by Robert Barossi

A recent volunteer story I posted talked about volunteer oceanographers, or volunteers who were collecting data to be used by professional oceanographers. In this similar story out of Northampton, Massachusetts, volunteers are helping out another group of professionals: foresters and arborists.  The volunteers were assisted by these professionals in identifying trees in the local area. Groups of volunteers worked to not only identify the trees, but also to gather information about them, including data such as diameter and bark and leaf health. The volunteers had the opportunity to gain knowledge and expertise in tree species and how to identify them while helping deal with the very real issue of canopy loss.