According to an April 5th press release from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Thousand Cankers Disease - a pest-transmitted fungus that kills walnut trees - has been detected in Knox County, TN. It is the first such discovery east of the Mississippi of the small twig beetle that carries the disease-causing fungus. It has decimated walnut trees in several western states.

At this time of year, symptoms such as crown thinning and leaf yellowing may be due to other insect infestations. For a description and photos of infected trees and the bark beetle go to the USDA Forest Service’s May 2010 Pest Alert. Also visit www.TN.gov/agriculture/tcd for an online symptoms checklist.

Steps to prevent the spread of TCD are very similar to those used against the emerald ash borer:

# Don’t transport firewood, even within state. Don’t bring firewood along for camping trips. Buy the wood you need from a local source. Don’t bring wood home with you.

# Don’t buy or move firewood from outside the state. If someone comes to your door selling firewood, ask them about the source, and don’t buy wood from outside the state.

# Watch for signs of infestation in your black walnut trees.

For an extensive review of the disease in western states visit Colorado State University.

The USDA Farm Bill contains a number of programs that provide financial incentives to Kentucky’s woodland owners for forest health, conservation and wildlife habitat improvement. Administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, these programs review and approve applications on a rolling deadline basis. Interested woodland owners are encouraged to apply at anytime. Four programs are available for 2010:

EQIP – Environmental Quality Incentives Program
DEADLINE IS JUNE 4, 2010

www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs

www.ky.nrcs.usda.gov

65-70 folks from across the state showed up for the State Forestry Field day on Henry and Nancy Duncan’s farm in Logan County on Monday, November 2d.

Everyone seemed to enjoy walking the woods and riding on straw bale seat trailers across the farm.

This farm was named the KY Tree farm of the year. Various agency representatives shared forestry management tips and many participants just appreciated the warm sunny dry day and the multicolored tree leaves….. just a good autumn day to be out. Duncan pointed out that there are no pristine forest or virgin timber to be seen here but this farm may represent a typical diversified farm in Kentucky with a multicultural of hardwood in the woodland. This farm contains 200 acres of hay and pastureland for cattle, 100 acres for grain and 150 acres of woodland. “We try to manage the timber with the same degree of emphasis as we do the other farm commodities and it will eventually pay off in several ways,” reported Duncan.

There are many reasons to appreciate our woodlands: its beauty, temperature stability, carbon sequestration, landscape decoration, erosion control in addition to the economic value of timber to Kentucky landowners and wood processors. Many of these reasons were discussed during the Tree Farmer Field Day.

This forestry field day is an annual event sponsored by the Kentucky Tree Farm Committee and coordinated by Billy Thomas and the University of Kentucky Forestry Department. The Kentucky Woodland Owners Association and the Kentucky Forest Industry Association were also supporters of the program

Speakers from KY Division of Forestry, KY Fish and wildlife, NRCS, Sawmill Owners and Consultant Foresters lead the discussions during the sunny November afternoon.

James Morris, Service Forester with the Kentucky Division of Forestry discussed timber management techniques while pointing out the various species of trees and their contribution to the woodlands.

Division of Forestry technicians are available to assist landowners with preparing a long range management plans. Timber stand improvement techniques were demonstrated by James in a 30 year old walnut stand. The desired trees are released by cutting out and girdling the undesirables.

Woodland owners are encouraged to become a certified tree farmer. This is a free service that includes a professional woodland management plan being prepared followed by periodic forest surveys. With a listing the tree species and board feet by species the woodland owner has tools to make informed decisions about managing, marketing and improving the timber stand.

Kraig Moore, Consultant forester form Bowling Green discussed the process of marketing and selling timber. With the listing of board feet available, bid sheets can be advertised soliciting bids from the loggers and potential buyers. Direct negotiation with a logger/buyer while keeping considerations from the landowner and logger in mind is another selling process. Written sales contracts should be prepared and signed by all parties. Payment is usually received up front and a time limit is placed on the duration of the harvest. A one year harvest time limit is desired by the landowner but up to a three year harvest date may be requested by the logger to account for undesirable weather conditions, etc.

Sonny Young a sawmill owner/operator from Ohio County offered several first hand comments from the loggers viewpoint. He pointed out that legitimate master and certified loggers are interested in sustainable harvest, whereby growing timber remains following a harvest. This will providing for timber supplies over an extended time. Sonny remarked that he has been able to cut over managed woodland plots five or six different times during his career by following the selective and sustainable harvesting procedures.

Bill Lynch, Biologist with the KY Fish and wildlife Division related how the recommended woodland management practices improve wildlife habitat. Nesting trees and underbrush provide good environments for wildlife. There is also a need to provide wildlife corders, a connection of overgrowth, to protect wildlife while moving across expanded areas. Livestock and grain farming can also work in cooperation with providing feed and improving the environment for wildlife habitats. Native warm seasonal grasses is an important consideration in attracting quail, rabbits and other small game species.

Craig Givens, NRCS Conservation Technician, discussed the stream riparian area, a stream which had been fenced off from livestock and where nut bearing trees are planted. Fenced off streams keep livestock from scouring off the stream banks thereby polluting the running water. Designed stream crossings and restricted livestock watering areas in the streams were demonstrated. Several USDA cost share programs were discussed to assist the woodland owner in fencing off the woodlands from livestock, sustainable woodland practices and timber stand improvement practices.

Submitted by Henry Duncan, KWOA Vice President

There were several Agency educational displays back at the County Extension office that provided additional information about specific programs.

The Logan County Cattlemen Association fed the field day participants steak dinner back at the new Logan County Extension Office Complex on the bypass in Russellville.

Henry Duncan and family thanked the participants and sponsors and we all look forward to next years KY Tree farmer hosted field day.

By Katie Pratt

LEXINGTON, Ky., (Jul 1, 2009)

Recently, the Kentucky Office of the State Entomologist, in consultation with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, issued a quarantine for 20 counties due to the emerald ash borer. Since the quarantine was issued, questions have arisen about the emerald ash borer, including controlling its spread and effects on ash trees.

The emerald ash borer attacks ash trees. Within several years, it can kill a tree. Thus far, the emerald ash borer has been collected at sites in seven Kentucky counties: Fayette, Franklin, Jessamine, Jefferson, Kenton, Campbell and Shelby. All of these counties are included in the quarantine along with neighboring counties or counties with a high number of ash trees: Boone, Bourbon, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Harrison, Henry, Oldham, Owen, Pendleton, Scott, Trimble and Woodford counties.

“The quarantine prevents the transportation of all hardwood species of firewood, ash trees, lumber, nursery stock or other material where the emerald ash borer is suspected into a non-quarantined area without a certificate or limited permit,” said John Obrycki, state entomologist and chair of the UK Department of Entomology.

Permits also are needed if ash wood products are transported from one state to another state that has quarantined areas. Untreated products in a quarantine area may be moved out of the area with a permit between October and March, which is the pest’s non-flight season. Wood materials moved within Kentucky’s quarantined area do not need a permit. No permit is needed on ash products and firewood moving into a quarantined area as long as they did not originate in a quarantined area in another state or were not transported through a quarantined area.

“The idea of the quarantine is to limit the movement of the pest,” said Carl Harper, UK senior nursery inspector.

To obtain a limited permit or certificate, individuals must have their wood products inspected by a member of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Office of the State Entomologist. To obtain a certificate or limited permit, contact the Office of the State Entomologist at 859-257-5838.

Individuals with ash trees should inspect their trees for the pest. The emerald ash borer is a small, metallic green bug. If the pest is present in a tree, it will leave pronounced D-shaped holes in the bark. If people see holes in the bark but are unsure if they were caused by the emerald ash borer, they may want to take a knife and smooth out the bark. The D-shape hole should become apparent.

A treatment to control emerald ash borers containing the chemical imidacloprid is available at most major garden centers; but it is expensive, so it may not be cost effective for an individual to treat infected ash trees.

Possible infestations should be reported to the Emerald Ash Borer Hotline at 1-866-322-4512 or the state entomologist’s office at 859-257-5838.

More information on emerald ash borer can be obtained at the National Emerald Ash Borer Web site at http://emeraldashborer.info, on the Kentucky Office of the State Entomologist Web site at http://www.uky.edu/Ag/NurseryInspection/, or on the UK Entomology emerald ash borer Web site at http://pest.ca.uky.edu/EXT/EAB/welcome.html

• Don’t transport firewood, even within Kentucky. Don’t bring firewood along on a camping trip. Buy the wood you need locally. Don’t bring extra wood home with you.
• Don’t buy or move firewood from outside Kentucky. If someone comes to your door selling firewood, ask them about the source of the wood. If it came from outside Kentucky, don’t buy it.

 Kentuckians are urged to identify ash trees on their property and to examine them for signs of EAB activity. Symptoms of infestation include dieback of the upper tree canopy, sprouts growing from roots and trunk, loose bark, signs of woodpecker activity, and D-shaped exit holes in the trunk.