Magnolia tree in a front yard. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
The 80 different species of Magnolia trees can be found throughout the Eastern United States and Southeastern Asia.
Side shot of a hemlock tree courtesy of hemlocktree.org
Hemlock trees can grow up to 80 feet tall and have a spread of 30 feet.
Apple tree blossoming in spring
Apple trees are small trees that produce their fruit in the fall and blossom in the spring. The apple tree is native to Western Asia but can be found throughout the globe.
Emerald Ash Borer - Image by Dave Cappaert
Emeraldashborer.info has long been regarded as one of the foremost authorities on the web for Emerald Ash Borer news and information. Their Emerald Ash Borer Information Network uses Twitter to share the latest news from across the web, illustrating new ways for you to get involved in the fight against EAB in your area.
Here are a few examples of recent posts:
Check it out and stay informed!
If you’re in Colorado, you’re in luck! Arborjet is hosting and attending a number of events in January and February to spread the word about trunk injection technology.
Join Rob Davis (Denver City Forester), Dr. Don Grosman (Texas Forest Service), and Arborjet for an informative seminar about Colorado tree pests and trunk injection technology on Tuesday, January 24 from 9:30am to 3pm at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Click here for more details about the agenda and each speaker’s topic. Attendance is free for anyone who registers before January 22 or $10 at the door. Please call Nichole at 781-935-9070 or email her at nicholebaldwin@arborjet.com to register. You can also click here to register for the Colorado Tree Pest Seminar.
From Tuesday, February 7 to Friday, February 10, come visit Arborjet at the ProGreen EXPO in booth #410. We’ll be there demonstrating the latest in trunk injection technology and teaching service providers how they can grow their business and save trees at the same time.
Colorado’s biggest garden and home show is quickly approaching! We’ll be at the Colorado Garden & Home Show from Saturday, February 11 to Sunday, February 19 in booth #1676 talking to homeowners about trunk injection and how they can save their trees from Mountain Pine Beetle, Sudden Oak Death, and nutrient deficiencies.
As 2011 comes to a close, let’s take a look at the most talked-about topics here on the JetBlog:
Here’s to a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year!
Drought and excessive heat created major impacts across Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and several other states. Photo courtesy of CNN.com.
The effects of the 2011 drought in Texas may take years to be fully revealed, but early estimates by the Texas Forest Service indicate that between 100 million and 500 million trees have been killed, and more are likely to fall in the coming years. This accounts for between 2% and 10% of all Texas’s trees.
It’s difficult to say now, but in the spring, satellite imagery and aerial photography will be employed to further survey the damage from the droughts. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, severe to extreme drought affected about 20% of the contiguous United States as of the end of November.
According to a report on CNN, research into the health and prosperity of trees is conducted as the Forestry Inventory and Analysis, part of a census-like program administered by the Sustainable Forestry Department.
2011 was certainly a wild year for weather, from tornadoes and hurricanes to late snow and early snow to flooding and drought. It’s easy to see the human devastation these natural disasters wreak, but at times it’s more difficult to appreciate how it’s affecting nature around us.
The Virginia Department of Forestry says the state is rapidly losing its tree canopy. The state loses as much as 16,000 acres of forest every year, which works out to about 44 acres of forest a day, according to the 2011 State of the Forests Report.
According to an article posted on American University Radio’s site,
“Charlie Becker with the Forestry Department says a lot of that has to do with development: ‘As the population of Virginia grows we have more people we need to have homes for, more services, and we tend to sprawl out more and people like to have things out in rural areas and in forest land.’
But he says it isn’t just shopping centers, subdivisions, and roads that are taking away trees. Invasive insects, including the emerald ash borer and gypsy moth, are also threatening Virginia’s forests. They can bring canker disease to walnut trees and are often transportated around in firewood. So he’s calling on residents to watch out for the health of their trees.”
Landowners are encouraged to create a forest management plan to protect their trees. This can be as simple as taking notes of what types of trees you have on your property and keeping an eye on their health. If you suspect your tree is suffering from an insect or disease pest, contact a professional who can diagnose the tree’s issue and recommend a course of treatment or improvement.
Ken Schauland, a landowner from Lewiston, examines a tree infested with Emerald Ash Borer. Schauland was participating in a field day held to educate the public about the tree pest. Image courtesy of AgriNews.com
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Minnesota Department of Transportation recently held a field day to teach approximately 50 landowners how to identify signs of an Emerald Ash Borer infestation in a measure designed to help educate the public about the pest.
According to the article on AgriNews.com,
“‘There’s no substitute for seeing it first-hand, what these things look like,’ said Mark Abrahamson, an entomologist with MDA.
If landowners spot borers on their property, they shouldn’t move wood from ash trees because that could put the bugs in a new area. Quarantines on ash products are already in place in Ramsey, Hennepin, Houston and Winona counties. The borer has also been found in northeastern Iowa.”
You can learn to identify potential EAB damage, too. Here are a few key items to look for:
Unfortunately, many of the times when damage is present means the EAB has been in the tree for some time. If your tree still has 70% or more of its leaves, it’s likely a good candidate for treatment for EAB, including trunk injection. It may be able to save your tree if it’s lost more leaves than that, but the longer you wait, the more damage will progress.
Keep on watch for Emerald Ash Borer and you could save your and your neighbors’ trees!
Residents in Palm Beach, Florida are on the alert for damage done by three species of whiteflies: Ficus, Silverleaf, and Rugose Spiraling. According to the article on Palm Beach Daily News, it’s now “illegal for for property owners to retain trees or other greenery that is dead, dying or defoliated, and illegal to retain vegetation infested with whiteflies or other exotic pests.”
T
he ordinance is slated to take effect after a second council vote on January 10, 2012, and would be enforced by the town’s code compliance staff and Code Enforcement Board. Homeowners would be notified of the offense and ordered to treat or remove the plant in question or face a daily penalty.
Ficus Whitefly and Silverleaf Whitefly are pests that can seriously defoliate trees, bushes, and other greenery. Rugose Spiraling Whitefly, on the other hand, is a nuisance pest that secretes “honeydew,” a sticky substance that causes a real mess.
Whiteflies can be controlled with IMA-jet as a trunk injection or AzaSol as a spray or drench. There’s concern for the pests developing a resistance to treatments, so it’s best to alternate treatments in a regular program.
Arborjet is the leader in tree injection. Protecting trees from invasive pests like Emerald Ash Borer and Asian Longhorned Beetle. Arborjet seals the treatment inside the tree. Nothing in the air, nothing in the soil.
