February, 1st, 2012
Nursery Manager Landon’s Greenhouse and Nursery, Sheridan, Wyoming Landon’s Greenhouse is looking for a Nursery Manager. Successful applicant will genuinely enjoy working with people and plants in a fast paced retail environment. “Must have” qualifications include: . Excellent written and oral communications skills . Positive, friendly, approachable attitude and presentation . Good physical condition [...]
If you are interested in hosting the summer social for the 2010 season, please contact Julie Hoffman at East River Nursery in Huron or any other Board Member.
Nursery News
Emerald Ash Borer
January 17th, 2010
The two latest discoveries of emerald ash borer, one on the Minnesota and Wisconsin border and the second, more recent, in the Twin Cities, underscores the looming threat of this insect to the ash resources of South Dakota. This phloem-feeding insect was first discovered in Michigan back in 2002 though later investigations indicated it probably was present in the state as far back at the mid-90s. It was probably introduced from northeastern China, an area where this is an insignificant insect only infested dying ash. Since that time infested ash trees have been found in Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Generally once an infestation is discovered, it is found that the infestation has been in place for three years or more and has already spread too far for effective containment. The infestation in the Twin Cities was initially found in three trees but a survey of the two blocks surrounding these trees yield more infested trees and there is a high expectation that more will be found in the area as the season progresses.
The emerald ash borer can successfully attack and kill healthy or stressed ash as small as 1-inch in caliper and there are no known ash species or cultivars that have resistance or tolerance to attack with the possible exception of Manchurian ash. However, there has been a problem with trees being misidentified as Manchurian ash so hybrids thought to contain their genes may in fact not. Currently there are no white, green, black or blue ash, or their hybrids, that can be considered resistant or tolerant to attack by this insect.
The threat of emerald ash borer is a particular concern in South Dakota as the people in our state have invested heavily in its planting with approximately one-third of all the trees in our community forests, both home landscape and city streets and parks, being ash. While there are treatments that can prolong the life of an ash – if started before the tree is attacked – most people will probably not elect to protect their trees and we can expect that the removal costs in a community will be very high once the insect becomes established as the population of beetles builds very quickly. Probably our best means of maintaining our community forests is to begin diversify them by encouraging the planting of trees other than ash and recommending an array of possible trees so that we do not continue the problem started with the loss of elms to Dutch elm disease where ash became the most common replacement. Rather than promote one tree as the replacement for ash, we need to encourage people to plant a wider range of trees that are adapted to their particular growing environment.