VDOF Researchers Study Loblolly Pine Pest

The Nantucket pine tip moth often reduces growth of loblolly pine but has been difficult to control with traditional insecticides. Imidacloprid and fipronil were evaluated side by side across multiple sites in Virginia. Significant reductions in Nantucket pine tip moth damage were noted in trees treated with either the imidacloprid or fipronil product compared with check trees. VDOF Forest Health Specialist Chris Asaro and VDOF Research Manager Jerre Creighton published the results of their study in "Use of Systemic Fipronil and Imidacloprid to Control Regeneration Pests of Loblolly Pine." You can read the entire article on our website.

Virginia Quarantines Movement of Walnut Trees, Products from Richmond Area

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) today placed a temporary quarantine on Chesterfield and Henrico Counties and the city of Richmond following the detection of Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD) in Chesterfield and Henrico Counties.  The city of Richmond is included because of its proximity to the locations where the disease was detected.

Matthew J. Lohr, VDACS Commissioner, has established the temporary quarantine in an effort to prevent the artificial spread of TCD. Regulated articles that cannot be moved out of the quarantine area include all walnut plants and plant parts of walnut, including logs, stumps, firewood, roots, branches, mulch and chips.

TCD is a disease complex that attacks walnut trees, Juglans spp. The fungus Geosmithia morbida is vectored by the walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis, causing small cankers under the bark of the tree. The beetle introduces the fungus while it tunnels beneath the bark. As more beetles attack the tree, the number of cankers increases until they coalesce to girdle twigs and branches, restricting movement of nutrients and eventually killing the tree. Neither the beetle nor the fungus is native to the eastern U.S.  Thinning or dead branches will initially occur at the top of the tree which will die from the top down. Trees may be infested for many years before showing symptoms. There is currently no preventive or curative treatment for the disease.

TCD has been present in the western U.S. for years; this is the first detection in Virginia and the first time it has been found east of Knoxville, TN, where it was detected in August 2010. Once established, TCD has the potential to spread to uninfested areas, either through natural means or through the artificial movement of infested articles. VDACS employees in the Office of Plant Industry Services are surveying the affected areas in an effort to determine the extent of this infestation and the source of TCD in Chesterfield and Henrico Counties. The actual source may be difficult to determine since the infestation likely occurred several years ago.

Click here for more information on Thousand Cankers Diseases in the Eastern United States.

Cicadas Active in Virginia

In Virginia both the 17 and 13-year cicadas are active, and have drawn lots of notice from citizens. Cicadas are not poisonous and do not have a stinger, but the emerging cicadas create a substantial noise. The insects damage many ornamental and hardwood trees. Heavily infested areas reveal cicadas on just about any type of plant. Halifax and Hanover counties experienced heavy cicada activity.
http://www.gazettevirginian.com/index.php/news/34-news/3120-cicadas-plague-halifax-county-residents

Purple Prisms Pluck Pests

The large, purple triangle-shaped objects you may have seen hanging in a tree are part of the 2011 Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) survey. This year, the survey has expanded significantly. More than 5,500 traps have been deployed statewide. With one trap placed per 2x2 mile grid area, you’ll probably see one soon.

The traps are especially useful for revealing new infestations that would otherwise remain undetected. This year, a large swath of central, southern and western Virginia forms the trapping grid. The 14" wide by 24" long traps are baited with natural plant oil attractant and covered with a non-toxic glue to catch the insects.

The EAB larvae kill ash trees by feeding on the inner bark and disrupting the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients. EAB was introduced accidentally into the United States and was first detected in Michigan in 2002. The first EAB detection in Virginia occurred in Fairfax County in 2003. Subsequent detections at multiple sites in 2008 resulted in the establishment of a quarantine for more than 10 northern Virginia counties and independent cities. The quarantine is an effort to slow the spread of this destructive beetle by restricting the movement of articles capable of transporting EAB.

Find additional information about the EAB at http://www.emeraldashborer.info/.  Additional information regarding specific trap locations can be obtained by calling Delta-21 Resources, Inc. at 877.207.9406.

Restoration American Chestnuts Planted in Virginia

The Virginia Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF), a conservation nonprofit, planted over 600 of its most advanced, potentially blight-resistant American chestnut trees at the Georgia-Pacific Big Island, VA mill just northwest of Lynchburg, today. TACF’s partnership with Georgia Pacific is part of a project funded through the Sustainable Forestry Initiative^® (SFI^®) conservation grant program.

“The Virginia Chapter’s partnership with both Georgia Pacific and SFI represents giant step in our chestnut restoration program. We are now testing and evaluating these trees, which are the result of more than 30 years of scientific research, for blight resistance and American growth characteristics,” said Dr. John Scrivani, Virginia Chapter president. Assistance was provided by the Virginia Department of Forestry in preparing the site and raising the seedlings at its Augusta nursery. About 40 volunteers from the Foundation, Georgia-Pacific and the Lynchburg Tree Stewards turned out to help with the planting.

These plantings are part of an overall science program to test and evaluate the level of blight resistance and the growth characteristics of these American chestnut trees. TACF expects that landscape-level reintroduction of the potentially blight-resistant chestnuts could take another 75-100 years.

Estate Planning For The Future Of Your Land

More than 50 landowners and forestry professionals attended VDOF’s Tomorrow Woods estate planning workshop in Smithfield.

Attorney Julie King and Certified Public Accountant Becky McCoy covered essential estate planning and tax issues. Participants learned about current tax laws; selecting and organizing their business structure, and tips for a successful and efficient intergenerational transfer of their estate.   

A panel of landowners provided case studies of the estate and tax-planning process. Panel members Richard Carchman of Goochland County; Everette Prosise of Dinwiddie County, and Pickett Upshaw of King William County detailed their partnerships with VDOF. They described their conservation easements and the family communication challenges they faced.  The landowner panel permitted an open dialogue with the audience, allowing attendees to discuss the emotional side of the process, and their love for their family and their land.

Forestland conservation is an integral part of VDOF’s mission to protect and develop healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. VDOF will continue to offer estate planning workshops for landowners. For more information, visit the VDOF website.

Rob Suydam, Forest Conservation Specialist

Predatory Beetles Released on the Channels State Forest

Researchers from Virginia Tech released 1,000 Laricobius nigrinus beetles into a stand of eastern hemlocks on the Channels State Forest. The tiny black beetles are known predators of the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). Raised under controlled conditions at Virginia Tech, the beetles are part of an ongoing research project under the direction of Dr. Scott Salom. 

The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is a non-native invasive pest that is devastating eastern hemlock trees.  Since its introduction from Asia in the last century, the HWA has advanced throughout the range of the eastern hemlock, leaving a swath of dead and weakened trees in its path.  With a plentiful food source and no predators to slow it down, HWA has spread unchecked for decades. Chemical treatments can control HWA on an individual tree by tree basis; chemical control of HWA on a large-scale forest landscape is not practical.

Prior to its introduction in the eastern U.S., HWA was identified on western hemlocks in the Pacific Northwest. Western hemlocks have survived the HWA invasion much better than their eastern counterparts. The presence of predatory insects in the Pacific Northwest may limit populations of HWA.  From this comparison, it is generally accepted that the only effective means of saving our eastern hemlocks will be biological control.

Not much bigger than the bug that it eats, Laricobius nigrinus is a native of the Pacific Northwest.  And while it will feed on other species of adelgid, studies show that it prefers HWA.  Also, L. nigrinus is active during the winter months, which coincides with peak HWA activity. 

The slow-growing, shade-tolerant hemlocks provide crucial protection against erosion.  Hemlocks shroud and protect most of the cold streams that tumble down our mountains and provide increasingly rare habitat for native brook trout and many other species.  Multiple hemlock stands stretch along the numerous streams of the Channels State Forest. Over the next several years, the research team from Virginia Tech will monitor the selected hemlock stand to determine if the beetles are surviving, reproducing and having an effect on the HWA populations.  The tiny bug with a big name may provide an opportunity to save an important species.

Zach Olinger, Matthews State Forest