2003 issues

16
2 President’s Corner 4 Dispel-A-Myth: Disease- Free Crabapples 7 Clip & Save: Problems With Over-Mulching 10 Buckthorn Busting 13 Forest Tent Caterpillar and Your Trees 15 STAC Info 15 Calendar Inside This Issue Visit MnSTAC on the Web at www.mnstac.org VOL. 5, NO. 1 1 The Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee’s mission is to advance Minnesota’s commitment to the health, care and future of all community forests. Winter 2003 Dawn Dubats (left) and Kirsten Andenas of Tree Trust trained volunteers on planting day in Hendricks. ◆◆◆ itting on Lake Hendricks, a 1,634-acre recreational lake, is the City of Hendricks. Hendricks is located on the Minnesota–South Da- kota border about 35 miles west of Marshall, near the Midwest Center for Wind Energy. More than 200 wind towers dot the landscape with their rotat- ing arms signaling that you are within a few miles of Hendricks. The open prairie, ag land, wind and lake that surround Hendricks give you the feeling of being one with the land. Hendricks has a popula- tion of about 684 and although this doesn’t sound like a large number of people, the community rep- resents what most of us nostalgically refer to as a small “home town” community. You will find the Mayor, along with some of the business owners, senior citizens and local farmers chatting and eating lunch in the local diner, City Hall busy with people drop- ping off payments and asking the clerk about her day, and the playground of the school noisy with the laughter of small children. Hendricks has a 9-hole golf course, campgrounds that accom- modate more than 26 campsites, a city park, and the Lincoln County Pioneer Museum. The downtown looks like something that Grant Wood would paint and the enthusiasm behind the city is its people. They organize annual celebrations such as the Syttende Mai (Norwegian Holiday), Summerfest and the Buffalo Ridge Two-Cylinder Club tractor show. And they contemplate the future of Hendricks. They are not unlike other small rural commu- nities; their concerns for economic development and environmen- tal integrity are important to them. In an effort to plan for the future and to stimulate some new ideas around these two topics, the City of Hendricks, in September of 2001, requested a visit from the Minnesota Design Team. COMMUNITY FOREST PROFILE S COURTESY CITY OF HENDRICKS Hendricks, MN Hendricks continued on p. 3 by Janette Monear, Tree Trust Mn ReLeaf Grant Preapplications Due See page 16 for more information

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The Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee’s mission is to advance Minnesota’s commitment to the health, care and future of all community forests. by Janette Monear, Tree Trust Dawn Dubats (left) and Kirsten Andenas of Tree Trust trained volunteers on planting day in Hendricks. ◆ ◆ ◆ Visit MnSTAC on the Web at www.mnstac.org 4 Dispel-A-Myth: Disease- Free Crabapples 13 Forest Tent Caterpillar and Your Trees VOL. 5, NO. 1 7 Clip & Save: Problems With Over-Mulching 15 Calendar ◆

TRANSCRIPT

2 President’s Corner4 Dispel-A-Myth: Disease-

Free Crabapples7 Clip & Save: Problems

With Over-Mulching10 Buckthorn Busting13 Forest Tent Caterpillar

and Your Trees15 STAC Info15 Calendar

Inside This Issue

Visit MnSTAC on the Webat www.mnstac.org

VOL. 5, NO. 1

1

The Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee’s mission is to advance Minnesota’s commitment to the health, care and future of all community forests.

Winter 2003

Dawn Dubats (left) and Kirsten Andenasof Tree Trust trained volunteers onplanting day in Hendricks.◆ ◆ ◆

itting on Lake Hendricks, a 1,634-acre recreational lake, is the City of Hendricks.

Hendricks is located on the Minnesota–South Da-kota border about 35 miles west of Marshall, nearthe Midwest Center for Wind Energy. More than200 wind towers dot the landscape with their rotat-ing arms signaling that you are within a few milesof Hendricks. The open prairie, ag land, wind andlake that surround Hendricks give you the feelingof being one with the land. Hendricks has a popula-tion of about 684 and although this doesn’t soundlike a large number of people, the community rep-resents what most of us nostalgically refer to as a small “hometown” community. You will find the Mayor, along with some ofthe business owners, senior citizens and local farmers chatting andeating lunch in the local diner, City Hall busy with people drop-ping off payments and asking the clerk about her day, and theplayground of the school noisy with the laughter of small children.

Hendricks has a 9-hole golf course, campgrounds that accom-modate more than 26 campsites, a city park, and the LincolnCounty Pioneer Museum. The downtown looks like somethingthat Grant Wood would paint and the enthusiasm behind the cityis its people. They organize annual celebrations such as theSyttende Mai (Norwegian Holiday), Summerfest and the BuffaloRidge Two-Cylinder Club tractor show. And they contemplate thefuture of Hendricks. They are not unlike other small rural commu-nities; their concerns for economic development and environmen-tal integrity are important to them. In an effort to plan for thefuture and to stimulate some new ideas around these two topics,the City of Hendricks, in September of 2001, requested a visitfrom the Minnesota Design Team.

COMMUNITY FOREST PROFILE

S

COUR

TESY

CITY

OF H

ENDR

ICKS

Hendricks, MN

Hendricks continued on p. 3

by Janette Monear, Tree Trust

Mn ReLeafGrant

PreapplicationsDue

See page 16 for more information

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

Winter 2003 • ADVOCATE2

Watering and mulching help bufferthe shock of transplant. Newlyplanted spruce and crabapple linethe roadside in the background.◆ ◆ ◆

Urban forestryholds within it

the opportunityto help commu-nities realize avision for the

future while stillholding on to

the past.

New MnStac Programsby Lorrie Stromme

Earn Free CEU’s When You Attend MnSTAC MeetingsWhen you attend a MnSTAC meeting, you can receive

one free ISA-approved continuing education unit (CEU).Each MnSTAC meeting runs two hours. The first half of themeeting is reserved for the information exchange. During thistime, government agencies and professional arborists discussthe latest field reports and research news. One CEU is grant-ed for the second half of the meeting, which features a speak-er and a program. In August, no formal MnSTAC meeting isscheduled. Instead, we offer a field tour . . . and 2 to 2.5 freeCEU’s. That’s 12 free CEU’s each year, just by attendingMnSTAC programs. If you’d like information about upcom-ing MnSTAC meetings and programs, please contact LorrieStromme at 612-788-5157 or [email protected].

Keep Up with Trees and MnSTAC . . . via the Tree News E-mail Newsletter

Keep up with news releases, recent publications, upcom-ing workshops, grant opportunities, and helpful web sites byreading MnSTAC’s monthly E-newsletter. The E-News isavailable on MnSTAC’s web site www.mnstac.org, or you cansign up, through the web site, to receive the E-News by e-mail. When you visit MnSTAC’s web site, don’t forget tocheck the tree tips, community resources, calendar of events,and the agenda for the next MnSTAC meeting.

MnSTAC Sends Speakers to Minnesota PlannersConference

In September 2002, Don Willeke, Janette Monear, KenHolman, and Mark Schnobrich gave well-received presenta-tions at the annual conference of the Minnesota Chapter ofthe American Planners Association. Topics that were dis-cussed by MnSTAC speakers include the environmental andeconomic benefits of trees, tools to incorporate trees intocomprehensive plans, developing landscape ordinances, anda case study of how the City of Hutchinson developed a treeprogram. Contact MnSTAC if you would like to invite aspeaker to your meeting.

New EditorMnSTAC welcomes Judy Slater as the new editor for the

Minnesota Shade Tree Advocate newsletter. Ms. Slater has aMaster of Arts degree in writing, and she is a member of vari-ous professional writers’ organizations. You can contact ournew editor at [email protected]. She looks forward tohearing from you.

Lorrie Stromme, the President of MnSTAC, works for the City ofMinneapolis as a policy aide. She is pursuing a master’s degree in horticulture.

Hendricks, from p. 1

ADVOCATE • Winter 2003 3

The Minnesota Design Team,formerly known at the Gover-nor’s Design Team, is a group ofdedicated professional volunteerswhose passion and commitmentare around sustainable communi-ty development. Since 1983 the

Minnesota DesignTeam has visitedmore than 80 com-munities, workingto develop ashared vision forthe future. When the team’s 12 to20 experts come into a community,they listen to as many people aspossible, so that all views andhopes for the future can manifest inthe vision that will be presented atthe end of the weekend. Weavingthe community’s input into designconcepts, drawings, and explanato-ry notes, the Design Team leavesbehind a collective vision onposter-size drawings that interpret

the community’s shared vision. This vision thenhelps the community to start to identify and puttogether a plan of action that will help retain theirexisting community character and historic rootsbut moves them towards renewal—both economicand environmental.

It was after the MDT visit thatMinnesota Project, Tree Trust andthe MDT got together to examinehow we could help communitiesimplement some of their new ideas and manifesttheir energy and enthusiasm into realistic plans.With an OEA grant, we were able to work withthe City of Hendricks and together we have plant-ed more than 136 trees and shrubs, and hundredsof flowers, with the help of the Minnesota Dept. ofTransportation’s Partnership program. Workingwith the community, Tree Trust has also been ableto identify how urban forestry can be integrated tocreate more economic stability.

A hard-working community task force hasidentified several open space planting opportuni-ties and has looked at connecting them with a cir-cular trail that starts at the City Hall informationcenter and continues past the school, hospital andone of four Lutheran churches to a potential 12acre arboretum site, then meanders down mainstreet, past an area for the sculpture garden, on tothe history center and into Lake Hendricks park.

The trail then returns from the park to City Hall.Like the trail, the history, culture, environmentand economic possibilities are woven together.Creating a design for all of the open space areas isthe first plan of action. This will enable the com-munity and its existing partners to identify variousopportunities for funding and other partnershipsto help manifest a dream into reality.

Maybe the work through community forestrywill spark more efforts—efforts that could create a30-mile bike trail that traverses the countrysidespurring more opportunities for local B & B’s, orthe creation of a downtown art center that willhelp to make Hendricks a wonderful destination.

Urban forestry holds within it the opportunityto help communities realize a vision for the future

while still holding on to the past.It enfolds within it the opportuni-ty to create who you want to bewithout leaving behind who youare. And, it manifests the best of

what is possible. Urban forestry isn’t just abouttrees, it’s about people. People working togetherfor the future.

Janette Monear is Tree Trust’s Director of Outreach Programs.

Hendricks BeautificationCommitee membersvolunteered long hourson all aspects of thepartnership. Even so,they happily finished upthe job of hauling 95cubic yards of woodchipmulch.◆ ◆ ◆

Volunteers mulch newlyplanted flowers 4” deep,trees and shrubs 6”deep. Over 55 volunteersfrom the Hendrickscommunity workedplanting trees andperennial flowers.◆ ◆ ◆

PHOT

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Contact the Minnesota Design Team at:

www.minesotadesignteam.org

rnamental crabapples are to the Midwestwhat flowering dogwood is to the East

and crape myrtle is to the South. The springtimebeauty of flowering crabapples is unrivaled, andin a good spring, blossoms cover every branch inbold displays of pink, red or white flowers. Thediversity of flower color is only surpassed by themany varieties of structural shapes available tochoose from: columnar, pillar, weeping, spread-ing. Size is also negotiable, with cultivars as smallas 6 feet and as large as 25 feet. Because theseplants are actually apple trees (yes, the fruit is edi-ble!), they produce fruits in a wide array of colors(yellow, orange and red), sizes and edibility. ( Justbecause you can eat them doesn’t mean that theyall taste good!)

So, when I was asked if I “might be interestedin writing an article for the newsletter on the topicof “Disease-Resistant Crabapples Won’t GetDiseases,” I was bummed. You see, I can’t. I’d belying: Disease-resistant crabapples do get disease.And some of these diseases can be fatal to thetree. How can that be?

The term “disease resistance” evokes a com-mon misperception that the plant is able to com-pletely fight off disease. Many people believe thatthis resistance is conferred against all diseases.This is incorrect. Disease resistance is limited tospecific diseases, although a given plant may havemultiple resistances. The letters ‘VFN’ on a pack-

Winter 2003 • ADVOCATE4

ThoseIrresistibleCrabapplesBy Janna BeckermanExtension Plant Pathologist, Yard and Garden Clinic

“A good name, like good will, isgot by many actions and lost by

one.” —Lord Jeffery

O

Figure 1. Though apple scabdoes not normally kill a tree,it’s a devastating diseasethat lowers the tree’sresistance to other problems. ◆ ◆ ◆

DISPEL-A-MYTH

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ADVOCATE • Winter 2003 5

age of tomato seeds denotes resistance to the dis-eases Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt and rootknot nematode.

In understanding what resistance is, it isimportant to remember that a resistant plant canstill be infected by a given pathogen. However,the resistant plant is less likely to become serious-ly infected than a “susceptible” counterpart. Why?You ask. What makes one plant resistant and notanother? Some factors that contribute to resis-tance include thicker leaf cuticle (the waxy outercoating of the leaf), smaller stomates (gas ex-change pores), and the ability to make enzymesthat destroy toxins needed by pathogens to infect.

Resistance isn’t the only trait that breedersseek to incorporate into new cultivars. In someinstances, true resistance to a given disease is notavailable, but the ability to tolerate a disease is.Tolerance, unlike resistance, is the ability to with-stand infection, even at high degrees, and stillyield or not be killed.

Unfortunately, most people confuse resis-tance with immunity. Immunity is described asthe inability of a pathogen to cause disease. Forexample, it is impossible for an ash tree to getRhizosphaera needlecast of spruce. The ash issaid to be immune to the disease.

Crabapples, like most plants, are immune tomost diseases. As such, crabapple will neverbecome infected with citrus canker, wheat leafrust, or soybean sudden death syndrome. Crab-apple is commonly infected with many diseases,including fire blight, cedar-apple rust and scab. In Minnesota, one of the most serious diseasesaffecting crabapples is scab.

Crabapples, to p. 6

Pity the homeowner who has a tree that issusceptible to apple scab. In August, just whenthat homeowner desperately is wishing for shade,their tree, their pride and glory of May, is com-pletely defoliated (Fig. 1). They are raking upspotted leaves and moldy fruit in August and hat-ing every minute of it. The homeowner talks tohis neighbor across the street, who also has acrabapple. Her crabapple also looks gorgeous inspring, but keeps its leaves until a proper time inautumn. Even its fruit “behaves,” and stays on thetree, looking like brilliant red ornaments, all win-ter long. Unable to stand it any longer, he asksher about her crabapple. She replies that it’scalled “Christmas Holly,” and no, she neversprays it. Convinced, our homeowner goes outand purchases three of the same plant and putsthem in his yard.

Fast-forward ten years. His little trees havegrown to be about 10 feet tall. Our homeowner isstill grilling applewood-smoked bratwurst in hisbackyard, in between all the thunderstorms. It isan unbelievably wet year, one of the wettest onrecord. And then, he sees it: The spots!

Apple scab, caused by the fungus Venturiainaequalis, affects apples, crabapples and pears. Itis quite possibly the most common disease ofcrabapples in the Midwest. Symptoms first appearas diffuse, olive to dark gray, velvety lesions onleaves and fruit (Fig. 2). Fruit lesions begin devel-oping brown, corky scabs. Infected leaves eventu-ally turn yellow and fall off the tree. Severelyaffected trees can be completely defoliated by lateJuly to early August. Although some homeownersworry that the tree has died due to defoliation,scab does not kill the tree outright. Instead, itslowly weakens the tree over time, and increasesthe likelihood of infection by opportunistic insectsor pathogens.

Scab can be managed through intensivefungicide use, with sprays being applied every 10to 14 days throughout the growing season toachieve effective control (Fig 3, following page).For this reason, most homeowners are encouragedto select and plant scab-resistant cultivars. A num-ber of cultivars with high levels of resistance toscab are available. The cultivar in our story,“Christmas Holly,” is described as slightly suscep-tible to scab. But why did it take ten years beforethe disease struck?Figure 2. Symptoms of apple scab first appear as

diffuse, olive to dark gray, velvety lesions onleaves and fruit.◆ ◆ ◆

THE P

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Winter 2003 • ADVOCATE6

wetter than average years to build inoculum levelsto a degree that makes an epidemic possible. InMinnesota, state climatologists have reported aperiod of unusually wet weather during the lastfew years.

“Resistance is Futile.” —The Borg Queen, Star Trek–The Next Generation

Let’s face it: You’ve got to die of something.However, scab resistance should not be the onlyconsideration in selecting crabapple cultivars. Fireblight is a much more devastating disease and hasthe ability to kill trees within years. Other dis-eases for which resistant cultivars exist includecedar-apple rust and powdery mildew. It is possi-ble to select cultivars that have the traits you wantand have disease resistance—not immunity. InMinnesota, scab and fire blight resistance are themost important type of resistance to consider.Unfortunately, the literature on disease-resistantcultivars of crabapple is confusing. Publicationsoften contradict each other on whether or not acultivar is listed as highly resistant to scab. If yourecall our disease triangle, you’ll remember thatcultivars respond differently to different environ-mental conditions and possibly to different strainsof the scab pathogen, depending on the environ-ment in which the resistance trial is conducted.Before you decide on any one variety, regardlessof what you read, include a trip to the MinnesotaLandscape Arboretum to evaluate for yourselfhow different plants respond to the different dis-ease pressures that are endemic to Minnesota.And bring a notebook!

Janna Beckerman is the extension plant pathologist at theUniversity of Minnesota’s Yard and Garden Clinic.

Figure 3. Scab can be managed through intensive fungicide use,with sprays being applied every 10 to 14 days throughout thegrowing season to achieve effective control. These leavesshow how incomplete fungicide coverage results in infection,which in turn reduces leaf size and health.◆ ◆ ◆

Websites featuring information on disease-resistant crabapples:

◆ www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/p223fireblight.html

◆ www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/p242applescab-crab.html

“It’s the constant and determined effort thatbreaks down resistance, sweeps away allobstacles.” —Claude M. Bristol

Regardless of the level of resistance (andremember, we are talking about resistance, notimmunity) a cultivar is purported to possess; host,pathogen and environment all interact in creatinga disease triangle. Unusually wet weather favorsrepeated sporulation by the fungus. This translatesinto the production of millions of spores. All ittakes is one spore, a new aggressive spore, that isfinally able to achieve what the others could not:an established infection. After that, our aggressivespore invades and reproduces asexually, to createmore aggressive spores. Suddenly, we have a pop-ulation of aggressive spores. This process mayhave occurred late the previous year, and the fewspots produced by the new aggressive strain wentunnoticed. However, environmental conditionsonly encouraged spore production this year andresulted in a “resistant” cultivar falling prey to dis-ease. The genetic makeup of the tree hasn’tchanged, but the genetic makeup of the pathogenrapidly evolved to create disease.

Our breakdown of resistance may not havebeen due to a change in the scab population.Unusually wet weather translates into an extend-ed growing season. This prevents leaves frommaturing, leaving them susceptible to infection.Other possible factors include heavy applicationof nitrogen-based fertilizers, which are also knownto reduce plant defense response and result in abreakdown of resistance.

On the other hand, years that do not favorthe scab pathogen, that are unusually dry, limitspore production and result in plants that may beconsidered more “resistant” than they actuallyare. It may also take several normal to slightly

JANN

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Crabapples,from p. 5

Host

Environment

The DiseaseTriangle

Pathogen

Problems w

ith Over-Mulching

Trees and Shrubs

ulching trees and shrubs is a rec-ommended cultural maintenance

practice with many benefits. Mulch:◆ Reduces soil moisture loss via evapo-

ration.◆ Minimizes weed competition when

applied more than 2 inches deep.◆ Moderates extremes in surface soil

temperatures.◆ Improves plant growth and vigor.◆ Reduces soil compaction and erosion.◆ Improves soil aeration and soil struc-

ture.◆ Minimizes frost heaving of small

transplants.◆ May increase soil fertility.◆ Can reduce salt buildup.◆ Reduces reflection and re-radiation of

heat.◆ Reduces the incidence of some diseases.◆ Is aesthetically attractive.

Despite these benefits, mulch can literally kill plants if it is appliedimproperly. A “volcano” of mulch, piled high against the trunk of atree may not kill the tree immediately, but it can kill over time.

Over-Mulching Can KillHow does over-mulching kill? The most common causes are:

◆ Low Oxygen:Suffocation of tree and shrub roots is the most common cause of

death from over-mulching. Repeated applications of mulch can con-tribute to a waterlogged soil/root zone by slowing soil water loss via

M

ADVOCATE • Winter 2003 7

Problems with Over-Mulching Trees and Shrubsby Patrick Weicherding, Regional ExtensionEducator–Metro District

Mulch “volcanos”—wood chips piled againsttree trunks—are amisuse of mulch thatleads to a plant’s declineand eventual death. ◆ ◆ ◆

Mulching continued on p. 8

COUR

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Winter 2003 • ADVOCATE8

evaporation. With water occupying most soilpore space, air content is minimal and diffusionof oxygen is essentially blocked. Roots needoxygen for respiration. When soil oxygen levelsdrop below 10%, root growth declines. Once toomany roots decline and die, the plant dies.Oxygen starvation is especially common in thespring and the fall, and during other wet peri-ods. Oxygen deprivation is also prevalent insoils that do not have good drainage.

◆ Drought:Improperly applied mulches can actually

prevent water from moving into the soil if theyare applied in depths that exceed 4 inches andare allowed to dry out. Certain fungi grow indry mulches, causing it to bind together in largeclods. These clods repel water as does a thatchroof on a house. If these dry mulches are ap-plied to dry soils, they can prevent water frompenetrating to the root systems of plants. With-out adequate water plants become stressed andeventually will die.

◆ Inner bark (phloem) stress:Inner bark death comes from the piles of

mulch placed directly against the stem/trunks oftrees and shrubs. The root flare stem and trunktissue is quite different from root tissue—it cannotsurvive a continually moist environment, andmust be able to “breathe” through lenticels inthe bark. When mulch is piled near trunks, gasexchange decreases, stressing and ultimatelykilling the inner bark (phloem) tissue. This alsooccurs when trees are planted too deep (the rootflare is buried).

Once the inner bark dies, roots becomemalnourished and weakened, with a subsequentreduction in water and nutrient uptake. Theentire health of the plant is thus affected. If theseconditions are maintained long enough, thephloem tissue may die, starving the roots sincethey then receive none of the essential photosyn-thates produced by the leaves.

◆ Fungal and bacterial diseases and opportunistic insects:

Most fungal and bacterial diseases requiremoisture to reproduce and spread. Trunk dis-eases gain a foothold in the moist, decaying barktissue under the mulch. Once established, thedisease organisms ultimately invade the innerbark, disrupting food transport and finally killing

the plant. Often this scenario is accompanied bythe presence of bark beetles and borers that arealso attracted to stressed plants. These expeditethe decline and allow entrance of other pathogensinto the plant.

◆ Excess heat and hardening-off:The wet mulch layers piled up next to the

trunk may begin to heat up when the mulchbegins to decompose. This scenario is similar tocomposting, where temperatures within innermulch layers may reach 120 to 140 degrees F.This high heat level may directly kill the innerbark/phloem of young trees and shrubs, or mayprevent the natural hardening-off period thatplants must go through in the fall in preparationfor winter. If the trunk flare tissue is not sufficient-ly hardened off before freezing weather, the tissuemay die and the plant will decline.

Other Problems with Over-Mulching

◆ Soil pH:The continuous use of the same type of

mulch may also contribute to plant stress by ulti-mately changing the soil’s acidity level, common-ly referred to as soil pH. Acidic mulches like pinebark may have a pH of 3.5 to 4.5 and whenapplied year in and year out, may cause the soilto become too acidic to grow many alkaline-requiring plants. Due to the increased solubility ofmany micronutrients in acidic soil, toxic levels ofmicronutrients may lead to additional plant stresswhich in turn allows secondary pathogens andinsect to invade. Conversely, hardwood barkmulch, which is initially acidic, may cause the soilto become too basic or alkaline, causing acid lov-ing plants to quickly decline because of micronu-trient deficiencies. Soil pHs above 6.5 to 7.0 usual-ly create micronutrient deficiencies of iron, man-ganese, and zinc for many common acid-loving,landscape plants. Small changes in soil acidity canbe avoided by periodically monitoring soil pHand rotating the type of mulch used.

◆ Rodent chewing and girdling:Piles of mulch next to the trunk may also pro-

vide cover for chewing rodents such as mice andmeadow voles. These rodents live under thewarm mulch in the winter and chew on the nutri-

Mulching, from p. 7

ADVOCATE • Winter 2003 9

tious inner bark. This often goes unnoticed untilthe following spring when the “tree doesn’t lookso good.” If the trunk is girdled (that is, over 50% chewed around the trunk), there is little thatcan be done to save the plant outside of bridgegrafting.

◆ Nutrient deficiencies and toxicitiesMany “green” or non-aged types of mulch

may cause nitrogen deficiencies in young treesand shrubs. Decomposing bacteria and fungiwhich ultimately break down mulch must havean ample supply of nitrogen to do their job. Mostlandscaping mulches are composed of bark orwood residue which have high carbon to nitro-gen ratios and have very little nitrogen availablefor the decomposing bacteria. Hence, the bacte-ria in the soil utilize the existing nitrogen tobreak down the mulch. This process may causenitrogen deficiencies on new growth. Althoughnitrogen deficiencies may occur, they are usuallyconsidered temporary as the mulch will eventual-ly release its nutrients into the soil and thedecomposition will taper off.

◆ Anaerobic or “sour” mulch“Sour” mulch can occur when finely ground

mulch is piled so high (usually greater than 10feet) that inadequate air exchange occurs in thecenter of the pile. Without adequate oxygen,anaerobic microorganisms become active andproduce several organic acids and alcohols, caus-ing the mulch to give off pungent odors and pro-duce extremely acidic pHs ranging from 1.9 to4.8. Such mulch is highly toxic to plants—espe-cially recently transplanted woody ornamentals.If mulch smells bad or is extremely acidic, don’tuse it until it is properly composted.

◆ Allelopathic mulch:Allelopathic toxins are compounds produced

by plants that inhibit the growth of other plants.Such substances might be present in mulch,depending on the source. The classic example ofallelopathy is the black walnut (Juglans nigra). Itproduces juglone and juglonic acid, which inhibitthe growth of many plants. Juglone is found in allparts of the plant. Therefore, fresh wood chipsand sawdust from black walnut should not beused as mulch unless well composted. Even then,small amounts of juglone can be detected.

Besides black walnut, other allelopathicmulches include uncomposted sawdust of red-

wood (Sequoia) and cedar (Cedrus); the bark ofspruce (Picea), larch (Larix) and Douglas fir(Pseudotsuga).

Standard MulchRecommendations

Mulching is one of the best—and maybe oneof the worst—things you can do for your treesand shrubs. Mulch depth should not exceed 3inches as a standard. However, on poorlydrained soils, mulch depths should not exceed 2inches, especially for shallow rooted plants. Wetsoils may not need any mulch. Coarser-texturedmulches can be placed a bit deeper due to betteroxygen diffusion into the soil. Finer-texturedmulch, such as double-shredded mulch, mayneed only a 1- or 2-inch layer.

If you have a problem with excess mulch,dig through the landscape to see how deep themulch really is. A lightraking of existingmulch may be all thatis needed to breakthrough the crusted orcompacted layers thatcan repel water. Pullmulch back from plantstems and trunks—arule of thumb is 3 to 5inches away fromyoung plants, and 8 to12 inches away frommature tree trunks. Visually look for the pres-ence of a root flare; if not visible, it may be atleast partially buried and must be exposed.Remove all soil or mulch up to the junction ofthe roots and trunk collar (taking care not todamage the tender bark) to expose the root col-lar. Leave the resulting well open and exposedto air. Research shows that an amazing numberof plants have rapidly improved in color andvigor within months of root collar excavations.

In conclusion, mulch may be “worth itsweight in gold” but improperly used it may be“too much of a good thing.”

Patrick Weicherding is a Regional Extension Educator withthe University of Minnesota Extension Service working outof the Anoka County Extension Office in Andover,Minnesota.

Mulch should be pulledback several inchesfrom tree trunks,resulting in a doughnut-shaped circle of woodchips. ◆ ◆ ◆

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Winter 2003 • ADVOCATE10

riginally planted because it was a tough,reliable landscape plant that grew well in a

variety of situations, buckthorn has naturalizedand now grows throughout the northeastern andnorth central third of the U.S. It has proven soadaptable to the wetlands and woodlands inMinneapolis that it warrants its own “watch” pro-gram, and has inspired the Minneapolis Park andRecreation Board to institute five-year eradicationpartnerships with residents.

Reclaiming and protecting our natural areasrequires a long-term commitment from manycommunities and entities. Throughout the TwinCities a collaborative effort to control buckthornis underway, with the Minneapolis Park andRecreation Board spearheading the effort as theytry to gain the upper hand on the land they man-age. When three neighborhoods decided to spon-sor buckthorn removal projects, they looked tothe experience of the St. Anthony Park neighbor-hood in St. Paul. Using this as a model, eachneighborhood designed their own version of theSt. Anthony Park Buckthorn Roundup.

The St. Anthony Park ModelMary Maguire Lerman, horticulturalist for

the MPRB, was one of the organizers for the St.Anthony Park Buckthorn Roundup in the summerof 2000. For the St. Paul roundup, $800 in fund-ing was donated by the St. Anthony Park Assoc-iation and the St. Anthony Park Garden Club.

Their roundup was held on the first Saturdayin November, and it took volunteers with a chip-per and truck 12 hours to remove the brushstacked curbside at 75 homes. Originally offeredfree to residents, the roundup was so popular thatthe costs were double the available funding.Organizers contacted participants after theroundup to request a $10 donation per household.

To help other neighborhoods get started withbuckthorn removal projects, St. Anthony Park puttogether a packet of information based on theirexperience. The packet offered guidance on howto go about organizing a roundup, where to findfunding, and how to treat buckthorn so it doesn’tregrow from the roots after the rest of the planthas been removed.

Partners & PreparationTo support the three neighborhoods with

their fall 2001 roundups, the University ofMinnesota Hennepin County Master GardenerProgram and the Minneapolis Park and Recrea-tion Board trained Master Gardeners and neigh-borhood volunteers to identify three widespreadinvasives—buckthorn, mulberry and tartarian hon-eysuckle. During September and October, volun-teers conducted visual surveys of private propertyfrom public sidewalks and alleys. Wherever inva-sives were identified, a door hanger was left. Thedoor hanger included a map indicating the loca-tion of invasives on the property, informationabout that neighborhood’s removal project, andthe name and phone number of the coordinatorto contact for more information.

The neighborhoods chose different weekendsfor their roundups to allow survey volunteers totake part in more than one area. Prospect Parklimited their project to buckthorn, the most com-mon invasive in the area. Fulton and Linden Hillschose to include mulberry and honeysuckle alongwith buckthorn.

The Prospect Park East River RoadNeighborhood

In Prospect Park, the removal was sponsoredby the Landscaping Committee and Garden Clubof the Prospect Park East River Road Improve-ment Association. Funding sources included theNeighborhood Revitalization Program ($2,000), aUSDA Forest Service Grant ($1,000 reimburse-ment grant), and a grant from the CommunityAction Cooperative Association ($400). I washired as project coordinator, and our goal was tosponsor annual pickups for 10 years.

The roundup was publicized by flyers handedout at National Night Out block club parties,through a series of articles in The Southeast Angle,the neighborhood association newsletter, andthrough the doorhangers left by surveyors.

Twelve volunteers completed a survey of theneighborhood before the roundup date. The cut-off date to sign up was one week before the pick-

“Buckthorn Busting”Invades Minneapolis

Neighborhoodsby Paula Denman

O

ADVOCATE • Winter 2003 11

up date, and a $15 fee was requested per stop.Participants received packets with instructionsabout how to cut and stack brush, and how totreat the stumps after cutting. Free home visits bytrained volunteers were offered to residents whoneeded help identifying plants that might havebeen missed by surveyors. Twenty-eight homessigned up to participate.

A rear-loader compactor truck was hiredfrom Aspen Waste Systems for $100 per hour, andNRG Processing Solutions, LLC, which is locatedin the neighborhood, disposed of the brush at nocharge. The pickup began at 9am on SaturdayOctober 6 and was completed just after noon.Pickups were made by address, but volunteerscould pickup unscheduled brush if they had time.The truck driver worked alongside volunteers toload the truck, and 3 volunteers worked each ofthe two 2-hour shifts. A compactor truck reducestime lost in emptying non-compacting trucks, andsaves time that would be spent in chipping, butcompacting brush was slow. While waiting for thetruck to compact each batch, volunteers werebusy sweeping up twigs and thousands of berries.

The Fulton neighborhoodFinancing for Fulton included Neighborhood

Revitalization Program funds ($6,000), a USDAForest Service Grant ($1,000), and MinnesotaDepartment of Natural Resources ConservationPartnership Grant ($4,000). Fulton chose to gowith a free curbside pickup for 3 years, with agoal of 50 households participating per year.Michelle Mensing, Neighborhood Coordinator,was in charge of their project.

Sixty households participated in the roundup.Fulton completed surveying 2/3 of their 2,000households before their roundup, and twenty resi-dents had already signed up before the survey.

Coordination of the event was handled by a4-person committee, 10 volunteers surveyed pri-vate property, house calls were offered to resi-dents, and 6 volunteers worked on the pickup

day. Residents donated the use of a truck andchipper.

There was no formal cutoff date to sign up,but due to the high participation, applicationswere cut off two days before the pickup date.Curbside pickup was scheduled by address,although brush not on the signup list was pickedup along the way as well.

Pickups started at 7am on Saturday and con-tinued until dark, about 7pm. An additional 3hours were needed on Sunday to complete thecollection. Equipment problems slowed thingsdown because the truck and chipper were unableto keep up with the continual demand. Next timethey plan to hire a professional tree service tohandle hauling and chipping.

Mensing believes that their “multi-angle”approach to publicitywas important to theirhigh participation. Theyreceived the bestresponse from the doorhangers left during thesurvey, and their neigh-borhood billboard wasnext in effectiveness.Additionally, posters,community newspaperarticles, sandwich signs,and the neighborhoodorganization’s bimonthlynewsletter all helpedraise awareness of thebuckthorn problem andthe upcoming roundup.

The Linden HillsNeighborhood

In Linden Hills, theresponse was so great—over 168 residences partici-pated—that the pickup stretched over 4 days. Nexttime, Madalin Cioci, Linden Hills NeighborhoodCouncil Implementation Coordinator, plans tokeep it to one day. Funding included a USDAForestry Service Grant ($1,000) and a MinnesotaDepartment of Natural Resources ConservationPartnership Grant ($8,000). Plans are to holdroundups each year for the next two years.

Buckthorn removal and chipping in theLinden Hills Neighborhood ◆ ◆ ◆

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Update 2002In 2002, removal of buck-

thorn from private property tookplace in the Prospect Park,Seward, Howe, Cooper, Hiawatha,Linden Hills, Fulton, and the EastHarriet Farmstead neighborhoods.In addition, residents helped theMinneapolis Park and RecreationBoard remove buckthorn fromCedar Lake and the Cedar LakeTrail, West River Parkway, SpringLake, William Berry Park, LakeHarriet Parkway, MinnehahaCreek, Diamond Lake and theMississippi River Gorge.

Buckthorn continued on p. 12

Winter 2003 • ADVOCATE12

Publicity for the roundup included informa-tion in the association newsletter, which is sent toevery household in Linden Hills, and an article inthe Southwest Journal about the invasive nature ofbuckthorn and the upcoming roundup.

When 32 volunteers surveyed the area, theyalso knocked on every door to offer to do checksof backyards. This was popular with residents andgave the surveyors a chance to do more completeinventories than was possible in the other neigh-borhoods, but it also required much more time.Three-fourths of the survey was completed intime for the roundup.

Weather was uncooperative, and volunteersworked in the rain on roundup day. The clamtruck they used (also called a Prentis Loader) hada pick-up arm that quickly collected brush, butrequired that it be gathered into large piles to beeffective. The collection arm cannot reach farenough to go over vehicles to reach the curb, so“NO PARKING” signs were purchased from theTraffic Division of the City Street Department andvolunteers placed them in front of each scheduledstop ahead of time. Wet brush tended to stick inthe chipper chute and, even with 18 volunteers,the roundup took 4 days. As in the Fulton neigh-borhood, costs skyrocketed and they requesteddonations of $10 to $30 per home after comple-tion of the roundup.

Words of WisdomAll three neighborhoods successfully recruit-

ed volunteers to help with all phases of theirroundups, but relied on paid coordinators to keepthings on schedule. Mensing said that the use ofpaid staff allowed for good accountability, andmade it possible to provide residents with one-on-one contact that would not be available if relyingentirely on volunteers.

Cioci disliked having to ask for donationsafter the roundup and thinks it is better to chargea nominal fee up front for participation. In Pros-pect Park, the only comments received about the$15 fee was about how reasonable it was. Someresidents worried that they had so much buck-thorn at the curb, that we wouldn’t pick it all upfor only $15. I offered to charge them more ifthere was “too much,” but it was unnecessary todo so.

I would suggest that, a week or so before aroundup, someone alert Minneapolis Solid Wasteto the brush pickup project. Although city crews

do not have to pick up brush that hasn’t been cutand bundled, they often go beyond the call ofduty and pick up anything left curbside. Havingthe city collect part of the brush would makeaccounting difficult when you are picking up byaddress or are charging for the roundup.

Mensing suggests that you not schedule aroundup during a Gypsy Moth quarantine. Theyfound out about the quarantine 2 weeks beforetheir pickup date. After the initial panic subsided,arrangements were made by the MPRB to havethe chipped material burned, and the project wenton as scheduled.

Both Mensing and Cioci found surveying for3 invasive species was confusing for volunteersand residents. Some plants were misidentified bysurveyors, and Cioci would like for volunteers toreceive more extensive training before going intothe neighborhoods.

All three coordinators agreed that using mul-tiple forms of advertising to educate residents andraise awareness was important to getting peopleinvolved. The door hangers were the most effec-tive method for all three. Cioci plans to add asignup form to their website next time to reduceregistration time, and will consider ways to let res-idents take charge of keeping cars from parking attheir curbs, rather than recruiting volunteers toput out signs.

Next StepsNext on the agenda are classes on landscap-

ing and plant selection to help residents preparefor spring planting. Coupons from local nurserieswill be given to participants, allowing them topurchase replacement plants at a discount. And,of course, each coordinator will be searching forthat pot of gold to finance the roundups for thelong term.

Paula Denman is a Minnesota Tree Care Advisor and aUniversity of Minnesota Master Gardener and Plant HealthCare Advisor.

Buckthorn, from p.11

Buckthorn Bust Neighborhood Guide ($15),a booklet developed by Tree Trust with fundsfrom USDA Forest Service, will help you puttogether all the elements of a successful cam-paign against your community’s buckthornproblem. Contact Tree Trust at 651/644-5800, or [email protected] by e-mail.

ADVOCATE • Winter 2003 13

orest tent caterpillar in 2003: What’s on the menu?The forest tent caterpillar (FTC), Malacosoma disstria, is a native defo-

liator of hardwoods, especially, aspen and birch trees in northern countiesand basswood and oaks in central and southern counties. Forest tent cater-pillars are often mistakenly called “armyworms”.

In the forest, FTC defoliation usually does not affect tree healthbecause FTC populations usually collapse before tree damage occurs. FTCcan consume 60% of a tree’s foliage for three years and the tree will showno ill effect. Even completely defoliated trees will usually develop a secondset of leaves in mid-July without a loss in health.

Widespread outbreaks of FTC occur at intervals of ten to twenty yearsand are two to four years in duration. Outbreaks peaked in 1922, 1937,1952, 1967, 1978, and 1990. Populations collapse due to starvation, preda-tion and parasitism. Populations of the “friendly flies” (see sidebar), nativeparasites, build up as the FTC populations peak.

About 7.7 million acres were defoliated statewide in 2001. Hopes werefor a decline in 2002, though extensive defoliation was still expected.

FTC in 2002The summer of 2002 brought the most serious defolia-

tion in northern Beltrami County since 1954. Yet, the expect-ed defoliation predicted in and around the city of Bemidjidid not occur. Aspens, birch, and other hardwoods refoliated.The stench of rotted larvae in the heavily defoliated areasslowly disappeared.

FTC in 2003Surveys of forest tent caterpillar egg masses in central

and northeastern Minnesota predict a sharp drop in caterpil-lars for most areas. The caterpillar population will be high,however, in Deer River, Hibbing, Virginia, Finland, andGooseberry Fall State Park.

In addition to the egg mass survey, there are other cluesthat the forest tent caterpillars will decline in 2003. When thelarval surveys of 2001 and 2002 were compared, the 2002 survey showedmore dead caterpillars, killed by disease, in more locations. There was alsoa great increase in the number of parasitic flies. These flies mark “thebeginning of the end”. They deposit living maggots on FTC cocoons. Themaggots chew through the caterpillars’ exoskeleton and feed on internalliving tissues. Thus, the caterpillar is killed.

An early July collection of more than 100 cocoons from ten areas incentral and northeastern Minnesota found a great increase in cocoon

Forest Tent Caterpillar(FTC) and Your TreesMinnesota Department of Natural Resources

URBAN FOREST HEALTH

The friendly flyA major parasite of the forest tent

caterpillar is the friendly fly, Sarcophagaaldrichi. It is small, and gray to black incolor. Its face has hairy sides, its thoraxhas three black stripes and its abdomen ischeckered. As its name implies, the friend-ly fly does not bite. Unfortunately, it tendsto regurgitate on peoples’ skin, clothes,picnic tables, foods and clothes drying on lines.

You may see an abundance of thefriendly fly. But the adults are not the par-asites, as they only feed on various sugar-containing materials such as nectar, sap,fruit juices, and aphid honeydew. Themaggots (larvae) of this fly are the para-sites of forest tent caterpillars. Maggots aredeposited on forest tent caterpillar cocoonswhere they penetrate the silk, chew intothe prepupae or pupae, feed on caterpillartissues and eventually cause their death.

Several other species of smaller fliesand certain wasps feed directly on or para-sitize eggs, caterpillars, or pupae of the for-est tent caterpillar. Predatory beetles, ants,true bugs, spiders, birds, and small ani-mals, as well as viral and fungal diseaseorganisms also serve as biocontrols.

Forest tentcaterpillars

◆ ◆ ◆

F

FTC continued on p. 14

Winter 2003 • ADVOCATE14

When do the FTC hatch?Egg masses of the forest tent cater-

pillar encircle twigs, are covered with afrothy, glue-like substance, and arebronze to dark gray in color. Each masscontains up to 300 eggs.

To determine the effects of tempera-ture and dormant oil on hatching the fol-lowing experiment was set up during thewinter of 2001-2002 on 40 egg massescollected in the summer. Sixteen eggmasses were sprayed with a dormant oillabeled for use on FTC egg masses. Allothers were not sprayed. Each egg masswas placed in a window-pane envelope.Then the egg masses were either kept atroom temperature or kept outdoors inthe shade.

Numbers of caterpillars that hatched and lived

Not sprayed Sprayed with oil with oil

Indoors All lived None livedOutdoors All lived 5 lived

Conclusions:◆ At room temperature, most FTChatch within 14 days.

◆ Dormant oil spray is useful in pre-venting FTC from hatching and can killmost of the caterpillars that do hatch.

FTC defoliation in 2002

parasites. In August, the moths, parasitic pupae, adult wasps, and disease-killed caterpillars were counted. The following table shows some of theresults of this study. A similar study performed in 2001 found an average of24% of the moths had emerged.

Caterpillar-to-Moth Success in 2002: % of moths emergedHibbing 2Deer River 10Grand Rapids 9Fr. Hennepin State Park 2Bay Lake, Aitkin Co. 3

Approximate schedule* for FTC life stages andhost tree foliage:Host tree buds break Apr 18–May 10FTC hatch Apr 18–May 15FTC major feeding period June 5–June 25FTC pupate End of JuneHost trees refoliate Early to mid-JulyFTC moths fly and lay eggs July 1–July 15

* The timing of biological events varies from year to year because timingdepends on weather and location. For example, events will occur nearthe earlier date: when the spring is early; when May and June are hotterthan average; or, when the location is south of Mille Lacs Lake.

Floodwood 7Two Harbors 4Cloquet 5NE Duluth 3Gooseberry Fall State Park 5

Average: 5%

We think the outbreak is nearly over and there will be a sharp drop inthe overall population of FTC in 2003. There will be some areas, however,where FTC will survive in bothersome numbers. This will be true wherethey have expanded into new areas and where their natural enemies (diseasepathogens, parasitic flies, etc.) are minimal. FTC could also remain a prob-lem where night lights attract egg-laying moths from surrounding areas, thusconcentrating them on nearby trees and shrubs.

More information on FTC and color photos can be found on these websites:◆ www.dnr.state.mn.us/treecare/forest_health/ftc/index.html◆ www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG7563.html◆ www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/infosheets/tentcat/index.htm

ADVOCATE • Winter 2003 15

EventsMarch 25-26—Minnesota Shade

Tree Short Course. BethelCollege, Arden Hills, MN. Nicole Hettwer, 612-624-2705, or [email protected]

June 24-25—Minnesota VegetationManagement Association ofMinnesota (VMAM)Conference. University ofMinnesota–Morris, MN. Contact:Vicky Dosdall, 320/795-2412;[email protected] or Paul Wal-vatne, MNDOT, 651/284-3793;[email protected]

August 6-9—International Society of Arboriculture AnnualConference. Montreal, Quebec.www.isa-arbor.com

September 17-20—National UrbanForestry Conference.San Antonio, Texas. www.americanforests.org

September 21-28—XII WorldForestry Congress. Québec City,Canada. www.wfc2003.org

October 25-29—Society ofAmerican Foresters NationalConvention. Buffalo, New York.www.safnet.org

MnSTAC MeetingsUpcoming meetings are February 20,March 20, April 17, and May 15; loca-tions vary by meeting. Info atMnSTAC’s website (www.mnstac.org).

New PublicationsBrooklyn’s Urban Forest. D. J. Nowak.2002 USDA Forest Service. NortheastResearch Station. 359 Main Road,Delaware, OH 43015 Gen. Tech. Rep.NE-290

Our Heritage of Community Trees. HenryD. Gerhold and Stacy A. Frank. 2002.Pennsylvania Urban and CommunityForestry Council.

The Ecology of Plants. Jessica Gurevitch,Samuel M. Scheiner, and Gordon A.Fox. 2002. Sinauer Associates.

Trees for Children: Helping Inner CityChildren Get A Better Start in Life,Technology Bulletin 7; www.urbanforestrysouth.usda.gov/pubs/Tech_bulletin/Kids_Trees_Tech_Bulletin7.pdf

Trees on the InternetWinter doesn’t last forever, andArbor Day is just around the cor-ner. Get up-to-date information fromthe National Arbor DayFoundation’s website (www.arbor-day.org).

E-Nature includes field guides to4800 North American plant and ani-mal species. www.enature.com

Seedling Source, National Tree Trust’selectronic newsletter. www.nationaltreetrust.org

The Overstory is a free noncommerciale-mail journal. Each issue focuses ona concept for agricultural systemswhich integrate trees and otherperennial plants. www.agroforester.com/overstory/osprev.html

The Human-Environment ResearchLaboratory at the University ofIllinois (www.herl.uiuc.edu) hasuseful information and factsheets onhuman responses to urban greenspace, such as reduction of crime,moderation of ADHD symptoms,and improved self-esteem in adoles-cent girls.

Check out the information on land-scaping for crime prevention at BlueRidge Community College’s site(www1.br.cc.va.us/murray/research/cpted/default.htm).

Interested in information on streettree inventory programs that usePDAs (Palmpilot, etc.) to managedata in the field?www.umass.edu/urbantree/palm/index.htm is worth a look.

CalendarURBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY CALENDARSTAC INFO & NEWS

About MnSTACThe Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory

Committee (MnSTAC) was established in 1974by a group of concerned citizens to address thehealth and well being of community forests.MnSTAC is recognized throughout Minnesotaand the country for its expertise, advice, coor-dination and support for community trees. It isan organization of diverse individuals who rep-resent a broad spectrum of tree-related inter-ests. It fosters and supports local communitytree programs across the state so healthy com-munity forests are fully integrated into commu-nity development, infrastructure, education andmanagement.MNSTAC BOARD OF DIRECTORSPresident: Lorrie Stromme, City of Minneapolis—612/788-5157Vice President: Michael Max, EnvironMentor Systems, Inc.

—763/753-5505Rich Hauer, MN Dept. of Agriculture—651/296-0592Jim Hermann, Mpls Park & Rec Board/Forestry—612/370-4900Ken Holman, DNR/Forestry—651/296-9110Fletcher Johnson, Xcel Energy—651/639-4590Gary R. Johnson, U of M/Forest Resources—612/625-3765Robert Slater, MN Dept. of Transportation —507/529-6145Kathy Widin, Plant Health Associates, Inc.—651/436-8811

Regional MnSTAC CommitteesSoutheast STACChair: Henry Sorensen—651/388-3625 or 651/385-3674Sec./Treas.: Katie Himanga, Heartwood Forestry, Lake City

—651/345-4976

Headwaters-Agassiz STAC (HASTAC)Chair: John Johnson, City Forester, City of Thief River

Falls—218/681-1835Sec./Treas.: Jeff Edmonds, DNR Forestry, Bemidji

—218/755-2891

West Central STACChair: Bob Fogel, Director of Parks, City of Moorhead

—218/299-5340Sec./Treas.: Dave Johnson, DNR Forestry, Detroit Lakes

—218/847-1596

Northeast STACChair: Kelly Morris, City Forester, City of Grand Rapids

—218/326-7600Secretary/Treasurer/Technical Advisor: Dan Jordan,

IRRR–Mineland Reclamation—218/254-3369Coordinator: Kathleen Preece, Minnesota BetterFORESTS

magazine—218/326-0403 or [email protected]. For handy up-to-date links towebsites of interest, be sure tovisit www.mnstac.org

Winter 2003 • ADVOCATE

Presorted Standard

U.S. Postage

PAID

Permit No. 171

St. Paul, MN

Minnesota Shade Tree Advocate115 Green Hall1530 Cleveland Ave. N.St. Paul, MN 55108RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Minnesota Shade TreeAdvocate

A quarterly newsletter pub-lished by the Minnesota ShadeTree Advisory Committee.

Managing Editorial Group:MnSTAC EducationCommittee (Gary R. Johnson,Cindy Ash, Mark Stennes, JeffRick, Don Mueller, RichHauer, Gail Nozal, PatrickWeicherding and James Burks)

Editor-in-Chief: Judy [email protected]

Design: Jim Kiehne

Material in this newsletter isnot copyrighted. Reproductionfor educational purposes isencouraged. Subscriptions arefree. Articles, news items, pho-tos and videos are welcome.

This publication was producedwith the support of theU.S.D.A. Forest Service,Northeastern Area; State andPrivate Forestry.

Address inquiries to:

Judy SlaterMinnesota Shade Tree

Advocate115 Green Hall1530 Cleveland Ave. N.St. Paul, MN 55108

Printed on recycledpaper using soy-basedinks.

Award WinnersCongratulations to the 2002Minnesota Society of Arboricultureaward winners:

◆ Jean Albrecht – Award of Merit (U ofM)

◆ Judy Hanson – Treescaping Award(Nicollet County Commissioner)

◆ Jim Hermann – Treescaping Award(Minneapolis Park & Rec Board)

◆ Mary Jo Roth & Byron Johnson –Corporate Award of Excellence (GreatRiver Energy)

◆ Mark Stennes – Distinguished ServiceAward

◆ Tou Vang – Volunteer Service Award

◆ Paul Walvatne – 2002 Practitioner’sAward (MNDOT)

◆ Barbara Zins – Volunteer ServiceAward

◆ Mike Zins – 2002 President’s Award

◆ Mike Zins – Toothless Saw Award

Help Pay Postage!The MnSTAC membership

recently approved a policy (on atrial basis) to charge $10 for anannual subscription to the Advocatenewsletter. Checks can be madepayable to “University ofMinnesota” and sent to GaryJohnson, 115 Green Hall, 1530Cleveland Ave. N., St. Paul, MN55108. The purpose of the volun-tary subscription fee is to helpcover postage and production costs.

New Minnesota ReLeaf GrantsRecommended by LCMR

The Legislative Commission on MinnesotaResources (LCMR) has recommended that the MNReLeaf Community Forestry Grant Program be fund-ed at $800,000 for fiscal years 2004 to 2005 ( July,2003 to June, 2005). Pending final approval by theLegislature and Governor, matching grants of up to$15,000 to local units of government, schools andnon-profits will be available for projects including:◆ Forest Health◆ Community Forest Inventories◆ Tree Planting

Application packets will be available by theShade Tree Short Course, March 25, 2003, with fullapplications due in mid-June. View the guidelinesand a pre-application at www.dnr.state.mn.us/fad/forestmgmt/releaf.html or call DNR Forestry at651/297-3519 or Tree Trust at 651/644-5800.