Landscape Message - Landscape Nursey and Urban Forestry

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The LANDSCAPE MESSAGE is an educational newsletter intended to guide landscape, nursery and urban forestry professionals in identifying pests in the landscape, monitoring their development, planning management strategies and creating site-specific records for future management reference.

UMass Extension has updated this issue to provide timely pest management information and the latest regional news and environmental data throughout Massachusetts. During the months of October through February this newsletter will be updated monthly. The next update will be available on or about February 8, 2008.

Missed a previous message? Visit the Landscape Message Archive.

Interested in additional turf-oriented content? UMass Extension Turf Program Management Updates

REGIONAL NOTES -

Cape Cod Region (Barnstable) - General Conditions: December proved to be a more typical winter month than last year at the same time. Temperatures were seasonal, with some very cold mornings in the low teens. The Cape received 7” of snow on December 13, with almost blizzard–like conditions prevailing in some areas. A second helping of snow over night of December 15 added another 5” to the mix. It all melted by Christmas as temperatures averaged in the 40° F’s and rainfall washed most of the snow away. The year 2007 as a whole had started extremely mild, with temperatures in the 60° F’s in January but dipped into the 20° F’s by February. An extremely dry summer and mild fall followed a cold, wet spring. The remnants of Hurricane Noel passed through the Cape in November and brought down many trees and tree limbs. The annual 3017 GDD total is the highest of any year since recording began in 1993. Pests/Problems : Adult deer ticks were active any time the temperatures were above 35° F. Winter moth emergence has been erratic, with large flights in late November when temperatures were in the 40° F’s and spotty flights in December when the ground was totally frozen.

Southeast Region (Hanson) - General Conditions: The amount of precipitation varied throughout the county, with Hingham receiving 22.1 inches of snow and 6.05 inches of rain. On Dec. 13, late afternoon-early evening, snow fell at the rate of about 1-2 inches per hour with many areas receiving 10-12 inches of snow. Several days saw a mixture of snow/sleet or sleet/rain. For twenty-two days out of 31, temperatures fell below freezing at night. Snow and ice covered much of the ground in December and didn't start to clear until the last past of the month when temperatures were above freezing and the area received some rain. It was the second snowiest December in Boston's History with 26.9 inches of snow recorded. The fruit of cranberry viburnum, the berries of many hollies, and the bark of Acer griseum are providing much needed color and interest in the winter landscape. Pests/Problems: A few winter moths emerged in December, when temperatures were above freezing and there weren't too many of those days. Overall, winter moth emergence appears to be reduced this season compared to previous years but we will have more information on that from Dr. Joe Elkinton and his lab.

Metro West (Waltham) – General Conditions: We have had our January cold snap and are in the middle of our January thaw.

Central Region (Boylston) - General Conditions:A few blossoms on Witch-hazel cultivars (Hamamelis 'Pallida', H. 'Jelena') are beginning to open. Pests/Problems: The warm temperatures these past few days are melting down the snow pack and revealing significant vole activity in borders and lawns.

Pioneer Valley Region ( Amherst) - General Conditions: The Valley received over 18 inches of snow, which was present throughout the month. The recent warm weather melted a fair amount of snow and thawed the top 1-2 inches; below that, the ground remains frozen. Pests/Problems: Damage from deer browse is high due to high population and sustained snow cover.

Berkshire Region (Great Barrington) - General Conditions: Mild temperatures in low 60s resulted in melting of most of the snow that fell in late December. Water level in streams is high with some flooding expected in lowland areas. Pests/Problems: Deer browsing has been a major problem in many landscapes.

The following growing-degree-day (GDD) and precipitation data was collected for a four-week period, December 12, 2007 through January 9, 2007. Soil temperature and phenological indicators were observed on or about January 9, 2007. 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.

Dormant season care of deciduous trees and shrubs - As the plants go dormant, it is a good time to remove dead branches, and collect fallen leaves to reduce overwintering inoculum (the resting structures of leaf spot, blight and canker fungi). Remove this debris so fewer of these disease fungi will be present in the area to initiate infections next spring. In addition, if leaf spots and blights are recurring, unsightly problems, resistant varieties, or other plants better adapted to the site may be available to replace them.

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.

Status of Phytophthora ramorum in 2008:

Federal Regulation, State Inspection, Nursery Survey, and Other Finds. As of October 3, 2007 there have been 21 positive nursery finds of Phytophthora ramorum so far this year. The states with these detections include California, Oregon, Washington, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania.

The National Agricultural Pest Information System (NAPIS) reported that Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia performed surveys through the Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) program. None of these states collected positive samples. California, Maine, Oregon, and Washington are performing surveys but they are not under the CAPS program. Oregon reported six positive samples in NAPIS.

Forest Detection Survey: As of November 2, 2007 the United States Forest Service (USFS) reported 152 streams baited in 28 states with 953 samples collected. Thirty-five streams tested positive for Phytophthora ramorum during the water baiting survey, one in Washington, one in Mississippi, and 33 in California.

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

WEEDS -

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

The UMASS Extension, Landscape, Nursery, and Urban Forestry Program produced this message. Dan Gillman prepared this edition 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 #1 January 11, 2008

DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES

UMass Extension Landscape Message #1
January 11, 2008