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittonicisms_in_English

https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar_url?url=http://journals.mountaintopuniversity.edu.ng/English%2520Language/Celtic%2520Influences%2520in%2520English%2520A%2520Re-evaluation.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2ohDYdq3BoWImwHn6oWQAg&scisig=AAGBfm29zTF0FBCpd1KqDiAbjM-0X7nfoA&oi=scholarr (PDF)

https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar_url?url=http://www.oppi.uef.fi/wanda/unicont/abstracts/14ICEHL_MF.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2ohDYdq3BoWImwHn6oWQAg&scisig=AAGBfm3UvOXbJEb0b51J73eBnTJvgGaQOA&oi=scholarr (PDF)

Sociolects and class distinction within language in English:

https://languageawarenessbyrosalie.weebly.com/social-dialects.html

https://www.grin.com/document/313937

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_and_non-U_English

Milk in tea first and the potential class reason:

https://www.theteaclub.com/blog/milk-in-tea/

https://qmhistoryoftea.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/milk-in-first-a-miffy-question/

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timefortrees · 4 years ago

Text

Review of the schools of thought related to measuring tree vitality in urban trees through tree growth, physiological measurements and chlorophyll fluorescence testing

Understanding the health of our urban trees is an important part of any arboriculturist role, but how exactly is it that we can measure this? There are different schools of thought related to the measuring of tree vitality which revolve around tree growth, physiological measurements and the testing of leaf chlorophyll fluorescence. However, measured, the subsequent information from measuring a trees vitality can be essential in some tree management situations. Being able to know the vitality of a apparently declining tree can make all the difference in the decision to fell or retain, if it shows good vitality then there is an argument for retaining as the tree may be through whatever stress or strain has caused the initial decline and may now be in the process of recovering, however if a tree is in decline and shows poor vitality it is likely it will continue along the downward spiral of decline and removal may be a justified option.

Tree Growth

Tree growth as a method for measuring tree vitality is based upon the principle that a tree will grow less if it is stressed or unhealthy (poor vitality) and as such will be smaller than it would otherwise be if the tree was healthy and without significant stresses. There are several different measurements of tree growth that can be used to measure tree vitality.

A measurement of tree height and diameter at breast height have been used for many years in regard to tree vitality. These measurements have been used in many experiments into the effects of various commonly occurring tree stresses such as planting depths and the effects of drought. These measurements are simple and quick to attain and can be carried out by anyone with a basic understanding of how to measure heights and diameters. The methodology is based around the principle that a stressed or tree with low vitality will have a thinner diameter stem and be shorter in height, whilst I cannot dispute the logic or the accuracy of this there are a few issues with the use of this method on mature urban trees.

The measurement of tree height and diameter at breast height has significant benefits on assessing young , newly planted trees in experiments and the urban environment, however when it is used on older and larger trees they are some questions over its effectiveness. Over the course of a trees life it is likely to experience a wide range of external stresses and strains which may vary from natural environmental stresses to those caused by the activities of humans. The intensity and frequency of these external factors may vary from tree to tree within the same street and even more so over the expanse of a city, county or country. As such the tree height and diameter at breast height is likely to be so variable on older trees that it cannot be definitively used as an accurate measure of a trees vitality and this doesn’t include the natural genetic variance between specimens that may have a significant effect on the potential growth rate of any one tree. Of course, extremes will be present and reliable such as an avenue of lime trees all planted at the same time, if one of them is significantly shorter and has a smaller trunk diameter at breast height it is likely that its vitality is lower than its surrounding larger neighbors, however, this could be genetic.

It is important to remember that trees have stored resources and their growth rates partly depend on the previous years stored carbohydrates. As such all tree growth measurements will suffer from time lag, meaning that there is potential for either the reductions in growth rates to be measurable too late after the external factor occurred and subsequently caused significant harm to the tree or the event has occurred and has been ”dealt with” by the tree making the measurement “out of date” and fairly irrelevant as a one off measurement.

It is important to remember that trees growth varies from year to year due to an immeasurable amount of external factors, unless the measurements are fairly extreme one way or another I feel that the usefulness of one years measurements have the potential to be fairly irrelevant within the lifetime of many tree species.

However, what about the leaves? On deciduous trees these are replaced each year.

There are methods for measuring the leaf area of trees and using this as a measure of tree vitality. Leaf area index is the ratio of leaf area to ground area and is a widely used method for analysing the growth of crops or forest areas. It is not really practical or effective when used for individual urban trees. For individual specimens we are able to measure direct leaf areas and combine this with leaf weights to create a ration call the specific leaf area (SLA). SLA is defined as the ratio between projected leaf area and leaf dry mass. The SLA reacts sensitively to many factors that affect trees such as the availability of resources (light, nutrition) and hydraulic limitations and lower water potentials in greater branch heights. Because of this it is essential that leaves are harvested from similar positions within the trees (aspect, height, distance along branch) to ensure accurate comparison with surrounding and other measured trees. SLA is effectively a measure of density and subsequently health of individual leaves. Because leaves are regularly replaced (albeit at different rates for different species) this allows for a more “up to date” measurement of tree vitality. A lower SLA will tend to indicate a lower tree vitality, in studies by Pierce et al. 1994; Cornelissen et al. 2003; White and Scott 2006; Poorter et al. 2009, it was found that trees that are well supplied with nutrients tended to have a higher SLA than the same species of tree positioned in nutrient poor environments.

The SLA of a leaf is highly sensitive to a wide range of factors, many of which may vary throughout a growing season, light, nutrient availability, and as such the results should be compared against many other trees of the same species and in similar growing positions to allow for an accurate result. The impracticality of this method is a significant downside to it, the removal of leaves from different parts of the tree, whilst also being the same positions on other tested trees, will require aerial access (climbing, MEWP) which requires time and money. Unless the tree is particularly valuable or a study is being conducted it seems unreasonable to expect a tree owner to be funding such a investigation when there are many other methods available.

Tree canopy architecture can be used as a measure of tree vitality. It is commonly used by tree inspectors, to be honest it is commonly used by everyone who looks at a tree and states they think it looks “unhealthy” or “that tree doesn’t look right, I think we should get someone to look at it” , although many people are using the basis of this method unknowingly. In 2017 at the arboricultural association annual conference Dr Andreas Roloff presented a methodology of using above ground symptoms as a measure of tree vitality, within which he proposed that the crown transparency and branching patterns of trees are the most practicable methods for assessing tree vitality.

Crown transparency is an easy to learn, fast to carry out and above all a practicable method for tree vitality assessment, it relies upon the differences in the amount of light penetrating a tree canopy and is graded on a scale of 0-3.

Although it has important benefits there are significant disadvantages with this method.

· There are natural variations in crown transparency. E.g Betula pendula allows high amounts of light through its canopy whereas at the other end of the scale Cupressus × leylandii allows very little.

· In deciduous species this methodology is only really reliable for 4 months of the year

· Fructification and weather can influence the results

· Damage to the tree such as branch loss will result in increased light penetration and can lead to result misinterpretation.

· In some trees it is not possible to have 10% crown transparency due to their growth characteristics, which will mean they are at best ranked as 1 or 2 on the scale despite not having any vitality issues.

· Tree age can affect the results

Because of the above issues Roloff proposed that the use of branch architecture is a more accurate measure of tree vitality. He proposed that using branch and canopy architecture we can assess a trees vitality at all time of the year. Below is an image showing the vitality stages 0-3 in relation to branch and canopy architecture.

0 At stage 0 we can see the canopy is dense, there is good crown extension, and the branch architecture is very spear like.

1 At stage 1 the outline is spikey, the outer crown has started thinning, and the canopy has some bottle-brush type shapes at its periphery. There is little or no spear like architecture.

2 By stage 2 the canopy is getting sparser, it only contains short shoots and appears more bushy in nature rather than as a singular canopy.

3 Stage 3 shows the canopy retrenching. The leader has died back and the crown is reducing in size and density.

(the image to the left is originally from A.Roloff presentation at the 2017 AA conference)

This methodology is easy to understand and put into practice, in fact many people utilize its principles everyday without necessarily knowing. Most importantly it is effective for 12 months of the year.

The main downside or at least potential for misuse/ misdiagnosis is that the rough age of the tree should be known and whether the condition of that tree is normal for that age. For example, Quercus robur is a long-lived tree, but is known for its natural retrenchment until it becomes short and squat. If a mature Quercus robur is at stage 2 and is considered to be approximately 500 years old we could consider that to be fairly normal and that unless there is obvious indication otherwise, it is likely entering its natural retrenchment stage. However, if the same tree was only around 150 years old, being in stage 2 would indicate that something is wrong and causing the tree to enter early retrenchment or mortality spiral.

While this is an extremely useful and effective method of measuring tree vitality, I do feel it is also only formalising what many people do when assessing trees already.

Physiological measurements

Electrical admittance/impedance

Shigo and Shortle developed the principle of using electrical admittance/impedance for measuring the vitality of trees. The principle states that trees with a higher vitality have higher moisture content, therefore a higher concentration of mobile cation in their vascular tissues and lower concentration of mobile ions. Shigo developed his “Shigometer” as a tool for measuring electrical admittance/ impedance. It uses two needle probes that are pushed through the bark, cambium, and slightly into the wood. The pulsed electrical current from the meter passes through one needle, through the tree tissues and back through the other needle to the ohmmeter in the “Shigometer” where resistance in kilohms is measured. Because the cambial zone is so moist and contains high amount of cations most of the current flows through this zone. The higher the electrical resistance, the less vital the tree. It is important to have a baseline for which to compare the readings against, to do this at least 20 healthy trees of the same species need to be measured prior to testing.

Harris, Clark, & Matheny, developed the plant impedance ratio meter in 2004, it used two needle probes like the “Shigometer” but instead measured the impedance of an alternating current over 2 frequencies to measure the cambial electrical resistance (CER).

There have been many studies into the effectiveness of measuring cambial electrical resistance (CER) and using it has a measure of tree vitality which have produced mixed results. Effectively there are some issues with the methodology. The reliability of the results fluctuates between different tree species, cause of tree stress and time of year, there is certainly a difference in the amount of moisture within the tree at differencing times of year. Research cited in “The measurement of plant vitality in landscape trees” by Denise Johnstone, Gregory Moore, Michael Tausz and Marc Nicolas, stated that Clark, Kjelgran, Hushagen, and Fiore (1992) found that CER was not able to detect changes in tree vitality when compared against the diameter growth on Liquidamber styraciflua but conversely Martinez-Trinidad et al. (2010) could detect the tree vitality in mature Quercus virginiana when compared to a visual assessment of the trees when their symptoms were acute. A number of other studies produced similar variance in the effectiveness of CER.

In 2006 Gibert, Le Mouel, Lambs, Nicollin, and Perrier found evidence of a direct relationship between sap flow and electrical potential in the trunk of a Populus nigra in the spring, but not so in the summer. This indicates that the time of the year is likely to have a significant effect on the results of any electrical resistance or admittance-based testing.

Gaseous exchange

Carbon dioxide intake and water release take place through tree stomata. The measurement of gaseous exchange can provide an indication of tree vitality. These measurements allow for the estimation of CO2 assimilation, stomatal conductance and transpiration. Research by Epron, Dreyer and Breda in 1992 found that a Quercus petraea suffering from drought stress showed declines in leaf CO2 assimilation, similar results were found on Quercus ilex by Peria-Rojas et al in 2005. If very little gaseous exchange is occurring then it is likely that low vitality is present, whereas high amounts of gaseous exchange would indicate a good vitality and healthy tree. There really needs to be a baseline to compare the readings against in many cases and tests on multiple trees of the same species in the same area would be needed to form any reliable conclusion on a singular urban tree in the absence of some extreme results, e.g. no gaseous exchange. The measurements taken in measuring gaseous exchange are carried out by an infrared gas analyser (IRGA), this is a complex tool to use and is also expensive to purchase, because of this it is primarily only used for research purposes. Gaseous exchange can only be carried out while the tree is in leaf and presumably while the tree is not subjected to some external factors such as drought. While droughted a tree will close its stomata so there is likely to be a notable reduction or cessation in gaseous exchange and water release through transpiration as such testing at this time would not provide an accurate measurement of tree vitality and it would be predictable that the tree would not be in full health, although after the drought event the use of this method could indicate which trees, for example, along a street suffered worse because of the drought event and subsequently may need different management.

Chlorophyll fluorescence testing

Normally a healthy tree will use about 78-85% of the sunlight it receives at the leaf surface for life processes such as photosynthesis. The remaining sunlight is dispersed or reflected. A tree leaf will do this through non-photochemical processes: re-emitting in the form of infra-red radiation (heat) or as far-red radiation (chlorophyll fluorescence). This all changes when a tree is not in optimum health, lowered vitality. For example, after a period of drought the rate of photosynthesis is likely to be reduced, and as such more energy from the sun will be dissipated as infra-red radiation (heat) or as far-red radiation (chlorophyll fluorescence).

Chlorophyll fluorescence is a non-invasive measurement of photosystem II (PSII) activity, it has developed from a fairly novel technique to a widely used technique in plant physiology. Photosystem II is extremely sensitive to the influence of abiotic and biotic factors and as such the measurement of this allows us to understand otherwise invisible physiological changes a plant has/is experiencing and provides us with an accurate measure of how environmental change can affect a plant. The tools and equipment to carry out chlorophyll fluorescence testing have vastly improved over the last decade or so, it is now an affordable piece of equipment that can fit in a pocket or small pouch which connects to a portable computer device such as a tablet which provides detailed and easy to understand data about the test subjects physiological health. Some tests are now so sensitive that they may pick up physiological stress weeks before it manifests as a visible symptom.

Although the use of many modern devices is very simple, the science behind it remains complex. Below is a diagram that shows a simplified depiction of events in photosystem II that allow for identification of the key parameters used in chlorophyll fluorescence testing. It is originally from Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis: a guide to good practice and understanding some new applications written by E.H. Murchie and T. Lawson.

A- A schematic figure which shows the electron transport within the photosystem II reaction centre complex. Energy that is absorbed by chlorophyll within this light harvesting complex is either dissipated vie photochemistry, by heat or as fluorescence. These processes are always in competition which allow for the efficacy of photosystem II to be measured.

B- Shows a typical fluorescence trace made on a dark-adapted leaf material which shows how and are formed. The measuring beam of the chosen testing tool excites the chlorophyll but is not enough to be able to cause electron transport through photosystem II. This gives , the minimum amount of fluorescence, reaction centres are open at this point. Once the measuring tool creates a pulse of light the maximum possible yield of fluorescence () can be found. During the pulse of light, the reaction centres are closed.

C- Shows a schematic figure which explains how the transfer of energy and electrons within photosystem II results in open and closed centres as well as the creation of and . The excited state and the subsequent transfer of an electron to the primary acceptor causes a closed centre. cannot accvept another electron until it has passed its electron onto the next electron acceptor (). It should be noted in the context of chlorophyll fluorescence that and are bound quinones and is a type of chlorophyll.

The most commonly used measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence is / where F is the difference between the maximum () and minimum () fluorescence. / is widely considered to be the theoretical measure of the quantum efficiency of photosystem II if all of the reaction centres are open during photosynthesis. The values of / are generally between 0.78 and 0.85 on healthy and non-stressed specimens with the optimal value for most leaves being 0.83.

Chlorophyll fluorescence testing has a vast array of uses within arboriculture from monitoring the health of nursery stock during growth and before planting to inspecting trees suspected to have been adversely affected by changes in surrounding land use or development. The modern devices and tools for carrying out measurements have made this form of vitality testing widely available and affordable and I expect to see an increase in its use in the future. The largest drawback of this testing is that it requires leaves, limiting the time of year when testing can be carried out quite significantly.

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles

The development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over the last decade or so has created a potential arboriculturally related platform for their use. As UAV’s become more affordable, accessible and are developed so as to be able to carry more complex equipment it was almost inevitable that someone was going to attempt to use them in the field of arboriculture at some point. A UAV with a camera allows the user to quickly view large areas of land, for example some woodland, or view the upper parts of a tree in greater detail than if that person was stood on the ground using binoculars. The images/video is also recorded and stored for future analysis.

It is now possible for UAV’s mounted with thermal and/or narrow band multispectral imaging equipment to be used in the assessment of tree vitality. The ability of a UAV to fly and view a large area in a short time makes it a very versatile tool indeed. Areas of woodland or forest can be assessed in a fraction of the time compared to on foot and individually inspecting each desired tree and a tree or group of trees vitality can be easily compared against the wider tree population. This is an important feature as it allows the surveyors to assess whether it is individual trees that are stressed, groups of trees or even an entire tree population, being able to highlight pockets of stressed trees amongst a forest or urban forest is useful for assessing how species are coping in certain areas.

Aerial imagery using thermal and narrow band multispectral detects the sun induced fluorescence (SIF) or dissipated heat produced by trees during photosynthesis. Any alteration in the efficiency of one of the components will affect the other. Light that is re-emitted by the tree as sun-induced fluorescence is a small emission but is a strong proxy for tree photosynthesis. Tree responses to environmental stress, such as, light, nutrients, water availability and, extreme temperatures, affect the photosynthetic rate and therefore fluorescence emission.

Tree temperature is related to stomatal conductance and transpiration associated evaporative cooling. When stoma close, under water stress conditions, vegetation temperature increases and the transpiration rate decreases accordingly. Consequently, the temperature of the tree can be used to learn information about transpiration and the health of the tree.

Trees have various mechanisms to overcome the excessive reduction of the light energy transferred when photosynthesis is reduced. This includes downregulating the rate of electron transport in cells and dissipation of excess energy controlling the pool of xanthophyll pigments. The dissipation of excess energy by non-photochemical quenching through the xanthophyll cycle is one of these mechanisms. Non-photochemical quenching is linked to tree stress, caused by limited resources and to the tree photosynthetic activity through the associated changes in the reflectance of the blue and green regions of the spectrum. When excess excitation energy accumulates in the leaf, the chloroplast thykaloid pH gradient increases, and the xanthophyll cycle is activated. These chemical changes affect the spectrally selective absorption of light, the relative absorption by each pigment and hence the leaf spectral reflectance and transmittance factors.

The use of UAV’s allows the aforementioned tree changes to be monitored on a wide scale in relatively small amounts of time. The results can easily be compared over multiple surveys and years. The main downside to this technique is that like, chlorophyll fluorescence testing, it relies on the trees being in leaf which limits the months each year this is usable, however, the large number of trees able to be tested at a time reduces the hindrance of this as a forester could easily survey their entire stock within the limited time window each year. There are restrictions to UAV usage in and around urban environments and airports, however with the evolution of licenses and professional competencies this has become less of an issue over recent years, there are now many professional UAV survey companies available who are licensed to operate in urban areas.

Conclusion and discussion

There are a number of different methodologies and techniques for measuring tree vitality, some are more complex than others, whilst some are used in their basic form by many people without them even knowing (crown/branch architecture).

Methods such as electrical impedance/admittance testing were promising and useful in their time, however advances in technology and scientific understanding of trees has, in my opinion, made this an outdated method with only niche uses in current times. Their unreliable results that were affected by the time of year and the subsequent changes in moisture within the cambial layer of the subject tree made the reliability of the results unpredictable.

The use of tree measurements, height and trunk diameter at breast height, is limited. Although these are basic bits of information regularly recorded during tree inspections/ surveys they are effectively useless on their own. To give insight into the health of the tree there needs to be baseline measurements for that species or a number of previous years measurements of the inspected tree to compare against. Where such information exists these basic measurements can be useful, similarly when a group of the same tree species, that was planted at the same time is compared such measurements will highlight specimens that are not growing as well as the rest of the group. However, there are endless factors that may impact on tree growth over a period of years or even a single year so this methodology should be used in conjunction with other visual findings.

The use of branch architecture is a great system for assessing tree vitality, it can be used 12 months of the year and take little skill or time to learn. I do think that it is not a new discovery or methodology, rather, a formalization of what many people did already, some without realizing. It is however extremely important to take into account the point in its life cycle that the tree is already in, concluding that a veteran tree does not have a positive future outlook due to some thinning of the canopy is not only a gross misunderstanding of the tree and methodology but potentially damaging to the development of future veteran and ancient tree habitats.

Chlorophyll fluorescence testing, this is a highly complex method for assessing tree vitality, behind the tools. But using the modern advancements in testing tools is simple, quick and accurate. The development of some of the most up to date tools that produce graphs and easy to understand data on a tablet is a significant step in not only being able to assess tree vitality, but in communicating it to the client whilst also justifying any management decisions with hard data.

The advancements in UAV technology over recent years has allowed for the development of their use for surveying trees. The usage is still relatively low, compared to the other methods, however it has the potential to be a game changer. For a tree manager to be able to survey the vitality of their entire tree stock in a fraction of the time it would normally take is a significant advancement in tree health care. It will allow the tree manager to pin point trees that are showing early signs of ill health that are invisible to the naked eye, allowing for early treatment.

The important part of any tree vitality assessment is choosing the most appropriate method for the situation. Visual checks and measurements are arguably the most commonly used and, in my opinion, always will be due to their everyday occurrence, sometimes sub consciously but every day for tree managers nonetheless and even with advancements of other techniques, such as UAV’s tree managers and surveyors will still visually inspect a tree that has been highlighted by other techniques when they are sent to investigate further. The advancements of chlorophyll fluorescence testing may narrow the gap in future years due to the affordability and production of tree vitality data that can be used in reports, however, I believe that UAV technology is going to be a significant part of the future of tree management. The ability to survey large areas of tree populations in a short period of time, whilst detecting changes in tree physiology that are invisible to the naked eye is a game changer. I foresee this technology being widely used in the coming years and decades as the basic and initial survey technique, with traditional physical inspections being used once trees have been highlighted as stressed or showing lower vitality than normal.

Ultimately, as with most inspection techniques and tools, a combination of multiple techniques will, in my opinion, provide the most accurate and reliable results whilst allowing the tree managers tool kit to remain versatile and able to accommodate the wide range of situations and environments that the future will bring.

(The above text is based on information originally found in “ Specific leaf area of European Larch (Larix decidua MILL.)” written by Helga Fellner, Gerald F. Dirnberger and Hubert Sterba, Pierce LL, Running SW, Walker J (1994) “Regional-scale relationships of leaf area index to specific leaf area and leaf nitrogen content. Ecol Appl 4:313–321”, Cornelissen JHCA, Lavorel SB, Garnier EB et al (2003) “A handbook of protocols for standardised and easy measurement of plant functional traits worldwide. Austria J Bot 51:335–380”, White JD, Scott NA (2006) “Specific leaf area and nitrogen distribution in New Zealand forests: species independently respond to intercepted light. For Ecol Manage 226:319–329”, Poorter H, Pepin S, Rijkers T et al (2006) “Construction costs, chemical composition and payback time of high- and low-irradiance leaves. J Exp Bot 57:355–371”, “ The Measurement of plant vitality in landscape trees” written by Denise Johnstone, Gregory Moore, Michael Tausz and Marc Nocolas, “Visual assessment of tree vitality via branch architecture” by Professor Dr. Andreas Roloff – PDF presentation and audio of initial presentation viewed from https://www.trees.org.uk/Amenity-Conference-2020/Conference-Presentations/Conference-Presentations-2017#wednesday , “Modern Arboriculture” written by Alex L. Shigo, Kate Maxwell, Giles N. Johnson, “Chlorophyll fluorescence—a practical guide, Journal of Experimental Botany, Volume 51, Issue 345, April 2000, Pages 659–668”, “Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis: a guide to good practice and understanding some new applications” written by E.H. Murchie and T. Lawson, “Early Diagnosis of Vegetation Health From High-Resolution Hyperspectral and Thermal Imagery: Lessons Learned From Empirical Relationships and Radiative Transfer Modelling” written by R. Hernandez-Clemente, A. Hornero, M. Mottus, J. Penuelas, V. Gonzalez-Dugo, J. C. Jimenez, L. Suarez, L. Alonso and P. J. Zarco-Tejada, “Estimating chlorophyll with thermal and broadband multispectral high resolution imagery from an unmanned aerial system suing relevance vector machines for precision agriculture” written by Manal Elarab, Andrres M Ticlavilca, Alfonso F. Torres-Rua, Inga Maslova, Mac McKee)

#arboriculture #tree #urban forest #science #future

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