A recent study has discovered that hemlocks in New York’s Catskill region are declining rapidly. Research conducted collaboratively by the U.S. Forest Service and the University of Vermont utilized ground-based research in addition to high-tech aerial imaging to survey 274 square miles of the Catskill mountains in 2012. Data suggested that only 16% of the…
As of January 6, 2015 the extent of drought conditions across the U.S. is at its lowest point since December 20, 2011. However, drought conditions in parts of the west and southern plains remain severe. December 2014 brought heavy precipitation to southeastern and eastern portions of the country, significantly reducing levels of abnormal dryness (D0), moderate…
Winter weather extremes can be difficult for plants, wildlife and humans. Landscape plants can incur extensive damage and require appropriate care preceding, during and following an intense winter season. Damage from wildlife, browning and desiccation are the most common issues afflicting plants and trees due to winter weather. Deep snow cover in place for an…
Apple Proliferation Phytoplasma (APP) is a bacterial disease affecting mostly apples although pear trees with proliferation symptoms have been identified, but it has not been positively confirmed that they are suffering from APP. Apple cultivars seem to vary in terms of the degree of their reaction to the disease, Belle de Boskoop, Gravenstein, Starking, Golden Delicious and…
A massive emerald ash borer infestation has affected 9,000 trees on Grand River Conservation Authority property, a Canadian watershed management agency which is responsible for conservation and preservation in Southwestern Ontario to Port Maitland on Lake Erie. Officials are closely monitoring the situation in anticipation of more trees being damaged. The most difficult part of containing this…
Soil is the basic foundation for life on this planet; crops, livestock, wildlife and clean water all depend on it. Our soils are currently threatened by a myriad of reasons, not the least of which include deforestation, modern agricultural techniques, development and overgrazing. Data from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) indicates that over half the world’s topsoil…
The pathogen that causes boxwood blight, Calonectria pseudonaviculata, is able to infect every species in the Buxaceae family. A recent article in Plant Health Progress, authored by Dr. Jim LaMondia of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), states that both Allegheny spurge, Pachysandra procumbens, and the more commonly planted Japanese spurge, Pachysandra terminalis, are potential hosts for…
Forest fragmentation, or habitat fragmentation, is the breakdown of habitat from a large, contiguous swath into smaller, distinct, discontinuous pieces. When habitat is broken apart three interrelated processes occur 1) reduction of the total amount of vegetation, in other words, habitat loss, 2) division of remaining vegetation into remnants or patches and 3) new land-use…
As October begins the soil surface temperatures have begun dropping, they have been detected at below 70 degrees at night. This happens to be ideal for the growth of cool season grasses, but it is a sign that colder soil (and air) temperatures are on the way. New growth and turf recovery will significantly slow…
According to historical data many of the northernmost states may have already experienced their first frost during the last 2 weeks of September. The rest of New England and the mid-atlantic will have their first frost soon; when temperatures dip to 29-32 degrees Fahrenheit overnight a light freeze will occur, killing tender plants, at 25-28…
