Landscape Message - Landscape Nursey and Urban Forestry

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REGIONAL NOTES -

Cape Cod Region (Barnstable) – General Conditions: January has been a very cold month, with low temperatures going down to -2° F overnight on January 16. Several storms started out as snow but finished as sleet/rain and then re-froze, making travel hazardous. Hamamelis ‘Jelena’ is just beginning to bloom, which is about two weeks later than in recent years. Pests/Problems: Ice covered limbs have been subject to breakage during periods of high winds. Deer browsing has been reported as heavy in some areas of the Cape.

Southeast Region (Hanson) – General Conditions: The amount of precipitation varied throughout the county in January, with Halifax receiving 16.5 inches of snow and Hingham receiving 19 inches. Reported rainfall amounts also varied from 3.5-4.5 inches of rain. Overall, January was very cold with temperatures of -2° F on Jan. 16 and -3° F on January 17th, being reported in Halifax, MA. January 28th, presented the area with a mixture of snow, sleet and driving rains with wind. Some white pines lost branches in that storm, as did some of the dead oaks around the county. Plant damage was minimal and nothing compared to the ice storm damaged trees observed along the Mass Turnpike in Worcester County. Pests/Problems: The cold temperatures may 'knock-back' the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid populations but probably will not effect the Winter Moth. Time will tell. Deer continue to browse. The fruit of cranberry viburnum, the berries of many hollies and Hawthorne, the spent flowers of Hydrangea paniculata, and the bark of Acer griseum, Acer triflorum, Cornus kousa and Heptacodium micoiniodes are providing much needed interest and/or color in the winter landscape.

Central Region (Boylston) – General Conditions: A solid snow/ice cover is now concealing most of the debris that was brought to the ground in December’s ice storm. Pest/Problems: Deer are active and feeding on fruit trees and ornamentals.

Pioneer Valley Region (Amherst) - General Conditions: Amherst received about 15 inches of snowfall and even a couple inches of rain during the period. Temperatures were variable, with highs a couple of times in the 40° F, but generally, high temperatures ranged from mid 20°s to low 30° F. There were also several below zero F nights during the period. The ground currently has 8-10 inches of snow cover and the ground remained frozen the entire month in the Amherst area. Pest/Problems: There is a considerable amount of deer browsing on smaller woody landscape plants. On one particular site, yews, junipers, and forsythia shrubs had significant damage.

Berkshire Region (Great Barrington) - General Conditions: No report this month.

The following growing-degree-day (GDD) and precipitation data was collected for a four-week period, January 8, 2009 through February 4, 2009. Soil temperature and phenological indicators were observed on February 4, 2009. Accumulated GDDs represent the heating units above a 50° F baseline temperature collected via our instruments from the beginning of the current calendar year. This information is intended for use as a guide for monitoring the developmental stages of pests in your location and planning management strategies accordingly.

CAPE COD REGION - Roberta Clark, Horticulturist for Barnstable County, Barnstable.

SOUTHEAST REGION - Deborah Swanson, Horticulturist for UMass Extension in Plymouth County, Hanson.

EAST REGION - James R. Allen, Horticulturist and Greenhouse Manager for UMass Biology Department, Boston.

METRO WEST REGION – James Martin, Consulting Arborist, reporting from the UMass Extension Center, Waltham.

CENTRAL REGION - Joann Vieira, Superintendent of Horticulture, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston.

PIONEER VALLEY - Dan Gillman, Plant Pathologist, UMass Extension Plant Diagnostic Lab, UMass, Amherst.

BERKSHIRES - Ron Kujawski, Specialist, UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery & Urban Forestry Program, Amherst.

Ramorum blight, also known as sudden oak death (SOD) and ramorum dieback: Since 1995, oaks and tanoaks have been dying in the coastal counties of California. Since then, surveys found other plants infected or associated with this disease caused by the water mold, Phytophthora ramorum. Researchers in the U. S. first isolated the pathogen in Mill Valley (Marin County) on tanoak, but since that time additional surveys confirmed the pathogen on various native hosts in fourteen coastal California counties and in Curry County, Oregon. Through ongoing surveys of nurseries, USDA-APHIS-PPQ continues to define the extent of the pathogen’s distribution in the U. S. and limit its artificial spread beyond infected areas through quarantine and a public education program.

USDA-APHIS Phytophthora ramorum Program 2008 Year-end Summary:

Background:
The P. ramorum program has completed its seventh year as an APHIS regulatory program. The program started with regulations in nine counties in California and part of one county in Oregon and focused on regulating the movement of risk articles such as wood, soil, foliage, and nursery stock. The infested areas have grown to 14 California counties and a large part of a county in Oregon, which has been under an aggressive survey and treatment program by Oregon since 2001.

The program received some policy revisions in 2004 when close analysis revealed that a large production nursery shipped P. ramorum infected Camellia plants to many nurseries nationwide. As a result, in January 2005 USDA-APHIS extended regulation of nursery stock to the entire states of California, Oregon, and Washington.

Nursery Detections to Date:

Year

Number of Nurseries

Number of States

Notes

2000 and prior

Zero

Zero

There were no reported nursery detections prior to 2001

2001

1

California

In infested area

2002

Zero

Zero

2003

20

3 - CA, OR, WA

2004

176

21

125 linked to one nursery’s shipments

2005

99

7

2006

62

11

2007

23

6

2008

28

8 - CA, OR, WA, TX, FL, MS, NC, SC

Details below under “Detections in 2008”

Program Goals:

To mitigate the risk of P. ramorum moving out of currently infested areas.

To stabilize and maintain markets for nursery stock taking the least restrictive actions.

To shrink regulation from the entire three states back to the infested areas.

To detect and eradicate P. ramorum in the nurseries in the three regulated states, eradicate and maintain nurseries in all states as free of P. ramorum with adoption of self inspection and best management practices by nurseries at risk.

Detections in 2008:
In 2008, P. ramorum surveys occurred in 31 sites: 28 nurseries and 3 landscape plantings. In addition, Oregon identified an expansion of their Curry County infestation resulting in an increase in the area quarantined to about 162 square miles.

Here are details on the site detections:
California – Surveys detected P. ramorum in 12 nurseries via regulatory inspections, state nursery inspections, and self-reporting. Of these 12, one retail nursery was positive in 2007.
Oregon – Surveys detected P. ramorum in five nurseries via regulatory inspections and one landscape planting found in a trace forward. Of these, five, one production nursery was positive in 2007.
Washington – Surveys detected P. ramorum in five nurseries by regulatory inspection and state nursery inspection and one landscape planting found in a trace forward. Of these, five, one production nursery was positive in 2007.
Texas – Surveys detected P. ramorum in one residential find from a trace forward.
Florida – Surveys detected P. ramorum in two nurseries. One nursery was positive in 2007, found by follow-up inspection, and one was positive through a link to a nursery that was positive in 2007.
Mississippi – Surveys detected P. ramorum in one nursery that was also positive in 2007, found by follow-up inspection.
North Carolina – Surveys detected P. ramorum in one nursery detected under the CAPS (Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey) program.
South Carolina – Surveys detected P. ramorum in two nurseries, one by a link to the NC detection and the second by a sharp-eyed State inspector.

Reported by Dan Gillman, Plant Pathologist, UMass Extension Plant Diagnostic Lab, Amherst

IMPORTANT INFORMATIONAL RESOURCES

For a complete listing of upcoming events, see our Conferences and Workshops page.

Don't forget to visit the UMass Extension Online Weed Herbarium!

2008-2009 Professional Management Guide for Insects, Diseases and Weeds of Trees and Shrubs in New England - Pesticide label registration changes every year in all states and you can only legally apply pesticides according to the current year's label. This updated 2008-09 guide tells you what is current and legal for use in all the New England states and is the way for you to stay current with pesticide information. If you already have the 2003 version, this is the updated supplement for pesticide information. Remember, if you're a pesticide applicator, it's the law! Created by UMass Extension professionals, this manual offers the latest on virtually all the insects, diseases, and weeds of woody plants in New England; current and legal listings of chemical compounds labeled for the management of these pests; Integrated Pest Management (IPM) considerations for most of these pests; environmentally friendly alternatives in pest management such as horticultural oils, soaps, biologicals, etc.; and Growing Degree Day (GDD) information for most of the insect pests of woody plants. Click here to order online from the UMass Extension Bookstore or contact (413) 545-0895; eweeks@umext.umass.edu for information.

Planting and Maintaining Sustainable Landscapes: A Guide for Public Officials and the Green Industry - An updated and reprinted collection of fact sheets, including Trees and Shrubs for Low Maintenance Landscapes; Recommendations for Planting and Maintaining Trees and Shrubs; Integrated Pest Management and Plant Health Care; Streetscape Design and Planting; Selecting Turfgrasses for Low Maintenance Sites; Turf Pesticides and the Environment; Children's Protection Act and School IPM Plans; and Guidelines for Planting within the 100 Foot Wetland Buffer. Click here to order online from the UMass Extension Bookstore or contact (413) 545-0895; eweeks@umext.umass.edu for information.

DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES

UMass Laboratory Diagnoses Turf and Landscape Problems - Accurate diagnosis for a turf or landscape problem can often eliminate or reduce the need for pesticide use. The UMass Extension Plant Diagnostic Lab is available to serve commercial landscape contractors, turf managers, arborists, nurseries and other green industry professionals. It provides woody plant and turf disease analysis, woody plant and turf insect identification, turfgrass identification, weed identification, and offers a report of pest management strategies that are research based, economically sound and environmentally appropriate for the situation. Send specimens and payment (payable to the University of Massachusetts) to UMass Extension Plant Diagnostic Lab, Holdsworth Natural Resources Center, 160 Holdsworth Way, UMass, Amherst, MA 01003. The fee for a woody plant disease analysis is $50; the fee for turf disease analysis or nematode assay is $75. All insect, weed and turfgrass identification samples are $25 each. For more detailed submission instructions see http://www.umass.edu/agland/diagnostics

Soil and Plant Tissue Testing - The University of Massachusetts Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Laboratory is located on the campus of The University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Testing services are available to all. The function of the Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Laboratory is to provide test results and recommendations that lead to the wise and economical use of soils and soil amendments. For complete information, visit the UMass Soil and Plant tissue Testing Laboratory web site at: http://www.umass.edu/soiltest Alternatively, call the lab at (413) 545-2311.

NEXT UPDATE: The next issue will be available on or about March 6, 2009.

This message is produced by the UMASS Extension, Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry Program. The copy is prepared by Anna Greene from data and reports provided by the staff and faculty of the UMass Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry Program and the UMASS Extension Turf Program as well as cooperating horticulturists and Green Industry professionals. The text is adapted for access via the Internet by Jason Lanier.

DISCLAIMER. This message is intended for commercial use. UMass Extension assumes no liability for recommendations. It is the responsibility of the applicator to verify the registration status of any pesticide BEFORE applying it. Different states have different regulations as well. The use of trade names (™) does not imply endorsement. Similarly, there may be other products you prefer to use.

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UMass Extension Landscape Message #2 February 6, 2009

DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES

UMass Extension Landscape Message #2
February 6, 2009