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IN THIS ISSUE: |
Tree
Health and Pathology
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A Case of
Mistaken Identity? Dutch Elm Disease vs. Winter Injury |
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Charting
Asian Long-horned Beetle Roaming Habits |
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Emerald Ash
Borer News |
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Oak Wilt
Pruning Advisory |
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Opportunities |
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3 Input
Opportunities |
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3 Grant
Opportunities |
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In The News... |
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The Fall of
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Resources |
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Calendar of Events |
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Tree Health and Pathology______________________________________
A Case of Mistaken Identity? Dutch Elm Disease vs.
Winter Injury
Read about this and other
current forest health issues in the July 2003 edition of the DNR’s Forest
Insect & Disease Newsletter. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fid/jul03/index.html
Charting
Asian Longhorned Beetle Roaming Habits
If the Asian Longhorned
Beetle (ALB) continues its advance, this invasive pest may potentially alter
the makeup of North American hardwood forests.
Losses to lumber, maple syrup, and tourism industries could reach $670
billion. Michael T. Smith, an Agricultural Research Services entomologist at
the Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit in
Emerald
Ash Borer News
Emerald ash borer has
been in the news lately with the expansion of the
Peninsula.
Containment of the pest is looking more and more unlikely. Here is a website with the latest scoop:
http://www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125-1572_3628-72956--,00.html
Tree Health and Pathology, Continued____________________________
Oak Wilt Pruning Advisory
As of August 8, 2003 : Resume with Caution
The risk
changed from "high" to "low" on July 7, 2003
Note:
Low risk for overland infection implies that there is possibility, but low
probability, that overland spread will occur at this time.
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Field Notes:
(based on weekly observations by USDA FS staff)
No
new oak wilt mats observed; old mats are deteriorated
Very
low numbers of sap beetles (Nitidulids) are being caught in pheromone bait
flight traps
Opportunities_________________________________________________
Grant
Opportunities
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Up to $50,000 for wetland conservation projects.
The Fish and Wildlife Service and the North American Wetlands Conservation
Council are requesting proposals for wetland and wetland-associated upland
conservation projects under the Small Grants program for the North American
Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA).
Priority will be given to projects that ensure long-term conservation
benefits. Deadline:
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Metro Greenways Protection and Restoration Grants
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fad/land/metrogreen.html
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EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative
Problem Solving Grant Program. This new grant program provides financial assistance to
community-based organizations that wish to engage in capacity-building
initiatives and use collaborative problem solving to seek viable solutions for
their community's environmental and/or public health issues. Only non-profit, 501(c)(3)
organizations are eligible to apply.
Applications are due
Input Opportunities
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LCMR: Wanted:
$30 million dollar Citizen Advice!
Here’s your chance to give advice to the
Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCMR) on future priorities for
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Nominations
for National Arbor Day Awards Due by September 15th
Do
you know of individuals, groups or organizations that have done outstanding
work in tree planting, care, conservation or education? Have you seen excellent coverage of tree and
conservation issues in magazines, newspapers, newsletters or on TV, radio or
video? How about an exemplary Arbor Day
celebration by a community, school or other organization?
Please
send your nominations for a National Arbor Day Award to the National Arbor Day
Foundation by September 15th.
Simply include the name and address of nominee, a brief description of
nominee's project, and your name and address.
(The nominee is contacted and asked to provide details of the
project.) Contact Jeff Bargar, Awards Coordinator at jbargar@arborday.org.
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How The
The House Interior Appropriations Committee has
made a request that the Forest Service examine how it divides up U&CF
federal assistance among the states. There is an opportunity here for ACT
members to respond, together, to provide comment that can shape the program.
I've gotten comments from several members and am seeking input from any other
members that are interested.
US Forest Service Allocation
Issue
This is the language drafted by Congress
for inclusion in the FY 2004 appropriations bill. Apparently Congress
heard some concerns and
will address them before
"Urban and
Community Forestry- The Committee recommends
$36,000,000 for urban and community forestry, $1,893,000 below the request and
$1,000 above the 2003 funding level. This recommendation includes $700,000 to
support the northeastern
Service to devise a new and different funding allocation method for this program.
The existing system discriminates against States with large urban
areas and directs funds to States with many tiny communities, and it has no performance
based allocation criteria. The Committee directs the new
methodology used by the Forest Service to consider State population and metropolitan
area statistics, consider the increased demand for assistance
to large urban centers, as well as devise performance criteria, which help determine
State allocations. The Committee also directs that the new
allocation methodology should include competitive funding for nationally or regionally
significant projects. The Committee directs the Forest Service to notify the
House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, in writing, of this new
allocation methodology prior to allocating fiscal year 2004 funds. The
Committee feels that, after 11 years, this program no longer needs to require
certain specific staffing levels by a State as a condition to
getting a grant, and the Forest Service and the State foresters should evaluate
whether or not minimum State allocations should be continued. "
In The
News...________________________________________________
The Fall of
SUMMARY
neighborhoods. This summer, though, Atlantans are looking up with trepidation.
DIRECT LINK
http://www.latimes.com/la-na-trees11aug11,0,2551924.story
FULL TEXT
The Fall of Atlanta's Urban Forest Aging and beloved trees, weakened by
drought, storms and city life, are crashing down. After four recent deaths,
arborists are swamped.
By Rennie Sloan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
Many of those trees have been crashing down - the result of a one-two punch that
first weakened the roots through years of drought and then loosened their hold
on the ground following months of repeated heavy rains. The storms, some
carrying high winds, have toppled thick, 80-foot-high oaks like bowling pins,
though no one knows exactly how many.
In one publicized case last month, a falling tree killed a woman and two children
who were riding in the back seat of a sport utility vehicle through a neighborhood
near downtown during a severe thunderstorm. The woman's husband, who was
driving, was uninjured. The incident came less than two weeks after a visiting
professor from
The deaths, combined with the seemingly constant succession of rainstorms, have
caused homeowners to glance anxiously at the trees on their properties and
swamp tree specialists with requests for house calls.
Joe Piffaretti, who recently bought a home surrounded by oaks in
"I tend to be clicking on weather.com and that kind of thing on a regular basis,"
said Piffaretti, director of development for the nonprofit group Trees Atlanta.
Piffaretti called an arborist to examine the trees on his lot. Last week, the
specialist recommended the removal of a 60-year-old white oak that Piffaretti thought lent beauty and character to his
property. The tree suffered from root rot that likely was made worse by the
wetness of the ground.
Four years of drought followed by one of the wettest stretches on record throughout
the Southeast created hazardous conditions for the old trees. Ed Macie, regional urban forester with the U.S. Forest Service
in
"I noticed this in June and July. Just driving around I could see
extensive growth, a second flush," Macie said.
The result is an aging urban forest more vulnerable than normal to the high winds
that have accompanied the frequent rainstorms. Sometimes barely a breeze has
been required. Some mature trees with extensive growth at the crowns but whose
trunks are decayed are "just laying down and
dying," Macie said.
Such might have been the case outside the home of Cheryl Windom, who lives in
the Buckhead section north of downtown. Windom, her
husband and their son were collecting fireflies one evening. They had just been
discussing what was happening to
"This old oak tree split in half, 80-plus feet tall. No weather, no storm,
no wind, no nothing," Windom said. In a move they later conceded was
unwise, her husband sprinted to move their car a few moments before half of the
tree crashed down where it had been parked.
Amid the elevated concern over trees, Marcia Bansley, Trees Atlanta's executive
director, is advising homeowners to call certified arborists for an evaluation
before deciding to cut down their trees.
Already, the number of trees in the region has steadily declined because of rapid
development. "In
Arborists and tree services have been scrambling to keep up
with calls from worried residents. "The last month I'd say my increase in
the amount of calls that I've had has been at least eight to 10 times,"
said Bob Heath, who owns J.H. Heath Tree Service in
Heath said most of the time his crews seek to save trees by recommending maintenance,
such as pruning or mulching. "That's my business: preservation of
things," Heath said. "We're arborists. I can always cut one down, but
I can't put it back up."
Some arborists said the recent attention might stave off future tragedy, as well
as improve the health of trees that, while beloved, have faced years of
neglect.
But the trees also suffer from what Macie calls "urban conflict," the
damage caused by automobiles, roots bothered by utility and fiber-optic lines,
and smaller spaces in which to grow. "They're warriors. They're standing
there with a really thin shield of armor called their bark, and all this stuff keeps
happening to them," he said.
If nothing else, residents are more attentive to the venerable old trees.
"I've never looked up and thought, 'I wonder how old these trees are,'
" Windom said. "Now everyone I talk to says,
'I'm so much more aware of my surroundings now, where I park my car.' "
*
Staff writer Ken Ellingwood contributed to this report.
Copyright 2003 Los Angeles Times
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Resources_____________________________________________________
Forest & Shade Tree
Pathology
www.forestpathology.org
This web site covers
major diseases of trees, their causes, factors that affect their spread,
ecological and economic impacts, and management.
IPM Manual of Tree Insects
Journal of Arboriculture is online. http://joa.isa-arbor.com/
The Journal of
Arboriculture is a bimonthly, refereed journal devoted to the dissemination of
knowledge in the science and art of planting and caring for trees in the urban
environment. The Journal is published by the International Society of
Arboriculture, whose mission is to foster a greater appreciation for trees and
to promote the research, technology, and practice of professional
arboriculture.
Calendar of Events_____________________________________________
SEPTEMBER
Ø
Community
Tree Risk Management Workshop
§
Contact: Jill
Mahon, jmahon@fs.fed.us for more details.
Ø
MSA Fall
Conference: “Tree Care Standards – How They Are Changing and How They Have Changed Us” @
§
Join us Friday, September 12 in learning about tree care
standards as they are written, and as translated by the saw.
Nationally known researcher, writer, and lecturer Tom Smiley will join seasoned
§
For more
information: James Burks (763)531-1162 (jburks@ci.crystal.mn.us)
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MSA Tree
Climbing Championship & Jamboree @
§
Contact: Gary
Albig, 763-560-7400 or gralbig@mninter.net
§
Visit www.isa-msa.org for an informational
brochure.
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National
Urban Forestry Conference
§
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Next MnSTAC
Meeting
SEPTEMBER
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§
§
Contact:
Linda Haugen at lhaugen@fs.fed.us or
visit the website at:
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/ncfpw/
Ø
2nd
Annual Equine Forestry Conference
§
§
Contact: Tim
Carroll, tcarroll@smig.net or
507-325-4197.
OCTOBER
Ø
Woodland Owners & Users Conference
§
Topics include: invasive species control, landscaping for wildlife, bird and
tree identification, forest products, chain saw safety, field tours.
§
Info: http://www.csbsju.edu/arboretum/landownerconference.htm
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
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§
Mark your
calendar! More details available soon.
FEBRUARY
MARCH
Ø Shade
Tree Short Course,
Notes from the editor:
We will gladly accept pertinent announcements
and contributions for next month’s electronic news. Please submit pertinent
materials to: Dave Hanson at dlhanson@umn.edu, or Emily Barbeau at barb0023@umn.edu