winter 2009 the ecological landscaper newsletter

8/6/2019 Winter 2009 The Ecological Landscaper Newsletter

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Because land doesnt come with a manual. . . Price $2.00

ISSN 1554-656X

The Newsletter of the Ecological Landscaping Association Vol. 16, No. 1 Spring 2009

Fromthe editor Kat Good-Schi

Over 300 landscapingprocessionals, landscaping

product and service providers,master gardeners, communityactivists, homeowners, students, andinterested individuals came togetherin Springeld,Massachusetts,

at the 15thannual ELAConference onFebruary 27and 28. ey dug in to the theoryand practice of ecological landscapingby attending two inspiring keynoteaddresses and 20 in-depth sessionson cutting-edge topics.

EXPANDING continued on pg. 2

c o n t e n t s

1 Expanding the Story3 Managing Soil Compaction

3 Survival Strategies and Tree Connections

4 ABCs of Forest Insects

5 Members Making a Difference

6 Open Forum

9 Moving Forward with ELA

12 Gleanings, Events

Moving Forward with ELA : Connecting the Dots

In this issue ofTe Ecological Land-scaper, we review some of the confer-ence sessions. We will continue toexpand on conference oerings andadditional topics in the coming year.

is is the only conference likethis anywhere. It is great to gettogether with other like-mindedprofessionals, said one attendee.

PresenterTom

Benjamincalled it a

very well-organized,

well-considered and most interestingconference. And keynote speakerDavid Yarrow observed, In mysecond encounter with ELA, I ameven more impressed with its quietlyecient organization.

Other good news, shared at the

conference, is that in the midst ofeconomic uncertainty, the demandfor sustainable landscaping servicesremains strong. Many landscapingprofessionals reported that 2008 wastheir most successful season ever. Asour featured member in this issue,

John Engwer, declares: Green is theright business to be in right now.

expandingthe StoryoFecological, SuStainable,

and organic landScaping

Keynote Address by Peter Forbes,Co-founder and ExecutiveDirector of the Center for WholeCommunitiesReview by Darcy Paige, MCH, OLCP,owner of Laurel Garden Design

T

his was my rst time at

the ELA conference. As alandscape designer and maintenanceprofessional wanting to transitionmy clients to ecologically soundpractices, I hoped to expand myknowledge, network with others inthe eld, and receive inspiration.By the end of the day, thats exactly

what I got. e sessions I attendedand the Eco-Marketplace wereexcellent, informative, and oered

many opportunities to meet newpeople and talk to others about thelatest developments in ecologicallandscaping.

e keynote speech by PeterForbes touched on many points. Hespoke of the landscapes of our child-hoods and how many of them no

Green is the right business

to be in right now


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Te Ecological Landscaperis publishedby the Ecological Landscaping As-sociation (ELA). Subscriptions are abenet of membership in ELA. Forinformation about ELA, contact:

ELA Board of Directors

President: Dennis CollinsVice President: Kathy Sargent-ONeill

Treasurer: Chris OBrienSecretary: Andrea Knowles

EL A

1257 Worcester Rd., #262Framingham, MA 01701(617) [email protected]

Write to us! We welcome comments,letters, articles, topic ideas, andopinions. Send to Newsletter Editorat the address above.

Also send all other ELA business,

including address changes, to theaddress listed above.

e ELA board meetsthroughout the year in variouslocations in eastern Massachusetts.All members are welcome. Contactus for specic dates and locations.

Mention of products is not intendedto constitute endorsement. Opinionsexpressed in this newsletter do notnecessarily represent those of ELAsdirectors, staff, or members.

Ecological Landscaping 2009

Each author appearing herein retainsoriginal copyright. Right to reproduceor disseminate all material herein is

otherwise reserved by ELA. Please contactthe Editor for permission to reprint.

Executive Assistant: Penny Lewis

Board Members

M.L. AltobelliJordan Hall

William JewellRobert LeviteTrevor Smith

Sue StorerMaureen Sundberg

Sandy Vorce

Bruce Wenning

EXPANDING continued from pg. 1

longer exist; of the social disconnectthat can happen when we are nolonger connected to the land; of theimportance of conserving the landthat remains undeveloped; and of

opportunities to create communityand urban gardens that allow peopleto reconnect to the land and eachother. A slide show behind Mr.Forbes showed beautiful photo-graphs of people and natural places.

e images did not illustrate spe-cic points in his talk, but provideda visual, nonverbal counterpoint tohis words.

I left the evening with two par-

ticularly strong memories. e rstis of holding a spoon that he passedaround the room at the begin-ning of his talk. He had carved thespoon out of pear wood that hadonce been pruned o a tree in Indiaby Mahatma Gandhi and grafted toa tree in the U.S. After many incar-

nations, pruned and grafted severaltimes to several trees, a piece of this

wood was oered for Mr. Forbesto carve. Holding a piece of woodthat had grown from the cutting

Gandhi had given to a friend wasa moving experience, a strong re-minder that the land has the powerto connect people to each other andto their dreams.

Secondly, the nal message to uswas clear: that we, as workers withthe land, are not only stewards butalso spokespeople who must go outand encourage people to see new

ways of connecting to the land, of

saving the land, and of caring for theland (and ourselves) in a way that canbe sustained over the long haul.

It was a poetic evening, dicultto describe. I left feeling encouragedand inspired to take my work for-

ward into the coming season.

The sponsors of ELAs 15th Annual

Conference deserve special recognition.

We thank ICT Organics for their important role inmaking the conference possible.

For compost tea and organic lawn care made easy, visitthem at www.ictorganics.com.

In the Eco-Marketplace, vendors and conference sponsors including Jon Briggs of Oldcastleand John Engwer of Groundscapes Express discussed their product lines with attendees.


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managing Soilcompaction

Presentation by Paul SachsReview by ina Smith

In his workshop, ManagingSoil Compaction, Paul Sachs

discussed the characteristics of acompact soil and how to remedythe situation. Sachs explained that

it is important to properly monitorand maintain soil aeration because acompact soil can lead to more sportsinjuries, such as shin splints, as wellas an increase in weeds and plantdiseases. Compact soil is starvingsoil and in starved soil plant matter

cannot thrive.A good way to sustain soil aera-

tion is to increase the biological ac-

tivity via organic soil additives suchas compost or compost tea. Whilebiological activity is a must, it maynot always be the best solution, andin extreme cases aeration equipmentis needed.

e workshop was very infor-

mative and included funny tidbitsof eld work stories, making this

workshop a hit!

Survival StrategieSand

tree connectionS Presentation by Kevin T. Smith,

USDA Forest Service

Review by Allison Mooney of MassAudubon

Kevin T. Smiths mantra, Alltrees die, all wood rots,might seem initially jarring.Few people can comfortably say,Death is a normative state. A

pause for reection, however,spurs hope. Dead trees feeding themicroorganisms that keep soil (andhence plants) healthy illustratesthe cyclical, connected nature ofecological systems.

During his presentation, Smithmoved with alacrity between themicroscopic world of soil organ-isms to the macrocosmic world of

ecology and metaphor, focusing

on the strategies trees employ toaccomplish the universal goals ofsurvival and expansion.

Smith showed a startlingly beau-tiful and informative photograph oftree growth rings that highlightedthe basket weave pattern betweenradial cells (which convey starchinto storage areas) and axial cells(the cambium layer, or phloem and

xylem). is woven network is the

crossover zone between the sym-plast the web of living cells andthe apoplast the network of openpipes supporting the trunk. It isclear that all the living material ofa tree is connected both physicallyand chemically. What an invigorat-ing thought!

However, life is not always a

SURVIVAL continued on pg. 8

The sponsors ofELAs 15th Annual

Conference deserve

special recognition.

We thankMount Auburn

Cemetery

for their important rolein making the

conference possible.

To view this beauti-ful and timeless National

Landmark, visitwww.mountauburn.org.

Jazz Hour at the Conference provided time for networking.


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an updateonthe abcSoF ForeSt inSectS

adelgidS, beetleS,andtheir control

Presentation by Dennis Souto,Entomologist, U.S. Forest Service,New Hampshire

Review by Bruce Wenning, ELA Boardof Directors

Dennis gave an informative,but sobering lecture about the

dangers of the Asian LonghornBeetle (ALB), Emerald Ash Bore(EAB), and the Hemlock WoollyAdelgid (HWA). All three insectsare exotic invasive pests introducedfrom Asia and are responsiblefor threatening and destroyingcertain native tree species from theMidwest to the Northeast.

e Asian Longhorn Beetle (An-oplophora glabripennis) is a recentintroduction to the Worcester, Mas-sachusetts area, and control mea-sures to stop this beetle are under-

way. ALB is in the order Coleoptera(beetles) and familyCerambycidae(long-horned beetles). It is a verybeautiful insect, but a serious pest ofhardwood trees in China.

In the eastern U.S. ALB prefersNorway, red, sugar, silver, and boxelder maples. Other hosts includeelms, willows, Ohio buckeye, andhorse chestnut. Less preferred hosts

include London plane tree, mimosa,poplars, ashes, and European moun-tain ash.

Beetle larvae tunnel throughwood, girdling stems and branches.Adult female beetles produce 30-90 eggs. Eggs hatch in 10-15 days

into small larvae which grow largeras they feed on inner wood. Oncefeeding and tunneling stops, just be-low the bark surface, larvae pupateinto adults which resume boring toexit the tree. Round exit holes are inch in diameter.

Host trees can be repeatedly at-tacked by the same population or bydiscrete populations in near prox-imity. Eventually, infested trunks

and branches die and tree deathoccurs. Dennis stated that ALB isan extremely devastating pest ofhardwood trees, and we want tostop this beetle as fast as we canin Massachusetts and we dont

want it getting established in Ver-mont where it can destroy the sugarmaple industry.

ALB produces one generationper year. Adults emerge in July and

live until the fall. Adult beetlesdont travel far f rom their host trees.Adults are to 1 inches long,glossy black in color with whiteblotches or spots on the wing covers(elytra). e antennae are very long(between 2 and 3 inches) and thelegs have a bluish-white hue on thedorsal (top) surface.

ALB is similar in appearanceto our native longhorn beetle,the Whitespotted Sawyer beetle(WsSB) (Monochamus scutellatus ).Only the female WsSB has whitespeckles in a mottled arrangement.Males lack this coloration. Bothsexes are bronze black and notglossy or shiny black like the ALB.

Lastly, the WsSB is attractedto dying, stressed, or recently cut

conifer species. On the other hand,the ALB is attracted to hardwoodspecies whether they are stressed,recently cut, or healthy. ats right,healthy trees are just as at risk asstressed ones! All trees attacked bythe ALB must be cut down andprocessed through a wood chipper.

e Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)(Agrilus planipennis) is from Asiaand a serious exotic invasive pest ofash trees. is species is in the fam-ilyBuprestidaeor metallic wood-boring beetles. e destructivelarvae are also known as at-headedborers because the larvae have broadat heads. e white EAB larvaeare distinctive, having a serratedlook along the length of the body(abdomen). A pair of brown pincer-like appendages is located on theterminal (end) segment.

Some larvae ofAgrilus speciesattack shrubs, raspberries and black-berries. One species causes galls onOstrya (ironwood). However, most

The sponsors of

ELAs 15th Annual

Conference deserve

special recognition.

We thankBelgard-Ondrickfor their important role

in making theconference possible.

For landscaping andbuilding stone,

visit them atwww.ondricknaturalearth.com.

ABCs continued on pg. 10

Conference presenters and attendees foundtime to chat between sessions.


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For over ten years, John Engwers Groundscapes

Express has been a trusted resource for erosion

control solutions, called on by architects, engineers,and municipalities across New England. Engwer

has quietly led the eld

in developing ecologically

sound erosion control

products, using them for his

own projects and gaining

wide-spread support from

engineers, architects, and the

Massachusetts Department

of Environmental Protection.

In an eort to broaden thescope of his ecological stew-

ardship and educate both the

industry and public about

the importance of these practices, Engwer recently

launched Phase II Stormwater Products to oer his

patented products to the landscaping and erosion con-

trol industries.

We thought it was nally time to spread the word

about what weve been doing to support the environ-

ment, said Engwer. We have developed and patented

erosion control products, cultivated one of the cleanestcompost farms in the nation, and are working to let

people know about the right way to protect both the

land and our water supply. ese products can open

a new stream of income for companies who have in-

vested in blower trucks and hydroseeders.

It was the truck that got Engwer into ecological

landscaping. He began his own landscaping business in

1979, and eventually felt the need to purchase a Finn

Corporation blower truck to apply mulch to his clients

yards. Looking to justify the expense and nd addi-

tional uses for the vehicle, he started reading and soonbecame convinced of the benets of using compost

both for top dressing lawns and as planting mulch.

en he and his manager, Butch Goodwin, began

experimenting with blowing compost into burlap

tubes. e idea was to create completely biodegradable

berms that would improve upon the standard erosion-

control method of straw bales and silt fences. e

resulting FilterMitt retains sediment and protects

wetlands and other water resources. Unlike all other

products, it contains no synthetic materials, so it canbe left in place indenitely, saving the costs of repair

and removal. It can be used alone or in conjunction

with other storm water management techniques, and

can be grouped to form dams or stream bank stabili-

zation structures. An added benet is that, due to mi-

croorganisms, ltering through compost improves the

quality of the water as well as slowing the ow.

It did take some time for the idea to take hold.

Engwer and Goodwin clocked many hours promot-

ing their products to conservation commissions

across Massachusetts, as well as to the DEP andEPA. But their eorts paid o FilterMitt is the

only product in the United States that satises the

MA Highway Departments Item 767.12 for Mulch

Filter Tubes.

We see the product from start to nish, Engwer

says. When I couldnt nd enough quality compost,

I started making my own. He pays attention to the

details, and he also has an eye on the big picture.

Landscaping and storm water concerns are really two

aspects of one issue, he points out, adding that storm

water and landscaping should be treated as one permitby the planning boards because really, the whole

landscape is a rain garden. e whole soil is a storm

water recharge.

memberS makinga diFFerence : John engweroF groundScapeS expreSSand phaSe ii Stormwater productS

Kat Good-Schi

5

Engwers patented microbial FilterMitt is available through

Phase II Stormwater Products, offering the only biodegradablestormwater solution in the country.

John Engwer ofGroundscapes Express.Photo: John Ferrarone


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the march 24thopen Forum evening

Dennis Collins

After getting re-named eMeeting of the Minds byboard members involved in theplanning of it, the ELA OpenForum Evening was successfullyheld at the Doyle ConservationCenter in Leominster, MA.Hosting the event at an impressiveLEEDS gold certied facilityseemed appropriate, sincethe group that gathered thererepresented some ofthe most prominent

ecological land-carestewards in NewEngland. e eveningoered a far reachingdiscussion about thefuture of ELA, theeorts of non-protsnationwide, thephenomenon of green-

washing in corporateadvertising and the

prospects for educatingthe very distractibleAmerican public.

Invitations for thisevent asked people tohelp bring together diverse perspec-tives and creative thinking on thechallenges facing our organization.At a time when economic pressures

are felt by all corporate and non-prot organizations, we are seeingour message (environmental respon-sibility and sustainable use of re-sources) nally reaching the main-stream national media. e unique

nature of this moment caused theELA Board of Directors to seek theinput of as many people as possible.

Judging from the turnout of morethan thirty individuals, the boardgot exactly what it was looking for.

As the evenings agenda waspurposely unstructured, the topicsand the range of ideas varied widely.

Suce to say, it will take a whilebefore all of the points that wereraised can be fully processed. Yet itseemed worthwhile to share some

of the highlights here.e ELA Annual Con-

ference & Eco-Marketplace,clearly the largest eort of thisorganization each year, wasgiven ample attention. Mostpeople agreed that it is a very

important event and that itneeds to continue somehow.Some felt that the registrationcosts were too high (thoughit was also suggested that weunder-priced it). is brings up

the old chicken and egg dilemma.If the registration numbers werehigher, the fees could be lower. Yet,

we risk a nancial loss if the fees arelow and the attendance is also low.

Several people suggested that ourproblem (and solution) was in themarketing of the conference.

Some discussion focused on thefact that the conference, althoughcapable of generating lots of inter-est and excitement, happens toorarely. Perhaps ELA needs to geton peoples radar screen more fre-

quently than once peryear. ere were several

suggestions for chang-ing this, including thestaging of the eventmore than once per

year, and at dierentvenues. However, thisexpansion seems pos-sible only if corporatesponsorship or founda-tion grant money couldsubstantially under-

write the costs. Otherideas for achieving thisfocused on the websiteand what it could oerbeyond its present con-

tent. One intriguing suggestion wasto provide a comprehensive resourcefor municipal planning boards and

OPEN FORUM continued on pg. 7

Doug Gagne of The Mixed Border Nursery and Gardens in Hollis, NH,makes a point.

The sponsors of ELAs 15th Annual Conference

deserve special recognition.

We thank Groundscapes Express for their important

role in making the conference possible.

For innovative storm water solutions, visit them atwww.groundscapesexpress.com.


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OPEN FORUM continued on pg. 8

OPEN FORUM continued from pg. 6

watershed associations. is wouldinclude white papers, download-able power-point presentationsand video clips. It was noted thatso many of the problems ecologi-

cal landscape rmsare brought in to xcould be averted bybetter planning andzoning practices,more progressive lo-cal ordinances andbetter informedleadership fromelected ocials.

Municipal plan-

ning boards andgovernment ocials

were two of manysuggested new au-diences that ELAmight pursue. Othersincluded homeowners,landscape architects,engineers, stormwater managers,and conservationists. Homeownersmake up only 20% of the member-ship in ELA. Although it was not adeliberate strategic choice, this 80-20 balance (of professionals to non-professionals) has been fairly con-sistent over the years since ELAsfounding, and our educationalprogramming has followed a similarproportion as a result. ere is wideconsensus on expanding our reachto homeowners, but the means todo it remains uncertain. Landscapearchitects would be a natural t forthis organization, since the ELAmission and core message (deci-sions guided by a knowledge of andrespect for natural ecosystems) areintegral to the process of landscapedesign. Engineers, hydrologists,and conservationists all play crucialroles in site development, where

choices clearly impact the integrityof ecosystems. One sensible idea

was to attract more of these profes-sionals to our educational events byfeaturing speakers from within theirranks.

Partnerships and alliances

were discussed at length. Everyoneseemed to favor a signicant pushtoward more collaboration. Recog-

nizing the common goals and theshared visions of dierent organiza-tions (as opposed to focusing onthe dierences between them) was

widely supported as the way to goforward. Perhaps the keynote ad-dress by Peter Forbes at this yearsannual conference helped spur this

view! A rather large list of suit-able organizations could quickly beassembled, but a few of the morenatural and logical match-ups werementioned at the meeting. eseincluded the Northeast OrganicFarming Association (NOFA),the US Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA), the SustainableSites Initiative (SSI), and several as-sociations for conservationists, tree

wardens, and watershed authorities.

e dierent types of educa-tional outreach at ELA might bechanged in the future. An interest-ing suggestion submitted via emailby a person who wasnt able to at-tend the Open Forum was to oerhands-on workshops and behind

the scenes tours ofworking landscapesites. Filming a seriesof how-to videos forlocal cable stationsor for distribution onthe web is anotherinteresting approach.Both would requirea substantial team ofspeakers/presenters

that could be drawnfrom within the ranksof the ELA member-ship.

Lastly, an in-teresting discussion

about the phenomenonof corporate green-

washing took place. is came outof a debate on what new futureroles could ELA play in educat-

ing the public about environmentalresponsibility. Most folks abhormarketing campaigns that extol a

Kathy Sargent O'Neill, an ELA Board-member, explaining a position whileKaren Howard (far left) and Cathy Rooney listen.


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companys commitment to energyeciency or sustainability when itis apparent that the company has ahistory of environmental indier-

ence or (worse yet) products thatcontribute to ecological degrada-tion. We see this more and morelately, and it was suggested thatELA could serve as a watch-dogresource for such practices. is isnot so dierent from other roles weare considering, such as identifyingparticularly good products and sup-pliers, or producing reading lists ofessential books (perhaps those that

weve reviewed in this newsletter).However, a surprising perspectivewas oered in the middle of thisdiscussion. Someone suggested

we look at green-washing as just asymptom of society (and industry)in the midst of a transition period.In a way this is reminiscent of

watching children try on costumesand practice new voices. Is it betterto accept this awkward period than

to discourage the budding attemptsat corporate responsibility withour criticism? Change is often notpretty, and perhaps ELA needs tofocus more on encouraging changethan policing Madison Avenue.

Or, perhaps not! What do youthink? ELA is truly a melting potof ideas and perspectives. e OpenForum illustrated how essential it isto get an infusion of ideas from our

members, friends, and colleagues.Please consider this a standinginvitation to let us know what youare thinking. We need to hear yourperspective. Our organization existsand functions solely on the collec-tive input and ideas of its members.Its success is based on the quality ofthat input, and on the shared timeand talents of its members. Dont

OPEN FORUM continued from pg. 7

bowl of cherries, even for trees.Smith showed a graph comparingthe number of trees that start togrow with the number of maturetrees. Obviously, many more trees

germinate than reach adulthood.Fortunately, trees can disconnectfrom disease or injury; this capacityto confront and envelope an inva-sion or loss is crucial to their surviv-al. Smith showed two photographsillustrating such reactions: one ofzone lines around incompatible bac-teria and another of the compart-mentalization of decay after the lossof a branch during an ice storm.

Trees connectivity extends be-yond physical form. While a treemight appear to be a discreet physi-cal entity, it is consistently involvedin a complex, interconnected webof biotic and abiotic environmentalactivity. In the atmosphere, CO

2

and water are, of course, engagedby chlorophyll to create sugars andoxygen. e eects of this win-

SURVIVAL continued from pg. 3

win situation for life on Earth arefar-reaching and profound. Un-derground, symbiotic relationshipsbetween root tips and mycorrhizalfungi are equally essential for thetrees, the fungi, soil health, and the

vast array of soil organisms.As a plant physiologist, Kevin

Smith uses trees as a medium ofunderstanding and exemplifyingconnectivity. ey are stellar models,

since even their capacity to remainupright is based on a regulated bal-ance of dead cells (heartwood) andliving cells (sapwood and bark).

With a small imaginative leap, onecan readily see how Smith postulatesthat energy capture and energy re-lease, primarily through photosyn-thesis, is the meaning of life.

Smiths articleConnections in Woodand Foliage provided support for the pre-sentation. It can be downloaded atwww.ecolandscaping.org/handouts.html.

Conference attendees examined the many offerings at the conference book store run by theNew England Wild Flower Society.

underestimate the value of whatyou can contribute.


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moving Forwardwith ela : connectingthe dotS

Kathy Sargent-ONeill, ELA Board Member,Conference Committee Chair

Connectivity is a theme inthe ELA world this year. As

discussed by PeterForbes in his keynote addressand by Kevin Smith in SurvivalStrategies and Tree Connections,connecting to land and communityhelps sustain, strengthen, and carryforward ones purpose, mission,

and goalswhether theconnections are betweentrees, individuals, orgroups.

ELA hosted an Open Forumon March 24 to explore ways wemight sustain, strengthen, and carryforward our mis-sion to provideinformation aboutleading-edgeecological land-scaping practicesand methods to professionals andthe public. A heartening number of

interested parties took time out oftheir busy schedules to attend. eseincluded conference attendees, rep-resentatives of various like-mindedorganizations, ELA members, andthe ELA Board of Directors.

We posed the following questionsto the group and received manygreat suggestions:

Are traditional events like the

Conerence and Roundtables still vi-

able?e answer to this questionswas, Yesnetworking and educa-tion on these topics are neededmore then ever!

Are there new approaches and

newer models that we have not con-

sidered?e Yes was accompaniedby many good suggestions of newmodels for events and the distribu-tion of information. ese included

streaming events over the web, re-cording roundtables and conference

sessions on DVDs, and holding theConference & Eco-Marketplace intwo locations each year or alternat-ing locations every other year.

Are there organizations that we

should align with?What collabora-

tive eforts should we consider? Aresounding Yes was delivered tothe ideas of aligning and collaborat-ing with like-minded organizations.

eres a lot to be done logistically

but the will and interest are there.We look forward with renewedenergy and new connections to the

various possibilities suggested atthe Open Forum for continuing theELA mission, including:

oering leading-edgeinformation on ecological,sustainable, and organiclandscape practices

providing networking

opportunities to those who wantto connect to the land in orderto eliminate or reduce negativelandscaping practices that leadto environmental degradation

anks to all who attended theOpen Forum and to those who sentalong suggestions and encourage-ment. Let us know your thoughtson these proposals or send any other

ideas to ELA.info@

comcast.net and stay tuned to the Newsletterand ELA website for updates aboutall these exciting possibilities.


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larvae bore under bark in the cam-bium region causing serious dam-age to trees and shrubs. Buprestidscommonly attack living trees as wellas recently cut or dying trees and

branches. is holds true for EAB.However, the EAB attacks onlyash species in North America. It isestablished in Michigan; Windsor,Ontario, Canada; and several loca-tions in Ohio. It is expected to colo-nize the Northeast if present trendscontinue.

Female EAB beetles lay an aver-age of 75 eggs. Eggs are laid in barkcrevices and hatch in 7 to 10 days.

First instar larvae (i.e., the smallestand youngest) bore just beneath thebark into the cambium where theyfeed and grow larger as they travelproducing s-shaped feeding galler-

ies. When you pull o the bark ofan infested killed tree you can seethese feeding galleries packed withne textured sawdust like frass(i.e. excrement).

Adult EAB beetles are about inch long, narrow, with body color

varying from bronze black to me-tallic green. is species has onegeneration per year. Adult beetles,

which emerge from trees in earlyJune to early July, feed on ash leavesand hide in bark crevices and on ashfoliage. Leaf damage is minimal andnoticeable on leaf margins.

Trees are killed by the actionof the boring EAB larvae. Waterand nutrient transport is disrupted

by larval feeding, causing infestedbranches and stems to wilt. Repeat-ed infestation eventually kills thetree within 5 years depending onhost tree size, condition, prevailingstressful environmental conditions,site quality, and size of the infestingEAB population.

e Hemlock Woolly Adelgid(HWA),Adelges tsugae, is in the in-sect order Homoptera. e order also

includes other related and familiarinsect groups like aphids; scales;spittlebugs; cicadas; leaf, plant, andtree hoppers; psyllids; and whiteies.

Adelgids are in the familyAdel-gidae. Aphids, on the other hand,are in the familyAphididae. Bothare soft-bodied plant feeders withpiercing-sucking mouth parts andcomplex life cycles.

An interesting side note: there aresome noticeable dierences in theeld between aphids and adelgidsincluding but not limited to thefollowing: (1) Adelgids only oc-cur on conifers. (2) Aphids mostlyoccur on leaves and stems. Someoccur on roots. (3) Above groundaphids produce honeydew, a clear,sticky substance secreted by feeding

The Ecological Landscaping

Association would like to

thank the ollowing or their

generous help in sustaining

our mission through the

Annual Appeal:

Dwight Brooks

EcologicalLandscape

Designs, LLC

Sarah Holland

Taylor Kane

Liz Newell

Sandy Vorce

Thank you as well to our

many valued supporters

who wish to remain

anonymous.

ABCs continued from pg. 4

ABCs continued on pg. 11

aphids. Honeydew consists mainlyof excess ingested sap and sugarsmixed with waste materials. Sootymold colonizes honeydew giving it

a black color which is an excellenteld diagnostic feature indicatingthat aphids are present. (4) Adelgiddamage causes needles to yellowand eventually drop. Aphid damagecauses leaf yellowing, leaf and stem

wilting, and leaf curling, depend-ing on the aphid species. (5) Some

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www.WellWaterInUse.com


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FilterMitt installed with Groundscapes' compost blends are succcessul & superior to other

methods. Groundscapes oers applications or erosion control, topdressing, compost tea blends,

& tea brewers. PDF Drawings download rom website.

www.groundscapesexpress.com

P.O. Box 737

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Ofce: (508) 384-7140

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Erosion Control Solutions

ABCs continued from pg. 10

species of aphids can transmit plantdiseases. Adelgids do not transmitplant diseases. (6) Aphids feed onnutrient rich sap while the HWAfeeds on stored carbohydrates (i.e.starches) in small branch stems

(branch tips).e HWA is a major insect pest

of eastern hemlock (suga canaden-sis) and Carolina hemlock (.caroliniana) in their natural rangesin the eastern U.S. from Maine toGeorgia. It is a tiny insect measur-ing less than 1/16 of an inch long.

When maturing to adulthood itcovers its body with white waxylaments. ese laments give theappearance of tiny cotton-like ballsalong the undersides of branch tipsand are the characteristic diagnosticfeature indicating HWA infestation.

e HWA needs no males to re-produce; however, males are present

in certain situations. Females canproduce up to 300 eggs. is typeof reproduction is called partheno-genesis (i.e., egg production withoutmale fertilization). Parthenogen-esis presents problems when nervepoison insecticides are repeatedly

used in chemical control programs.Insecticide resistance builds up overtime. In other words, some adelgidshave the genetic traits to survivethe rst chemical application. esesurvivors reproduce giving wayto more resistant individuals, andso on. For example, if one repeat-edly uses an insecticide labeled forHWA control, year after year, eachsuccessive surviving adelgid popu-

lation would become resistant tothat specic insecticide. Insect pestsreproducing by parthenogenesiscoupled with a high reproductivecapacity, like adelgids and aphids,can be extremely dicult to control

with nerve poison insecticides.Horticultural oil is very good for

HWA control if thorough coverageof infested branches is achieved.

e same principle holds true forinsecticidal soaps. Both are notnerve poisons and are impracti-

cal to use on large trees and largeinaccessible forest stands. It is myopinion that horticultural oil worksthe best on controlling the HWA.Horticultural oil kills by smotheringor suocation and not by poisoning.

erefore, insects susceptible to oilcannot build up resistance. Soil in-

jection using MERIT has providedlong-term control.

To view images of these insects

and to learn more about their biol-ogy and control, go to www.inva-sive.org and http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/palerts.shtm.

SECTION END VIEW


12/12

12

gleanings events

Asian Longhorned Beetle:Volunteers NeededMassachusetts Arborists Associationseeks MCA volunteers to conductclimbing inspections to help with theAsian Longhorned Beetle situation

in Worcester. Volunteers are askedto make a two-day commitment anytime between March 15 and July 15.If you are interested in lending a hand,please download this form: http://www.massarbor.org/images/ALBvolun-teer_maa.pdf

Board Member WantedThe Southwest Corridor Park Con-servancy is a four-year-old, 501C-3whose mission is to preserve, protect,and restore the Southwest Corridor

Park located within the City of Boston.We are a state park managed by theDepartment of Conservation and Rec-reation. The budget for the park is nextto non-existent, and we are activelyraising funds for park maintenance.We have an effective board but lack alandscape professional who can adviseus and direct us on the best practicesfor the replanting and restoration ofthe hardscape and landscape along thepark. The time required by the boardmember is about two hours per monthfor a meeting. Beyond that, whateverthe board member feels he or she cangive. Please contact Franco Campanel-lo, President, Southwest Corridor ParkConservancy at 617-642-5223 or visitus at www.swcpc.org.

Invasion of the LonghornsWednesday, April 15, author PeterAlsop will speak at Kemper Auditoriumon the Phillips Academy campus inAndover, MA, at 7:30 p.m. Alsop hasbeen investigating the Asian Long-

horned Beetle outbreak in Worcester,and has written an article that will bepublished shortly in Smithsonian.

7th Annual Green ExpoWednesday, April 22 in Boston, MA,hosted by EPA New England. Thisvendor fair features energy efcient,recycled, less-toxic, organic, orotherwise environmentally preferableconsumer products and services. Thetheme is Climate Change and Energy.Visit the website and submit an online

registration at http://yosemite.epa.gov/r1/videolen.nsf/greenexpo.

Native Knowledge ConferenceSaturday, April 25in Great Barrington,MA with two nationally-known speak-ers: entomologist Douglas Tallamy,author ofBringing Nature Home; andWilliam Cullina, botanist and authorof several wonderful gardening books.There will also be several breakout ses-sions with local horticulture experts.For more information or to register visitwww.projectnative.org.

Workshop: Demonstration & Discus-sion of the Making & Use of BiocharSaturday, May 99:00 am 4:00 pmwith David Yarrow & Doug ClaytonThe Lodge At Pony Farm19 Putnam Road (off Webster Highwayoff Route 101), Temple, NHwww.lodgeatponyfarm.comCost: $25, Soup & Salad Lunch withCoffee & Tea providedTo pre-register contact:

Douglas Williams28 Cunningham Pond RoadPeterborough, NH [email protected]

Hands-On Greywater WorkshopThe CLCA Education Committeepresents this half-day workshop onFriday, May 15 in Los Altos Hills, CA.

Presenters: Sherri Osaka from Sus-tainable Landscape Designs and JohnRussell from Water Sprout. Learn whatgrey water is and how you can use it toprovide solutions for your customerslandscaping needs. Students and CLCAand APLD members: $30, all others$40. Send a check to Heidi Johnson,

c/o H K Johnson & Assoc., 1153Scotland Drive, Cupertino, CA 95014.Include your business name, whichindividuals will be attending, and yourcontact information with email. Ques-tions: [email protected].

Ecological Horticulture ClassesAt New England Wild Flower Society,Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA

Compost Tea Workshop :Saturday, June 13

Introduction to Seed Collecting :Saturday, September 12

For more information and a completelist of offerings, visit http://www.newfs.org/learn/adult/

International Biochar InitiativeNorth American Biochar ConferenceSunday, August 9-Wednesday, August 12

Sponsor: Center for Energy &Environmental Security

Place: Law School, University ofColorado at Boulder

Contact: Ron LarsonPhone: 303-526-9629Email: [email protected]: www.colorado.edu/law/eesi/

Correction

On page 1 of our Winter 2009issue, Lauren Chase Rowells

name was not on the bylineat the start of the article. Itshould have read: Digginginto Ecological Landscaping byFollowing Natures LeadbyKate Hartnett, Lauren ChaseRowell, Mary Tebo, and MarilynWyzga. Our apologies for theerror. Ed.

winter 2009 the ecological landscaper newsletter

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