Woodland Owners Conference 2011

The 2011 Woodland Owners Conference will be held Saturday, March 5 in Penn’s Inn, Bush Student Center on the campus of the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport. The tentative agenda for the conference is:

9:00 – 9:15 Welcome/ Information

9:15 – 10:00 “Cost Share Programs Available for Woodland Owners”, Andy Duncan, PA DCNR, Bureau of Forestry

10:00 – 10:15 Break

10:15 – 11:15 “Regenerating Penn's Woods”, David Jackson, Penn State Cooperative Extension, Centre County

11:15 – 11:30 Break

11:30 – 12:15 “Drill Pad/Pipeline Revegetation Options for Landowners”, TBA

12:15 – 1:15 Lunch

1:15 – 1:30 WOA updates/Jack Murray Award

1:30 – 2:30 “Dealing with Emerald Ash Borer Threats to Woodlands and Communities”, Amy Stone and Kathy Smith, Ohio State University Extension

2:30 – 3:15 “Woodland Beneficial Insects and Pest Outlook 2011”, Tim Marasco, PA DCNR, Bureau of Forestry

3:15 – 3:30 Closing Remarks/Evaluations/Dismiss

The cost for this year’s conference is again $30/person or $25 each for a couple from the same property. Registration will be different this year. It will be online through CVENT. Registering through CVENT will allow you the additional option of paying by credit card. If you don't have internet access you will still be able to register by phone or send in your registration and your check.  Further registration details will be included in your brochure or in the instructions you will receive by email. Registrations will be due Friday, February 25. Registrations after this date will be assessed a $5 late fee and the couple discount will no longer be in effect. If you have any questions about the conference, please contact me at rsh7@psu.edu, 570-265-2896, or 570-724-9120.

Pennsylvania Energy Impacts Assessment

The Nature Conservancy-Pennsylvania Chapter, The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and Audubon Pennsylvania recently released an assessment of energy exploration and development in Pennsylvania. The assessment was funded with support from Heinz Endowments, RK Mellon Foundation and William Penn Foundation. Highlights of the report are below. For the complete report go to http://www.nature.org/media/pa/tnc_energy_analysis.pdf.
 * About 60,000 new Marcellus wells are projected by 2030 in Pennsylvania with a range of 6,000 to 15,000 well pads, depending on the number of wells per pad;

 * Wells are likely to be developed in at least 30 counties, with the greatest number concentrated in 15 southwestern, north central, and northeastern counties;

* Nearly two thirds of well pads are projected to be in forest areas, with forest clearing projected to range between 34,000 and 83,000 acres depending on the number of number of well pads that are developed. An additional range of 80,000 to 200,000 acres of forest interior habitat impacts are projected due to new forest edges created by well pads and associated infrastructure (roads, water impoundments);
* On a statewide basis, the projected forest clearing from well pad development would affect less than one percent of the state's forests, but forest clearing and fragmentation could be much more pronounced in areas with intensive Marcellus development;
* Approximately one third of Pennsylvania's largest forest patches (greater than 5,000 acres) are projected to have a range of between 1 and 17 well pads in the medium scenario;
* Impacts on forest interior breeding bird habitats vary with the range and population densities of the species. The widely-distributed scarlet tanager would see relatively modest impacts to its statewide population while black-throated blue warblers, with a Pennsylvania range that largely overlaps with Marcellus development area, could see more significant population impacts;
* Watersheds with healthy eastern brook trout populations substantially overlap with projected Marcellus development sites. The state's watersheds ranked as "intact" by the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture are concentrated in north central Pennsylvania, where most of these small watersheds are projected to have between two and three dozen well pads;
* Nearly a third of the species tracked by the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program are found in areas projected to have a high probability of Marcellus well development, with 132 considered to be globally rare or critically endangered or imperiled in Pennsylvania. Several of these species have all or most of their known populations in Pennsylvania in high probability Marcellus gas development areas.
* Marcellus gas development is projected to be extensive across Pennsylvania's 4.5 million acres of public lands, including State Parks, State Forests, and State Game Lands. Just over 10 percent of these lands are legally protected from surface development.
* Integration of conservation features into the planning and development of Marcellus gas well fields can significantly reduce impacts. For example, relocating projected wells to open areas or toward the edge of large forest patches in high probability gas development pixels in the southern Laurel Highlands reduces forest clearing by 40 percent and forest interior impacts by over a third.

PDA Secretary Urges Hunters to Share the Harvest

Harrisburg – Hunters can help food banks, soup kitchens and pantries feed Pennsylvanians in need by donating deer meat to a statewide distribution network, said Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding today.

Redding visited Diller’s Custom Deer Processing in Enola, Cumberland County, to promote Hunters Sharing the Harvest, a program that encourages hunters to donate deer for processing into ground venison for the state’s hungry residents.

“With more than 1.3 million Pennsylvanians at-risk for hunger, it’s important for everyone to lend a hand,” said Redding. “I encourage hunters to do their part by donating to the Hunters Sharing the Harvest program.”

Hunters can take their deer to one of 125 participating meat processors throughout the state and identify how much of the venison – from several pounds to the whole animal – they wish to donate. Anyone donating an entire deer is asked to make a minimum $15 tax-deductible contribution to help cover processing costs. The program covers all remaining fees.

The Department of Agriculture, through the federal Emergency Food Assistance Program, contributes $0.85 per pound of venison donated towards reimbursing meat processors.

Established in 1991, Hunters Sharing the Harvest today covers 53 participating counties and provides more than 750,000 meals annually to food banks, churches and social service feeding programs. Last year, hunters donated nearly 100,000 pounds of venison to more than 4,000 emergency food assistance agencies through the state’s 21 regional food banks.

“Across Pennsylvania, the number of citizens at risk for hunger increases every year,” said Kendall Hanna, executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. “Hunters Sharing the Harvest provides food that is high in protein and lean. We are extremely grateful for hunters’ participation in the program and for their support of Pennsylvanians in need.”

To learn more about the program or to obtain a list of participating meat processors, visit www.sharedeer.org or call, toll-free, 866-474-2141.

Pennsylvanians Urged to Heed Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine When Hauling Firewood During Winter Months

Harrisburg – Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding reminded Pennsylvanians—particularly those that heat their homes using wood—that the Emerald Ash Borer quarantine remains in effect in 43 counties. The quarantine is designed to restrict the movement of ash materials and all hardwood firewood and wood chips.
“Consumers who use wood to heat their homes and businesses are urged to burn local firewood only and heed the restrictions on moving firewood from within the quarantined area,” said Redding. “By obeying the quarantine, we can help limit the further spread of the beetle.”
The Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive, ash tree-killing beetle that threatens the state’s $25 billion hardwoods industry.
This summer, the department’s Emerald Ash Borer survey crews collected nearly 6,900 samples and tested 500,000 specimens from among 6,000 purple panel traps from ash trees in 21 counties.
The beetle has been found in 18 counties, including Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Butler, Centre, Clarion, Cumberland, Fulton, Indiana, Juniata, Lawrence, Mercer, Mifflin, Somerset, Union, Washington and Westmoreland.
As a result, the Agriculture department expanded its quarantine to include counties where the beetle was found this year, as well as in the contiguous counties of Blair, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Potter, Snyder, Somerset, Tioga, Union, Venango and Warren.
The quarantine is intended to restrict the movement of ash nursery, green lumber, and any other ash material, including logs, stumps, roots and branches, from the quarantine area. Because it is difficult to distinguish between species of hardwood firewood, all hardwood firewood and wood chips—including ash, oak, maple and hickory—are considered quarantined.
The wood-boring beetle is native to China and eastern Asia. The pest likely arrived in North America in wooden shipping crates. It was first detected in July 2002 in southeastern Michigan and neighboring Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In addition to Pennsylvania, the beetle is attacking ash trees in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Emerald ash borer galleries in infested ash tree

Introduction to Woodland Management Opportunity

Penn State Cooperative Extension, in partnership with Penn State School of Forest Resources, PPL and the local woodland owner associations are proud to provide you with an opportunity to learn about sustainable forestry through our Introduction to Forest Management course.
The course will be at the PPL Montour Preserve, near Washingtonville, PA on Saturday, October 30 from 10:00 a.m until 3:30 p.m. This course is designed for private forest landowners, professional timber harvesters, and sportsmen and women who are interested in learning more about sustainable forest management. This is an opportunity to talk to natural resource management professionals who have experience in managing forest resources.

Pennsylvania has nearly 17 million acres of forests covering 60% of the state’s land area. The largest share of Pennsylvania’s forest is privately owned, accounting for more than 70% of the forested acres (12.5 million acres). Estimates put the number of private forest owners at more than 750,000. Families own forests for diverse reasons including values such as aesthetics, wildlife, privacy, and family legacy.

The course will cover such topics as forest history, ecology, management techniques, and best management practices. It includes both indoor lecture and outdoor discussions. This course will strengthen your knowledge of sustainable forest management. Without sustainable management forests will not provide future generations with the same quality resources we have today. A follow-up course entitled SF-II, Advanced Forest Management will be offered in the near future.
To register or for more information the Penn State Cooperative Extension office in Tioga County at 570-724-9120 or the Penn State Cooperative Extension office in Bradford County at 570-265-2896 e-mail rsh7@psu.edu. The registration fee is $10.00 per person and includes refreshments and educational materials. The deadline for registration is Thursday, October 28. Participants must be pre-registered.

Emerald Ash Borer and Your Woods

Over the past couple of weeks I have received numerous calls from landowners concerning the status of their woods and emerald ash borer. A number of these calls were from landowners who have been approached by individuals telling them they need to cut their timber because the emerald ash borer will kill it all (including maple, oak and cherry). First off, if you are approached by an individual using this line I would recommend caution on how you proceed. Emerald ash borer (EAB), from our knowledge and experience in other states, attacks and kills only species of ash (green, black, white and blue). EAB will not attack and kill other species!

Emerald ash borer is headed this way. We don’t know exactly when it will get here. We do know that about 2/3 of the state is under a quarantine that doesn’t allow the movement of ash logs, chips and lumber into non-quarantined counties unless the logs/lumber/chips meet certain requirements. Bradford County is not yet under the quarantine. We also know that ash that is attacked will die. It may take two or three years but a successful attack is fatal to the attacked ash tree.

Here are some suggestions that may help a landowner deal with the certainties of EAB.

1. Don’t move firewood of any species. Use local firewood

2. Be alert to the condition of your ash component (a good publication to identify EAB is “Symptoms and Signs of the Emerald Ash Borer”, Extension Bulletin EAB – 2938-PSU, by Mary Wilson, MSU Extension and Eric Rebek, MSU, Dept. of Entomology).

3. Contact Cooperative Extension, DCNR Bureau of Forestry or Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture if you think you have EAB in your woods.

4. Determine the amount of ash in your woods. If you have an ash component that is greater than 10 – 15% of merchantable ash you may need to consider a harvest. At the same time you may carry out a timber stand improvement cut in the other species (“selective” cutting and only cutting trees above a certain diameter does not qualify as timber stand improvement)!

5. Learn all you can about EAB and your options by visiting websites, attending conferences and meetings, and reading material from creditable sources.

6. Contact your Bureau of Forestry service forester or your own forester and obtain his/her advice about managing your woods.

7. Obtain a forest management/stewardship plan or update your current plan with the appropriate EAB contingencies.

Even though emerald ash borer will likely have a large impact on the woodlands in Pennsylvania, it is not the time to panic. It is the time to obtain professional assistance and make knowledgeable decisions that will help you deal with this insect.

Evidence of woodpecker activity is a good sign of EAB infestation.

Quarantine for Emerald Ash Borer Expanded

Aug. 10, 2010
Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine Expanded to 43 Counties; Tree-Killing Pest Found in Cumberland, Union Counties

Harrisburg – Forty-three counties are now under a quarantine that is intended to prevent the spread of the invasive, tree-killing Emerald Ash Borer, Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding said today while reminding travelers not to haul firewood between counties.

Redding also said that the pest has been found in two additional counties. Beetles were found in Cumberland County at the Pennsylvania Turnpike mile marker 226 near Carlisle, and in Union County at the intersection of State Gameland and Matthew Brown roads in Gregg Township.

The Emerald Ash Borer has now been found in 17 counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Butler, Centre, Cumberland, Fulton, Indiana, Juniata, Lawrence, Mercer, Mifflin, Somerset, Union, Washington and Westmoreland.

The Agriculture Department has expanded its quarantine to include 31 counties, including the six where the beetle has been found this year and others that are contiguous. Those counties are: Blair, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Potter, Snyder, Somerset, Tioga, Union, Venango and Warren.

“The considerable quarantine expansion was based on the new detections, coupled with new detections and quarantines in neighboring states,” said Redding. “As we head into the final months of summer travel, we remind campers and travelers to follow the quarantine within the 43 counties and across the state to help limit the further spread of the beetle.”

The quarantine is intended to restrict the movement of ash nursery, green lumber, and any other ash material, including logs, stumps, roots and branches, from the quarantine area. Because it is difficult to distinguish between species of hardwood firewood, all hardwood firewood and wood chips—including ash, oak, maple and hickory—are considered quarantined.

Redding said Emerald Ash Borer poses a serious threat to Pennsylvania’s nation-leading hardwoods industry, which contributes nearly $25 billion to the economy.

The wood-boring beetle is native to China and eastern Asia. The pest likely arrived in North America in wooden shipping crates. It was first detected in July 2002 in southeastern Michigan and neighboring Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In addition to Pennsylvania, the beetle is attacking ash trees in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Typically, the Emerald Ash Borer beetles will kill an ash tree within three years of the initial infestation. Adults are dark green, one-half inch in length and one-eighth inch wide, and fly only from early May until September. Larvae spend the rest of the year beneath the bark of ash trees. When they emerge as adults, they leave D-shaped holes in the bark about one-eighth inch wide.

People who suspect they have seen Emerald Ash Borer should call the department’s toll-free pest hotline at 1-866-253-7189. For more information about the quarantine, contact Walt Blosser at 717-772-5205, and for more information about Emerald Ash Borer, contact Sven-Erik Spichiger at 717-772-5229.

The Agriculture department’s Emerald Ash Borer survey crews began hanging nearly 6,000 purple panel traps from ash trees in 21 counties on May 21. The traps are designed to attract flying adult beetles to help detect further spread.

The national survey is conducted in cooperation with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the United States Forest Service, and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of Forestry.

Information is also available at www.agriculture.state.pa.us by searching “Emerald Ash Borer.”

Trees and this hot dry summer - Water them please!

This short piece of important information comes from Mr. Vinnie Cotrone, Extension Urban Forester stationed in Luzerne County. Although it was written primarily for municipalites, the reminder is good for every one. For more information on community related tree issues visit http://www.patrees.org/.

While on vacation this past Tuesday I watched Knoebel’s staff watering their young trees and flowers and I thought about the PennVest contracted plantings, TreeVitalize plantings, and the spring bare root (and B&B) plantings that many of you have completed this past spring (and fall).

If you have not begun watering this year – PLEASE DO SO!
It is quite easy and inexpensive to replace flowers in your community but that is not the case for trees. Consider not only the investment of grant funds, but community time and effort planning and planting these trees. If you planted trees around your home, trees represent a big investment.
Worse yet, dead trees in a community tend to look worse than no trees.

If communities need help watering, ask the volunteer fire company or boy scouts, or other community volunteers. Homeowners can water trees themselves. Remember to run the water slowly around your newly planted trees. Just giving them a quick spray doesn’t do them any good. If you are considering fertilizing your tree, don’t do it now! High temperatures and dry conditions don’t mix well with fertilizer.

Stay cool, but water the new trees – Please!

They're Back!

The "Purple Boxes" are back in Pennsylvania's landscape. Cooperating agencies have again hung the purple emerald ash borer "traps" in key areas of the state. Many of them are located along major roads and highways and parks (since people are one of the principle transporters of this insect). The traps are treated with substance that attract emerald ash borer to the trap where they get stuck on the sticky surface. Technicians will periodically check the traps for emerald ash borer adults. Remember these traps do not attract emerald ash borer into non-infested areas. The purpose of the traps is to determine if the insect is already present in the area. If you see these traps in your travels, please do not disturb them. They can best do their job if they are left undisturbed. Encourage others, who may mention them to you, to leave them be as well. If you suspect that you have seen emerald ash borer damage or an adult emerald ash borer, contact your local Cooperative Extension office, Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry office or Regional Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture office. For more information on emerald ash borer go to http://bradford.extension.psu.edu/nresources/forestry.html and scroll down to the emerald ash borer photo and click there.

Emerald Ash Borer in Bedford County

Harrisburg – Emerald Ash Borer beetles have been found near Graceville, Bedford, County, bringing to 12 the number of Pennsylvania counties where the ash tree-destroying pest has been identified, Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding said today.

In response to this latest discovery, Redding said a state-imposed quarantine is being expanded to include Bedford County. He reminded residents and visitors to use only locally harvested firewood, burn all of the firewood on-site, and not move it to new locations.

“Our survey crews are acting swiftly to assess the extent of infestation in Bedford County and surrounding areas,” said Redding. “As we enter the summer traveling and camping season, the department urges all Pennsylvanians to heed the imposed hardwood firewood quarantine – not just in the specified areas, but throughout the state to prevent any further spread of the beetle.”

The Bedford County infestation was discovered at the intersection of Tannery Road and Route 30 near Graceville, which is less than one mile east of Breezewood and less than one mile from the Fulton County line, after Department of Conservation and Natural Resources staff noticed extensive tree damage due to woodpecker. Such damage often indicates that trees may be infected as the birds injure the trees while trying to eat the beetle larvae.

State and federal Emerald Ash Borer quarantines restrict the movement from the quarantine area of ash nursery stock, green lumber and any other ash material, including logs, stumps, roots and branches, and all wood chips.

Due to the difficulty in distinguishing between species of hardwood firewood, all hardwood firewood and wood chips—including ash, oak, maple and hickory—are considered quarantined.

The invasive beetle was first detected in Pennsylvania in the summer of 2007 in Butler County, and subsequently was found in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Indiana, Juniata, Lawrence, Mercer, Mifflin, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

Emerald Ash Borer is a wood-boring beetle native to China and eastern Asia. The pest likely arrived in North America in wooden shipping crates. It was first detected in July 2002 in southeastern Michigan and neighboring Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In addition to Pennsylvania, the beetle is attacking ash trees in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin, and is responsible for the death and decline of more than 40 million trees.
Typically, the beetles will kill an ash tree within three years of the initial infestation. Adults are dark green, one-half inch in length and one-eighth inch wide, and fly only from early May until September. Larvae spend the rest of the year beneath the bark of ash trees. When they emerge as adults, they leave D-shaped holes in the bark about one-eighth inch wide.

There is no known practical control for this wood-boring pest other than destroying infested trees.
People who suspect they have seen Emerald Ash Borer should call the department’s toll-free pest hotline at 1-866-253-7189. For more information about the quarantine, contact Walt Blosser at 717-772-5205, and for more information about Emerald Ash Borer, contact Sven-Erik Spichiger at 717-772-5229.

The Pennsylvania Agriculture Department Emerald Ash Borer survey crews will begin hanging nearly 6,000 purple panel traps from ash trees Friday, May 21, in 21 counties. The traps are designed to attract flying adult beetles to help detect further spread. Crews will remove the traps by the end of August.

The national survey is being conducted in cooperation with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the U.S. Forest Service and DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry.

Information is also available at http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/ by searching “Emerald Ash Borer.”

Educational Opportunity to Help Manage Woodlands

Penn State Cooperative Extension is offering "Sustainable Forestry I: An Introduction to Forest Management" in June. This is a lecture and field-based course where woodland owners will learn basic tenets and techniques to successfully and sustainably managing their woodlands. This is a two-part course being offered in two locations. In order to complete the course, attendance is required at two evening sessions. The first two-day session will be offered Wednesday, June 2 and Wednesday, June 9 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at Laurel Haven Education Center in Julian (Centre County). The second two-day session will be offered Wednesday, June 16 and Wednesday, June 23 at the Mt. Pisgah State Park Nature Center, near West Burlington (Bradford County). The cost for the Sustainable Forestry I course is $20 per person. Registration is due May 28. For more information contact David Jackson (Penn State Cooperative Extension Centre County) drj11@psu.edu, (814) 355-4897 or Bob Hansen (Penn State Cooperative Extension Bradford County) rsh7@psu.edu, (570) 265-2896. For a registration brochure go to the Bradford County Cooperative Extension Website. Sustainable Forestry II will be offered in the future.

Pathogen Causing Sudden Oak Death Found in PA Nursery

The following information was provided by Dr. Gary Moorman, Professor of Plant Pathology at Penn State University.

On Feb. 18, 2010 the Penn State Plant Disease Clinic received a sample of Laurus nobilis, known commonly as bay laurel, true laurel, sweet bay, laurel tree, Grecian laurel, or bay tree. Some people use its leaves in cooking. The tips of the leaves submitted were dead or dying and it was reported by the grower that 95% of well rooted plants in 12 or so flats exhibited the symptoms. The United States Department of Agriculture-Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) confirmed the plants to be infected with Phytophthora ramorum, the Sudden Oak Death pathogen known to occur in trees and shrubs on the west coast of the U.S. and in Europe. The sample came from a commercial, primarily wholesale, greenhouse in eastern Pennsylvania. Phytophthora ramorum can infect many important ornamental trees and shrubs under the right conditions. There is a great deal of concern that this fungus-like organism could cause significant economic damage to eastern forests and landscapes if not excluded from the region.

The’ bay laurel’ submitted was not Umbelluiaria californica, the California bay or California bay laurel that grows on the west coast and is a major host of Phytophthora ramorum that then spreads to oaks. However, Laurus nobilis is known to be a host of Ph. ramorum.

The actual source of the Ph. ramorum in Pennsylvania is still under investigation and is very much in question. The infected plants had been grown in Pennsylvania from seed obtained from a source in California. As yet, there are no known cases of Ph. ramorum being seedborne. I learned recently that the ‘seed’ is sometimes received not as cleaned seed but as seed still in the drupe (fruit). That raises the possibility that the pathogen may have been in parts of the fruit other than the actual seed. It is also possible that the pathogen was infecting other plants in the greenhouse and spread to the Laurus. APHIS is doing ‘trace backward’ investigations to determine where the pathogen may have come from and ‘trace forwards’ to determine whether various plants sold by the Pennsylvania greenhouse are carrying the pathogen.

SO WHAT YOU SAY!!

Phytophthora ramorum has, to date, been excluded from the eastern U.S. but this occurrence may indicate that the plant pathogen is now or will soon be in the region from multiple sources. In 2009, Laurus nobilis was named as the Herb of the Year by the International Herb Association (IHA). Laurus nobilis seed can be purchased from a number of sources including through Amazon.com. Web information indicates that the seed is difficult to germinate. It is my understanding that people have been encouraged to grow this plant and that it has been used in various Master Gardener projects. If seed or tissue associated with seed is actually the source of the pathogen, it is possible that Phytophthora ramorum has arrived in the east with seed purchased by backyard gardeners, etc. Where is the ‘failed to germinate’ material discarded? Where are plants with dying leaf tips discarded?

If you are presented with Laurus nobilis plants with dead or dying leaf tips or entire plants dead or dying… those symptoms may be caused by:

too much water
too little water
too much fertilizer
chilling or freeze damage
Phytophthora ramorum infection

Send a sample to the Plant Disease Clinic after filling out the Clinic form obtained at the county Cooperative Extension office (also attached). Please put the plant or plant parts in a clean Ziploc or similar bag with a DRY paper towel. Place that bag inside another bag with the clinic form OUTSIDE both bags. Put the bagged sample and form either in a padded envelop or a cardboard box. Use overnight delivery OR mail it early in the week so that it arrives in the clinic promptly and does not sit in a post office over a weekend. If that requires holding the sample a day or two, then put the packaged sample in a refrigerator (not freezer) or in a cool place out of direct sunlight until it can be sent.

2010 Woodland Owners Conference Registration

Registration information for the 2010 Woodland Owners' Conference is now available on the Bradford County Extension website. Navigate to the upcoming programs section and click on 2010 Woodland Owners Conference. The conference is scheduled for Saturday, March 6 at the Pennsylvania College of Technology. visit the site for the brochure. If you are on the Susquehanna Woodlands eNewsletter list, you will be receiving an electronic brochure soon. I may be prejudiced but it looks like good information to me!