Cyclists Ride to Save America's Urban Forests

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., July 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- While many may think a tree is forever, the average lifespan of an urban tree is actually less than 10 years. Thanks to grants from the Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund), however, researchers are working to change that with improved methods for propagating, planting, and caring for urban trees. And later this July, more than 100 cyclists will cycle 585 miles to raise awareness and hundreds of thousands of dollars as part of the annual STIHL Tour des Trees, a weeklong cycling fundraiser for the TREE Fund.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100407/PH82282LOGO)

The event, America's largest fundraiser for tree research, has raised more than $6 million since its inception in 1992 and funded hundreds of research grants focused on arboriculture, urban forestry and the safety of the tree care workforce. Riders come from all walks of life but most are professional arborists. Stops along this year's route, which travels from Niagara Falls to Toronto, include tree plantings, children's educational programs and community engagement activities designed to highlight the benefits trees provide.

Recently awarded grants include $10,000 to Chicago's Morton Arboretum, where an international team of scientists collaborated with NASA engineers utilizing NASA technology to identify areas of weakness in trees and more accurately predict the likelihood of breakage or failure under stress. This groundbreaking research will contribute to development of improved risk assessment tools for tree care professionals around the world.

"Urban trees pay dividends beyond cleaning the air we breathe and beautifying the space around us," said TREE Fund president and CEO Janet Bornancin. "Research supported by the TREE Fund and the STIHL Tour des Trees provides professional arborists with scientifically proven methods to address the tree care challenges faced by homeowners, municipalities and utilities. TREE Fund supported research has helped to prove that investing in (and properly caring for) urban trees yields substantial, measurable returns."

Learn more at www.stihltourdestrees.org and www.treefund.org.

About the STIHL Tour des Trees
Featured in the Huffington Post, CNN, and Forbes, the STIHL Tour des Trees unites tree and cycling enthusiasts to raise funds for tree research and education while cycling 500 miles, educating the public about the needs of urban trees and planting more along the way.

Photos and videos from previous Tours are available at http://stihltourdestrees.org/2012/08/2012-stihl-tour-des-trees-photo-gallery/. Learn more at www.stihltourdestrees.org.

Sponsors of the STIHL Tour des Trees include STIHL Inc.; TREE Fund Crown Sponsor Bartlett Tree Experts; TREE Fund Partners Arborjet; Asplundh Tree Expert Co.; International Society of Arboriculture; KASK Helmets; Tree Care Industry Association; along with The Davey Tree Expert Company; Tree Services Magazine; Arbor Age; Lewis Tree Service; National Grid; Arizona Public Service;  PacifiCorp; Unitil; Arborwell; New York State Arborists; Ontario Chapter ISA, Trees, Inc.; SavATree; Utility Arborist Association; West Coast Arborists Inc.; Anderson's Tree Care; Eco-Bond; Ford Motor Company; Forestry Equipment of Virginia; Gamma Tree Experts LLC; Lakefront Utilities/GRCA; Morrisville State College; Tamarack Tree Care; Vermeer; Wright Tree Service, Inc.; and Workshop Creative Group.

About the TREE Fund:
The TREE Fund's mission is to support sustainable communities and environmental stewardship by funding research, scholarships and education programs essential to the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in the fields of arboriculture and urban forestry. 

The TREE Fund has supported research that has led to important developments in:

• Improving utility line clearing practices
• Understanding air pollution reduction and carbon sequestration by trees
• Determining the costs and benefits of urban trees
• Improving conditions for tree growth in difficult sites
• Strategies to manage diseases and pests that affect urban trees

For more information, visit www.treefund.org.

About STIHL Inc.
STIHL Inc. manufactures the number one selling brand of gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment in America,* as well as the number one selling brand of chain saws in the world. STIHL products are sold through servicing power equipment retailers from coast to coast – not mass merchants. Located in Virginia Beach, Va., STIHL Inc., the headquarters for U.S. operations for the worldwide STIHL Group, exports to over 90 countries around the world; and the majority of STIHL products sold in America are also built in America.*

*A majority of STIHL products are built in the United States from domestic and foreign parts and components. "Number one selling brand" is based on syndicated Irwin Broh Research as well as independent consumer research of 2009-2012 U.S. sales and market share data for the gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment category combined sales to consumers and commercial landscapers.

SOURCE STIHL Tour des Trees