ENTS Membership  
  November 1, 2007
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TOPIC: ENTS Membership
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/bf2fdea0d363d9c9?hl=en
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== 1 of 9 ==
Date: Thurs, Nov 1 2007 4:59 pm
From: edfrank@comcast.net


ENTS,

Currently the ENTS Membership is listed as 139 members. The actual number is somewhat lower than that, but still in the range of 132 people. (Some people are using more than one address and each address is listed as a separate member by Google) On Topica we reached as high water mark of around 182 members. Of those members there were a fair chunk that only participated rarely or never posted at all. After the switch to Google Groups Bob tried to import members directly from the old list, but Google did not let him. The import was converted to invitations. Still most of the members from the old list made the transition. I have deleted and resent many of these invitations multiple times. There still are 49 open invitations to join ENTS pending. These are people I recognized from the membership list as having posted more than once to the group. . A few older stalwarts are still missing from the transition but I am hoping they will straggle in and rejoin the group. Larry Winship rejoined today for example.

I have contacted some of these people and hope they will opt in to Google Groups. Sandy Rose and Darrin Wu are but two examples of people that rejoined after I contacted them with a little prod. On the bright side we have a number of people who are totally new that have joined ENTS since the transition. I want to encourage them to participate in the discussions and post descriptions of their trips and questions for the group. It is always good to bring some new blood and energy into the organization.

Ed Frank


Date: Thurs, Nov 1 2007 7:00 pm
From: dbhguru


Ed,

I have come to except that ENTS will likely always consist of:

1. A modest sized core of absolutely fanatical tree measurers,

2. A small core of top ranked scientists who may or may not also be fanatical tree measurers,

3. A small group of other folks who see constant benefit from being on the list, and

4. A larger group of others who drift in, get what they want, and drift out.

Membership will stay on an upward trend and the subject matter will continue to evolve, but the majority will remain silent and revolving.

Bob


Date: Thurs, Nov 1 2007 9:55 pm
From: dbhguru


James,

Group 3 is very important. We are indebted to you for your enthusiasm and continued participation. ENTS was never intended to be just about the mathematics of tree measuring and the arrangement of tree measurements into multiple lists or about a few hot scientific or forestry topics. However, I think that folks who really want to participate, but don't see measuring or science as their thing, are sometimes reluctant to broach other topics. For instance, there is tree mythology

Balance among the areas of interest has always been the underlying list objective. I hope more of our silent majority will follow your lead and participate. A sample of topics worthy of discussion on the list that seldom are raised include:

1. Tree mythology and lore,

2. Trees important to indigenous cultures for medicine and other uses,

3. Trees in literature,

4. Life in the forest canopy,

5. Role of trees in stabilizing the Earth's climate,

6. Role of trees in our early lives,

7. Habitat value of particular species,

8. Ranges of particular species and their behavior near the range boundaries,

9. Tree biology (John Keslick, Jr.),

10. Care of trees for landscaping purposes,

11. Tree species associated with different times and cultures.

In the area of full tree measurement, ENTS will continue to lead the pack in the East. We'll continue to innovate. But we also want to expand into areas such as those mentioned above.

Bob


== 4 of 10 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 2 2007 4:52 pm
From: "Steve Galehouse"


Bob-

I've been a member of ENTS for a while now, and from a nurseryman's
perspective it's surprising that there isn't more discussion within
the group concerning utilization of native trees(and shrubs) in
ornamental plantings. With fantastic trees like Tupelo, Silverbell,
Sourwood, and Pawpaw, just to name a few(as well as a whole slew of
oaks), it seems public awareness and interest in natives could be
developed from a consumer basis, which might extend to conservation of
natural habitat.

Steve


== 5 of 10 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 2 2007 5:39 pm
From: edfrank@comcast.net


Steve,

I am glad you are a part of ENTS. What it takes is for someone to start a discussion and then be persistent in pursuing the topic until it takes hold

Ed

 


== 7 of 10 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 2 2007 9:14 pm
From: James Parton


Bob,

Yes, I would love to see an expansion of topics on the ENTS
discussions. All of these would be great. Myself, I would love to see
more on the trees in folklore/myth topic. In the warmer weather months
most of my time is spent outdoors, usually in the woods somewhere, but
as colder weather comes it slows me down a bit and may allow me to get
on the discussions more & place posts in the " trees in folklore"
category. I would also like to see more outdoor folk place entries in
the discussion list. Hikers, hunters, fishermen etc. Many of these
would have a few stories to tell & could give ENTS leads on new places
to visit.

James P.