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<font color="black" size="4" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Dear Friends, You may have already received this but I am sending it out to everyone that is interested in Ailanthus happenings. </font><img src="https://s.aolcdn.com/cdn.webmail.aol.com/resources/core/images/smile.png" alt=":-)" height="25" width="25"> Regards,<font color="black" size="4" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
<div style="clear:both"><a href="https://mail.aol.com/IM/?sn=triplam747&locale=en_US&pd=0" style="font:lighter 10px Verdana, Arial;color:#000000;" target="_blank"><img align="absmiddle" border="0" src="https://api.aim.net/presence/icon?k=sr1DFCvn2e83VRmK&t=triplam747"></a> Kathryn Peterson-Lambert</div>
<div style="font-family:arial,helvetica;font-size:10pt;color:black">-----Original Message-----<br>
From: rwalker <rwalker@alum.mit.edu><br>
To: Roderick Walker <rodswalker@gmail.com><br>
Sent: Tue, Sep 20, 2016 5:19 pm<br>
Subject: Great opportunity to help with Ailanthus<br>
<br>
To landowners in Virginia's Piedmont and Mountain Region, <br>
<br>
The Blue Ridge PRISM [Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management]<br>
has recently been made aware of an exciting experiment on biocontrol methods<br>
for Ailanthus. The success of the experiment depends on landowner<br>
participation. Below is more information about the experiment. If you are a<br>
landowner interested in providing a site for their work, please contact<br>
Rachel Brooks, <a href="mailto:rbrooks@vt.edu" target="_blank">rbrooks@vt.edu</a>.<br>
<br>
About the Experiment:<br>
Rachel Brooks, Ph.D student and Interfaces for Global Change<br>
<<a href="http://www.globalchange.vt.edu/igc/" target="_blank">http://www.globalchange.vt.edu/igc/</a>> fellow at Virginia Tech is currently<br>
"designing a regional experiment looking at how effective the two<br>
Verticillium wilt fungi are in managing Ailanthus". She is looking for<br>
landowners that are interested in participating in the experiment that have<br>
property with large, healthy, unmanaged populations of Ailanthus. The<br>
ultimate goal of this project is to have a product ready for use by<br>
landowners in the future. These fungi are already in the wild in Virginia<br>
and seem to have minimal impact on other plants, but they move slowly<br>
through mechanisms not well understood. If these researchers can find a way<br>
to readily reproduce the fungi and use it to infect healthy Ailanthus trees,<br>
we may all have a much easier answer to this problem than what we are doing<br>
today. When these fungi kill an Ailanthus tree, they generally also kill<br>
the whole copse through root connections.<br>
<br>
Please note: Clusters of stands are preferred and there is no guarantee that<br>
any stand will have a fungus applied to it.<br>
<br>
Criteria for Ailanthus stands:<br>
* Stands where the Tree of Heaven makes up the majority of the<br>
overstory<br>
* Stands that are at least 1/4 acre in size (roughly 100ft x 100ft)<br>
* Stands without any symptoms of decline nearby. Typical symptoms<br>
include loss of foliage, numerous dead branches or dead trees, and vascular<br>
discoloration (see the picture below)<br>
* Stands that are relatively close together (I am hoping to be as<br>
efficient as possible with driving times)<br>
* Stands both in the Virginia mountains and the piedmont as well as in<br>
PA and OH<br>
* Stands that are not along right-of-ways or other locations where<br>
dead trees may cause a hazard<br>
<br>
Timing of the study:<br>
This study would involve the assessment of the stands this fall, the<br>
application of one or more of the fungi in the spring, and then monthly<br>
monitoring of the sites throughout the growing season.<br>
<br>
About the Blue Ridge PRISM:<br>
The Blue Ridge PRISM's mission is to reduce the impact of nonnative invasive<br>
species in our ten county region. In support of our mission, we provide<br>
resources and education for landowners. We see this Ailanthus biocontrol<br>
experiment as an excellent opportunity to assist in the development of<br>
biocontrols for nonnative invasive species and consistent with our desire to<br>
connect landowners with the latest opportunities and resources. <br>
<br>
If you have stands of Ailanthus that meet the criteria listed and want to<br>
participate in the research, contact Rachel and see if she would like to<br>
visit your property.<br>
<br>
Please feel free to pass this along to other folks who may be interested.<br>
<br>
Best Regards,<br>
<br>
Rod Walker<br>
Blue Ridge PRISM - A Cooperative Weed Management Area for Virginia<br>
3200 Middle Mountain Road<br>
Crozet, Virginia 22932<br>
Blueridgeprism.org<br>
434 823-2742<br>
<br>
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