SEOWIG Newsletter

Newsletter             MAY,  2008

Chair -  Rich Fox - (740) 767-4185

Co Chair - Kay Appleman - (740) 554-7523

Secretary - Susan Moody - (740) 554-7466

Treasurer - Dave Hawkins - (740) 585-2563

Programs - Dave Schatz - (740) 667-9712

Newsletter - Rory Lewandowski- (740) 593-8555

Dear SEOWIG Member,

            What a beautiful time of the year!  Trees are leafed out and all around the landscape is green and growing.  The May SEOWIG meeting will be held on Monday, May 19 at 7:00 pm.  NOTE: This meeting will be held at the Wayne National Forest (WNF) Headquarters building.  The WNF headquarters is located off of U.S. 33 between The Plains and Nelsonville.  Coming from Athens, it will be on the right hand side of the road.  The address is: 13700 U.S. Highway 33.  The program is still being firmed up at this time, but tentatively we will be learning about forest management programs used at the Wayne, with some attention to the use of fire as a management tool.

            From time to time it is probably good for all of us to reflect on the value of trees.  The following list is taken from a Northeast Ohio Woodland Interest Group newsletter:

·        Trees keep our air supply fresh by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen

·        In one year, an acre of trees can absorb as much carbon as is produced by a car driven up to 8700 miles.

·        Trees provide shade and shelter, reducing yearly home heating and cooling costs by 2.1 billion dollars.  (I wonder how much more that might be now with our rapidly escalating fuel prices!)

·        Tress lower air temperature by evaporating water from their leaves

·        Trees cut down on noise pollution by acting as sound barriers

·        Tree roots stabilize the soil and prevent erosion

·        Trees improve water quality by slowing and filtering rain water as well as protecting aquifers and watersheds

·        Trees provide food and shelter for wildlife

·        Trees can improve property value

Well, this is just a partial list, and it doesn’t even include the value of timber/lumber produced by trees that is so necessary for building and construction, or the value of trees to provide a recreational resource.  The list could go on and on.

            I hope everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the spring with some contemplative time in a woodland of your choice.

Sincerely,

 Rory Lewandowski

Extension Educator, Ag/NR

Athens County

SEOWIG MINUTES: APRIL MEETING

The Southeast Ohio Woodland Interest Group met Monday, April 21, at the Athens County Extension office with 9 members and 2 guests.

Chris Zdinak of the Federal Valley Watershed Group and Rural Action Sustainable Forestry Program came to invite us to a field demonstration on Controlling Woody Invasives with special emphasis on Autumn Olive. The event will be held at Marshall and Betty Lowe's property near Joy on May 6 at 7:00 p.m. OSU Extension is also a sponsor. Extension educator Chris Penrose will provide an overview of the issues involved.

Chris Zdinak said his group is offering site visits to help landowners identify options and resources for woodlands free of charge to residents of the Federal Valley watershed, and small fee to others. Dave Schatz and Chip Carroll are available for these visits. For information call 740-767-4938.

Rich Fox asked Chris how often his group meets. Chris said it is not a set schedule.

Tim Newell asked about acid mine drainage. Chris said they have a plan in place but there are not many sites in that area.

Rich asked whether they advise on timber stand improvement. Chris said yes to that and harvest.

Frank Newell said on his property on the edge of a strip mine under 40-year loblolly, he saw hundreds of pink lady slippers about to bloom, many more than there have ever been. Anyone who would like to see them is welcome.

Rich said our group made a good showing at the Carbondale event. It was a nice day for foresters. The largest pine is 170 feet tall and almost 36 inches dbh with a healthy crown.

Rich talked to Rory this week at the Athens County Conservation Tour. Rory was double-booked and not with us again tonight.

Program

Rich introduced Brian McCarthy, PhD, to speak about his study, Community Level Effects of the Amur Honeysuckle in Southwest Ohio Forests. Brian began by saying there is lots of talk about invasives being here, but biologists have not convinced the public why invasives are bad. Brian said he would talk about cause, effect, and negative impacts.

Amur, a bush, is found in woods and road edges in southwestern Ohio. Japanese honeysuckle, a vine, is more ahead in southeastern Ohio. It has a positive impact on wildlife, but negative impact on plant regeneration. Lonicera sempervirens, a native of southeast Ohio, is uncommon, worth promoting if you have one, and identified by being perfoliate.

Amur (caprifoliaceae) arrived, like many invasives, on nursery stock. Its arrival has been traced to one backyard in Oxford, Ohio, in the 1930s. Features that make it a problem include its extended morphology, meaning that although it is deciduous, its leaves start before and last after other plants'. It is disease resistant; its seeds bank in the soil; it tolerates shade and sun; it is multi-stemmed; and it has red fruit that birds like. Amur grows to two to five meters across and tall. Its high rate of transpiration, combined with its extended full leaf season, results in dry lifeless conditions underneath.

Brian's research question was what is the ecological role of Amur Honeysuckle. Does it influence basic understory processes? Does it influence basic overstory processes? Can the effects be mitigated?

Brian and his students conducted 3 experiments in the Dayton and Cincinnati metro Park system, public land with lots of data available. They used 8 plots in each city, with 2 noninfested, and 6 with 10, 20, or 40 year infestations. Age can be determined by counting growth rings. The researchers collected data on trees, shrubs, herbs, seeds, and soil, including removing soil samples to favorable growing conditions to see what would come up.

Experiment 1 was with the layers underneath Amur honeysuckle. Community diversity data showed: 41% less seed species

   40% less herb species

   35% fewer woody seedlings

   58% fewer saplings

Seed density was increased, but only because of the presence of Amur Honeysuckle seeds. Because native plants were decreased, Amur possible facilitates other invasives.

Brian said there is evidence of stratum decoupling. The layers are not progressive. Infested areas are losing the integrity of the vegetative layers. The eventual forest stand will be very different from the former one.

Experiment 2 looked at the effects on the overstory. The group collected dendroecological data. They matched Amur honeysuckle ages to tree core samples. The results showed that when Amur arrived, tree growth rings decreased in width. Brian estimates 15 to 30% of board feet production per year is lost.

Experiment 3 considered mitigation and whether the understory can be restored. Brian said the key is to get it early when it is small enough to pull up, to avoid lasting effects. At the Fernald site in oak second growth with a heavy infestation, some have used the EZJect Lance, a tool that shoots herbicide under the bark of Amur Honeysuckle. The results are very good and it takes much less labor than the cut and paint method. With EZJect there is no overspray. The application is very targeted. With 12% Roundup the cost is about 12 cents per one-inch stem. To be successful, you must do every stem.

Brian made a cost comparison between cut and paint (99% mortality, $250 start-up cost, stems removed, moderate chemical exposure to you, low/moderate non-target exposure, moderate physical risk, some effort, slow) and EZJect (99% mortality, $599 start-up, stems remain, low exposure to you, low non-target, low physical risk, easy to use, 43% faster).

Tree plantings in areas where Amur has been killed by either method have had a high mortality. Brian said it is important not just to get rid of the invasives, but to match the water and light conditions to what should be there.

In conclusion he said Amur Honeysuckle is a threat to most forests in Southwest Ohio and that damage is manageable after 10 years but difficult to reverse after 20 years. The impact on overstory growth can be controlled, but the ease and cost vary. Reforestation is possible only with careful tailoring because the site is altered.

Members discussed cost of removing invasives and whether cost sharing is available. There is no systematic plan to treat state forests. Bush honeysuckle grows in patches here, but much more in the glaciated sections of Ohio. Maybe it is just not here yet, or maybe our soil's higher acidity plays a role.

Kip Parker asked whether all bush honeysuckles are bad. Brian said all bush are non-native so should go, even though people like them because they are pretty. Frank said he has had one for 50 years with no problems. They seem less invasive here.

Quincy Robe asked about problems with privet. Brian said possibly, but privet would not create such low light conditions underneath. Quincy mentioned spicebush, a native. Brian said is a good replacement in moist soil. It has a much lower leaf index and lower transpiration rate than Amur honeysuckle.

Local herbivores and invertebrates are not adapted to invasives.

Kip asked whether the injection stick could be used for ailanthus. Brian said it could.

The group thanked Brian for his informative talk.

Susan Moody, sec.

WHAT’S THAT PURPLE THING?

                        By: Kathy Smith, OSU Extension Associate, Forestry

Taken from the Ohio Woodlands Stewards Spring 2008 Newsletter

            As you roam around parts of Ohio this year you come across an odd looking purple contraption that makes you wonder what someone was thinking!  What is it?

            In past years Ohio and many other states have used the method of destructive tree sampling in order to try and detect the presence of emerald ash borer.  Researchers have developed this purple trap and a lure that I s attractive to emerald ash borer beetles.  This is the first year for these traps in Ohio and across the country.  Only Alaska, Hawaii, Alabama, Florida, and Vermont are not using these purple traps in 2008.

            In Ohio, the Ohio Department of Agriculture will be placing nearly 7,500 traps in or near ash trees in parts of Ohio where the insect has not yet been detected (mainly southeast Ohio and parts of far northeast Ohio.  These traps will be set before the adults fly this spring and will contain a lure and a glue to attract and catch EAB beetles.  The traps will be monitored by the Ohio Department of Agriculture officials throughout the summer.  The traps will then be removed and inspected this fall, after the adult beetles are no longer flying.

            The traps are constructed of corrugated plastic and have three sides.  They are roughly one foot wide by two feet tall and deep purple.  In lab testing, this color of purple was attractive to adult beetles, hence the purple color of the traps.  The outside of the trap will be coated with glue and inside they will contain a lure that researchers have determined is also attractive to the adult beetle.  These traps pose no risk to humans, domestic pets, or wildlife.

            The purple traps are simply a detection tool to see if EAB are already in the area.  The traps are not meant to attract EAB from long distances, or be a method used for control purposes.

AUTUMN OLIVE CONTROL

            I recently received a phone call from a landowner regarding control of autumn olive.  The landowner said he wanted to control autumn olives by using basal bark spraying.  Was this an effective method of control and what herbicide and rates are recommended?  I called Randy Heiligmann, OSU Extension Forestry Specialist for help on this question.

            Basal bark spraying is an effective means of chemical control of autumn olive.  Basal bark treatment involves spraying the lower 12 to 18 inches of the trunk with an herbicide.  Herbicides are typically applied in oil carriers.  Diesel fuel is commonly used, sometimes with a penetrating bark oil additive.  Generally basal bark treatment is considered an effective means of control for trees/shrubs less than 6 inches in diameter and for smooth barked species.  As a word of caution, care should be taken to minimize the amount of herbicide that runs into the soil.  This is important not only from an environmental quality standpoint, but also to minimize potential damage to nearby desirable species.

            Randy’s recommendation for an herbicide to treat autumn olive was Garlon 4.  The active ingredient is triclopyr.  Randy recommends 38 ounces of Garlon 4 in enough oil to make 1 gallon of the mixture.  Another option is Pathfinder II.  This is a ready to use product that can be directly applied to autumn olive.  Randy also has his own “cocktail” mix that he sometimes uses, which is 25 ounces of Garlon 4 + 3.8 ounces of Stalker/Chopper (active ingredient imazapyr) with some basil penetrating oil mixed into a oil carrier to make one gallon.

            One problem can be finding a location to buy the chemicals.  If the chemicals can’t be purchased locally then Townsend Chemical out of Selma Indiana is a good option.  They have a good selection of many herbicides recommended for woody/brushy species control and they will ship the products.  They can be found on the Internet at: http://www.townsendchemical.com/ or contacted by phone at: 1-800-616-4221.

            The following is an excerpt on autumn olive control from a handout on woody invasive control written by Randy Heiligmann and Kathy Smith, both from OSU Extension Forestry:

Autumn Olive (Eleagnus umbellate)

Autumn olive is an upright, deciduous shrub, commonly up to 20 feet tall, first introduced into the United States from the orient around 1830.  It has been widely planted as an ornamental and for wildlife food and cover, highway barriers, road bank stabilization, strip mine reclamation, and shelterbelts.  Autumn grows on a wide variety of sites including relatively infertile soils (it is a nitrogen fixer), grows vigorously (especially in full sunlight), and is one of the first shrubs to begin growth in the spring.  It is tolerant of moderate shade, and so is commonly found invading the edges of woodlands and the interior of open woodlands.

To identify autumn olive look for an upright, deciduous, perennial shrub with simple, elliptical to ovate leaves 1-3 inches long and 0.25 to 1.25 inches wide, with an un-toothed, wavy margin, a dark green to gray-green upper surface, and a lower surface covered with silvery gray to white scales; small, white to yellow, tubular flowers borne in clusters in mid to late spring; developing into a red berry-like fruit when mature that is often speckled with silvery to brown scales.

Mechanical Control

As with the other invasive shrubs discussed, light infestations of autumn olive can be dug or cut, though follow-up will be essential to remove sprouts from root stock until food stores are exhausted.

Foliar Herbicide

Several other herbicides, including Tordon 101 and Banvel, have been used successfully to control autumn olive by foliar spraying, but because of the potential of significant damage to non-target species due to the active ingredients in these herbicides they have limited use in a forest.

Basal Spray

Cut Stump Herbicide Treatment - Apply herbicides in water carrier to the outer one-third of the top of the stump immediately after cutting (within minutes); apply herbicides in oil carrier to the entire top and sides of the stump (immediate treatment not critical to success).