[MAIPC] FW: PA fells 500 Ailanthus in prep for Spotted Lanternfly

Sun Aug 5 07:55:14 PDT 2018

Hey, just musing here, I attached a link to an article (below) that has merit. It tones down the hype and reiterates that we do not know what the harm is yet. 

I just want to put this out there. While everyone is chasing tax payer dollars to control Ailanthus, let me just say this caution as an agronomist and a person who understands the crop-commodity producer concern. Kill to a grower means just that - KILL.DEAD. It incites hysteria. I don't support inciting hysteria at the producer level when their paycheck depends on projecting trends and crop response to weather and pests. 

 - Based on the purpose of a invasive species management plan and the need for scientific evidence that this pest "Kills" host vegetation, I have cautioned, and continue to caution PDA and Penn State that hyping the harm this pest causes is not helping. Kill is a very specific term. If I kill you, you are dead. If I smear you with sticky gooy residue and that attracts something to poke holes in your skin- they did not kill you, but your not gonna be pretty and your skin might be kinda yucky so noone is going to want to eat you. Is the crop lost because of this, yes. But that is not killed. Is it severe economic harm? Yes. But that is still not KILLED. It would behoove all of us in the profession to use our terminology correctly less the next generation become the unwitting victim of the sky is falling syndrome. 

 The mice that came along and gave you plague, that might kill you. But to my knowledge, and limited access to international research findings -and given the fact this species has been around for hundreds of years in ASIA - - this species does not inject a toxin into the crop that kills humans either. 

Emerald Ash Borer at a certain density of infestation kills the ash tree. Millions of trees are dead up here. I have more than 2 dozen dead/dying in a stretch of road front the entire length of my property. 

Once we dilute the diagnostic value of a term it loses its weight in historical records. 

It is perfectly acceptable to say this new to us pest damages the crop's commodity value. That is a fact that any producer would accept on face value and demand USDA stop it. But kills the host plant? How? Is this any worse than stone fruit scale? Other aphid pests growers must deal with? 

This is a native species in a country that is as large as the United States and their are no reports in the literature that this pest kills the crop. A single published report from North Korea has been cited. NK has a very marginal poor growing condition grape industry.  The specifics of that limited study and the conditions of that study along with the secondary effects of the honeydew attracting other predators who in turn damage the crop should be properly weighted in all management decisions. 

SLF has been here for a few years now. Where is the evidence it has KILLED a commodity plant? I am not saying it has not - I am saying, we've had plenty of time to publish that data and count those dead plants and issue crop loss claims and I am not seeing those reports. But if they are out there please do send them to me. Adjusting our knowledge is key to our survival and response. 

As for Ailanthus: The host plant is the ailanthus. It is not surprising that once a population builds to this capacity over the last 75 years that it would attract a predator. Look at multiflora rose and the rose rosette virus that came along. Look at the canada thistle and the bleaching fungal pathogen that has come along. 

That is the normal cycle of life.  If we are to take advantage of this - a.k.a use her as a trap tree - make sure you understand what happens when you remove the host plant before assuming that an all out war on ailanthus - which is in itself a nuisance and should be removed for that reason - would mitigate harm to grape vineyards. If there are no grapes in the vicinity what is the harm. What is the radius of flight? 

 If the ailanthus trees are to be used as a trap tree, the life cycle of the commodity growing season is secondary if the goal is to 'trap' the pests on their host and target them for eradication. 

There are some majestic cultural male and female ailanthus trees around that are nowhere near a commodity. It would be terrible tragedy to destroy them over this hype when it is the pest, not the tree that is the concern. 

All things I would have added to the discussion but I was not invited to weigh in on the task force deliberations. :) 

- Melissa A. Bravo, co-author and lead researcher, investigator for the PA State Invasive Species Management Plan. 

Vineyard helping researchers understand damage lanternflies can do

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Vineyard helping researchers understand damage lanternflies can do

Michelle Merlin

A Penn State University study aims to look at how many spotted lanternflies it takes to damage a grapevine.
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Melissa A. Bravo, M.S. CCA, Agronomist, Invasive Species Specialist  Meadow Lake Farm Consulting Services 814-574-4067 / bravomelissa at yahoo.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-bravo-76991788

    On Saturday, August 4, 2018, 4:45:26 PM EDT, Marc Imlay <ialm at erols.com> wrote:  

Who can help Sharon ID the infestation of Ailanthus? Marc

From: Sharon Geil [mailto:ecohome6205 at earthlink.net] 
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2018 4:09 PM
To: 'Marc Imlay' <ialm at erols.com>
Subject: RE: PA fells 500 Ailanthus in prep for Spotted Lanternfly

Marc,

It was great seeing you and Alice.  I’d brought some gloves for weeding, but inadequate clothes to deal with muddy situations from all the rain.  Sorry I couldn’t join you for any removal actions and that time didn’t allow for even getting to the edges of Swan Park.  I had walked it earlier and sure looked better from when I lived in MD!  Do you happen to know the identity of the bug creating webbing within ailanthus seed heads?  I saw some at the tops of trees at Chapman’s.  There was an even higher density of looked like the same webbing in seed heads of ailanthus at one of my phenology reporting locations here in I – I attached a picture of an infested seedhead.

Just as FYI, I also attached a copy of the monthly invasive report put out within IL.  Most the SW IL reporting is from me.

Sharon

From: Marc Imlay [mailto:ialm at erols.com] 
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2018 5:03 AM
To: npagem at comcat.net; 'Sharon Geil'
Subject: FW: PA fells 500 Ailanthus in prep for Spotted Lanternfly

Hi Chapman Forest champions,

This applies to us too. So let us start saving our crops from Ailanthus. Sources of funding can include a combination of agricultural and environmental funding such as from DNR and USDA. How about a combination of 10K from each and see how it goes? The  work needs to include follow up the following year for the juvenile trees of heaven that pop up when the parent tree is dead. They are easily removed by hand.  

Marc 

From: Marc Imlay [mailto:ialm at erols.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2018 9:34 PM
To: dtaft at hyattsville.org; Colleen Aistis <caistis at hyattsville.org> (caistis at hyattsville.org) <caistis at hyattsville.org>
Subject: FW: PA fells 500 Ailanthus in prep for Spotted Lanternfly

Hi Dawn and Colleen,

Justification for removing all the Ailanthus to save our Hyattsville residents from losing their grape vines and tree-fruit. Ailanthus as the preferred host for Lycorma delicatula, commonly known as the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF), is a new invasive insect that has spread throughout southeastern Pennsylvania since its discovery in Berks County in 2014. SLF presents a significant threat to Pennsylvania agriculture, including the grape, tree-fruit, hardwood and nursery industries, which collectively are worth nearly $18 billion to the state's economy. https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly

Marc Imlay, PhD, Chair, MAIPC Biological control working Group,  MD Chapter Sierra Club Natural Places Chair. 

Conservation biologist, Park Ranger Office, Non-native Invasive Plant Control coordinator. 
(301) 442-5657 cell  ialm at erols.com
Natural and Historical Resources Division
The  Maryland-National   Capital   Park  and Planning Commission
www.pgparks.com  

From: Marc Imlay [mailto:ialm at erols.com] 
Sent: Friday, June 29, 2018 12:14 AM
To: 'Julie Simpson' <jsimpson at porttobaccoriver.org>
Subject: PA fells 500 Ailanthus in prep for Spotted Lanternfly

ITrees felled to fight Pennsylvania's spotted lanternfly invasion

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture removed 500 trees of heaven in Washington Township on Wednesday, a move that aims to trap and kill the invasive insects.

From: Maipc-brd [mailto:maipc-brd-bounces at lists.maipc.org] On Behalf Of Foster, Donna M -FS
Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2018 2:51 PM
To: maipc-brd at lists.maipc.org
Subject: Re: [Maipc-brd] PA fells 500 Ailanthus in prep for Spotted Lanternfly

A silver lining in a dark cloud.

http://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/trees-felled-to-fight-pennsylvanias-spotted-lanternfly-invasion

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Donna Marie Foster 
Landscape Architect
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Forest Service 

Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
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p: 304-285-1547 
c: 304-276-8989 
donnamfoster at fs.fed.us
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180 Canfield Street
Morgantown, WV 26505
www.fs.fed.us 

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Caring for the land and serving people
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