SOUND THE ALARM PEOPLE!

I work at Russell's Tree and Shrub Farm and Nursery -- a good 15 mile drive (around 30 minutes, traffic allowing) from my house. Today was a very interesting day for me, because I found out something terrible. Very terrible indeed.

According to a press release from my state's Department of Environmental Conservation, an Emerald Ash Borer infestation has been found in Randolph, Cattaraugus County -- literally south of my home county, Erie. The total number of suspected infested Ash trees (Fraxinus sp.) is around 30. This is very, very bad. The question you may be wondering is why.

The reason why this little insect -- which is smaller than a penny -- is so destructive is because when it is in its larval stage of its life cycle, the bloody bastards feed in tunnels call galleries in the phloem of the tree, which is just below the bark. Now, for those that have forgotten their plany biology, the xylem and phloem are somewhat similar to our circulatory system. The xylem transports water, and you may know it as something else: wood. The phloem, on the other hand, transports the soluble organic material made during photosynthesis. That material is basically various sugars, proteins and other nutrients the plant needs in order to survive.

What the larvae do is basically feed on the phloem and cambium (another type of plant tissue), and effectively girdle the tree. The galleries the larvae make underneath the bark interrupts the plant's transportation system, which causes the tree to eventually die. Usually, if a tree is infested, one will see tree canopy dieback, yellowing and/or browning of the leaves, and epicormic shoots (basically growth that comes off the main trunk, and the roots). Furthermore, if one was to inspect the bark of an infested Ash tree (Fraxinus sp.), there would be little D-shaped holes, where the adult insects leave when exiting. These holes are somewhat on the small to tiny side, so you have to look for them carefully. Lastly, if one should see a lot of woodpeckers going at an Ash tree, then one should suspect an infestation: woodpeckers are looking for those tasty larvae.

So, what does this mean for the average person or even the State? What's the big deal about a little insect that's only going after one generus? Well, seeing as almost 8% of all the trees in New York State belong to the Fraxinus generus, it's a big deal. The DEC is considering this pest from Asia to be almost on par with Dutch Elm Disease and Chestnut Blight -- those that have lived around the time of the introduction of such diseases may remember tall, stately trees being crippled and killed off in mass numbers. Furthermore, ash trees were the tree of choice to replace all the chestnut and elm trees that were lost (BIG Mistake! They should have used a mix of tree species).

But that still doesn't answer the question of how bad this thing is. Economically, this is very costly to communities that have to remove hundreds of thousand of dead trees from yards, parks, and medians, and are a liability issue, seeing as they are structurally compromised. Furthermore, many industries use ash for various thigns -- baseball bats, floorign, furniture, lumber, and pallets. In the grand scheme of things, this species is worth over $9 billion to the economy of NYS. Let me repeat that: $9 BILLION!!!!

However, that only covers one side of the impact. Environmentally, the ash tree is not only a common plant, but also a very important species to many mammals, and birds. The seeds are used as a food source by both groups of animals, and the tree is used by birds for nesting. Culturally, several Native American tribes use the ash tree for various crafts, such as basket weaving.

So, what can you do about it? Well, several things:

1. If you're going to go camping, buy your firewood from someone who is near the camp site, or get it from the camp site itself. For example, if you are going to be camping in Allegheny State Park and you live more than 50 miles away, then purchase your firewood from someone who lives local to the entrances of the park or get it from the campground. If everyone follows this rule, the movement of many invasive insects could be greatly restricted! (Just make sure to get a receipt from the vendor and from where the vendor is located -- address and all).
2. The only firewood that is allowed to be transported is treated firewood. This type of firewood has been heat treated (fired in a kiln) to kill pests, and can be transported not only into the state, but also further than 50 miles from the firewood's source.
3. EDUCATE YOURSELF! Read up on not only the Emerald Ash Borer, but also other species as well. You would be surprised at what is invasive and what isn't, and you can make ethical choices when traveling and doing your landscaping. Go to the DEC website or go to your local DEC Branch or Public Library to learn more.

And what if your ash tree is infested with EAB? Then you better get a systemic insecticide, such as Bayer Advanced Garden Tree and Shrub Insect Control. This insecticide -- as well as several others; see the list here -- contain Imidacloprid, a chemical that is an analogue to nicotine, and effectively kills insects. Just make sure to use it according to the instructions on the back of the label, or if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, contact an arborist to do it for you.

My next article will be about landscaping with native species: it's a lot easier to do, and maintain once it's established, folks. See you next time!

NOTE: Most of my information came from www.dec.ny.gov

My latest project!

Summer is here in Buffalo NY and it feels WONDERFUL! The highest so far is high 70's and it feels good. After all, it does snow from about late October to February.

Since summer is here, I've decided to do some landscaping work. My mom and I are quite the duo and often go out shopping together when plants are involved. However... that's not the limit of what we do (or I do, rather).

Today, I spent about 3 to 4 hours designing a new flagstone patio for our fire pit, and I have to say that it is quite beautiful. I used the flagstone and slate that came with the house -- originally these stones were used for border edging. And there was a LOT.

In fact, the amount of stone you see in the below pictures only made a medium-sized dent in the stash. There's still a lot of stone that needs to be used up, but that is for a later project (another patio that will be in the corner OR a pond... we'll see).

So, here are some pics:

I used an extra hose to mark the inside and outside perimiters. It's supposed to be a circle, but it's close enough. And Yes, I do realize that I need to still do some more stones, especially near the original patio. So that will be added in later.

All I need to buy now is a lot of gravel, and somehow keep out the grass from growing into the cracks... Suggestions are MORE than welcome.

Pros and Cons of green-renovating.

So, I know I haven't posted anything in a long time, but please forgive me -- I have a life too, ya know!

Anyways, I recently watched House Hunters on HGTV, and it featured an elderly couple trying to find a "green" house in Asheville, NC. Now, don't think I'm criticizing them for being green. Heavens no! I'm all for the older portion of the Earth's population to realize that this is the only place we have, and that we -- their children, grandchildren, and maybe even great-grandchildren -- are the ones that will inherit the Earth and ultimately their problems. So I'm very for them trying to be green and trying to clean up the mistakes they have made.

How does this relate to the elderly couple I mentioned earlier? Well, they chose a house that needed major green-renovation -- basically, most of the materials, such as the carpeting, the flooring, cabinets, etc, neede to be replaced. Now I'm glad that people are finally thinking about what they are putting into their living spaces and how the items effect their health, but I began to ponder something.

What happens to the materials that have been labeled as "not environmentally friendly"? What happens to the formica countertops, the fume-releasing paint that was stripped off the walls, the -- well, you get what I mean. What happens to all of that stuff? Does it get recycled or is it just sent to the junkyard or the landfill?

So here's some tips that I thought of to keep in mind when renovating your house to be more eco-friendly:

• Try to reuse or recycle your old stuff -- if the material is metal, or plastic, either try to recycle it, or to reincorporate the materials into another aspect of your house's design. At my house, we had iron railings for the stairs and something like window boxes outside the windows. We removed them and sent them to the scrap yard, where made some money for them. (Read: my mom hated the design and decided to get rid of them)
• If you can't recycle the stuff or reuse it, try to take the stuff apart as carefully as possible and locate a company that sells reclaimed construction material. I'm pretty sure they would love to take it off your hands!
• When you are renovating, use green products as much as possible, but don't break your budget. Always price check at other companies!
• Lastly, if you are unsure of something, call a company that knows something about it. Look up your phone book for green companies or companies that deal with the environment and ask them what to do with the stuff.

Oh, and DO NOT BURN the old stuff! God only knows what stuff is being created/sent up to the atmosphere.