Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes by Stan Ames

Are some or all of your recently set tomatoes, squash, watermelons, peppers or eggplant developing dark, leathery features on their bottoms?

With the abnormal amounts of rain we have enjoyed we need to be alert to this condition and take steps to prevent its onset.  Once a fruit has been damaged it cannot be cured!

The technical term for this condition is “Blossom End Rot” and in some areas it is just referred to as “BER”. This condition is a result of the plant’s need for calcium not being satisfied.


Plantalk Colorado’s publication No. 1471 lists six major causes for this condition and we, in Jefferson County, have experienced three of those causes this year.

1. Sharp changes in temperature from cool to hot weather.
2. Extreme temperature fluctuation.
3. Waterlogged soils from too much rain or excessive watering.

Prevention steps include ensuring your plants are in well-drained soil, enjoy an even supply of water (mulching helps), taking care not to cause root damage when weeding and avoiding the use of high nitrogen content fertilizers. Keep that lawn fertilizer away from your plants!

The complete publication can be seen on the web at www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1471.
Additional information can be found in the Colorado State Extension website www.ext.colostate.edu by searching for: Recognizing Tomato Problems, Tomato diseases, and Tomatoes for the home Gardens.

Don’t forget the Extension website listed above is an outstanding source of information on most gardening issues.  Make it your first source of information! Or call the Jefferson County CSU Extension directly at 303-271-6620.

Too Much Water! by Carol King

The afternoon rains that have persisted over the last couple of weeks are a mixed blessing for gardeners. While we revel in the much need moisture, too much water can cause as many maladies as not enough water.

Here are some problems to be on the look out for:


Vegetables:

Early Blight on tomato

 Early blight in tomatoes is caused by the fungus Alternaria solani. Symptoms become prevalent during the hotter months. This disease produces brown to black, target-like spots on older leaves. If severe, the fungus also attacks stems and fruit. Affected leaves may turn yellow, then drop, leaving the fruit exposed to sunburn. Sanitation is the best control. Remove all diseased plant tissue on the ground. Avoid overhead irrigation. If the infestation is heavy, sulfur dust may help protect new leaves from infection. Follow label directions carefully, as sulfur can burn leaves when temperatures are high.

Septoria leaf spot

 Septoria leaf spot is another fungal disease found in tomatoes. Characteristic symptoms are white or gray spots on leaves, surrounded by a black or brown margin. Control is similar to early blight.


Root rot fungus is directly related to overwatering. Management of root rot requires soil improvement, and proper watering. Avoid overwatering. Always allow the soil around plants to dry out a few inches below the surface before watering again. Improve moisture conditions around the crown of the plant by exposing it to drying conditions. Remove some of the mulch or pull it back from the base a few inches. However, do not expose roots.


Powdery mildews are characterized by spots or patches of white to grayish, talcum-powder-like growth found on leaves, flower buds and stems. Once the disease becomes a problem:

Powdery Mildew

Avoid late-summer applications of nitrogen fertilizer to limit the production of succulent tissue, which is more susceptible to infection.

• Avoid overhead watering to help reduce the relative humidity in the canopy of the plant.
• Remove and destroy all infected plant parts (leaves, etc.). For infected vegetables and other annuals, remove as much of the plant and its debris in the fall as possible. This decreases the ability of the fungus to survive the winter. Do not compost infected plant debris. Temperatures often are not hot enough to kill the fungus.
• Selectively prune overcrowded plant material to help increase air circulation. This helps reduce relative humidity and infection.

If cultural controls fail to prevent disease buildup or if the disease pressure is too great, an application of a fungicide may be necessary. Follow the instructions on the fungicide label for use on specific plant species, varieties, rates to be used, timing of applications, and waiting periods before harvest.


Lawn and Flower Beds:

Sprinkler Systems should be adjusted. Do not continue to water on a scheduled basis until water is actually needed. Let Mother Nature be your sprinkler!

Powdery mildews can be found on shrubs, grass, and flowers and are characterized by spots or patches of white to grayish, talcum-powder-like growth. Control is the same as for vegetables.

Fairy Ring

 Mushrooms. Heavy rains or prolonged rainy periods often encourage the growth of mushrooms (toadstools) in home lawns and other turf areas. Most often, the mushrooms will appear randomly across the lawn. Mushrooms may also emerge in more organized circular or part-circle patterns, "fairy ring". Mushrooms found growing in lawns should NEVER be eaten, unless you are well acquainted with the different species. Many mushrooms are poisonous to some degree and ONLY an expert can distinguish between edible and poisonous species. Since young children and pets may be tempted to eat mushrooms, remove the obvious fungal structures by raking, mowing, or hand-picking can avoid the possibility of poisoning or illness.


All Around the House:

Mosquito!

 Mosquitoes. Encephalitis, dog heartworm, and West Nile Virus are the primary mosquito-borne diseases in Colorado. Beyond viral and parasitic diseases, other health problems caused by mosquitoes include allergy and infection. Mosquitoes can be a SERIOUS health issue.


Fight the Bite Colorado recommends the following:

• Check for items that might hold water including wheelbarrows, tires, hubcaps, toys, garden equipment, pool covers, tarps, plastic sheeting, pipes, drains, boats, canoes, recycling bins and trash.
• Remove standing water in ponds, ditches, clogged rain gutters, flower pots, plant saucers, puddles, buckets, jars and cans. Completely change water in birdbaths and wading pools weekly. Drill drainage holes in tire swings.
  Stock ornamental ponds and fountains with fish that eat mosquito larvae.  
• Avoid mosquitoes by staying indoors at dawn and dusk when they are most active. 
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants while outdoors.
• Apply insect repellent that contains DEET. Follow directions carefully.
  Install or repair window and door screens to keep mosquitoes out.

A complete check list can be found at their website. (www.fightthebitecolorado.com/)
For help with these or other garden problems, call the Garden Hotline at Jefferson County CSU Extension at 303-271-6620.

Pest Problems Abound After a Dry Fall and Winter by Mary Small

We’ve sure had a dry fall, winter and early spring! And alas, as I write this, I can hear the wind roaring outside.  Our persistent dry, warm, windy weather has stressed plants and this will make them susceptible to disease and insect pests in 2011. Many tree care specialists think there will be a lot of damage this year.

Here are a few problems we can expect to see:

CSU Extension

Winter burn on evergreens.  In fact, you can see it now. Look for brown needles, particularly on the south or on the windward side of the plant. Needles will be uniformly brown from the tips inward.  It’s the result of our dry, warm, windy weather that promotes transpiration, water loss through the needles. This isn’t a problem until there’s not enough water in the soil to replace what gets lost. Sometimes, though, water loss happens so fast (like on windy days!) that plants  cannot keep up with it. Needles lose so much water so fast, they dehydrate or “burn”. 
Little can be done at this point, except to water plants and hope for rain or snow! This spring’s new growth will mask most of the brown needles which will eventually fall off. Winter burn does not usually kill established plants, but may seriously damage younger ones.

University of Minnesota Extension

 Cytospora canker.  A common fungal disease found on many trees and shrubs.  While the problem is a common one, we will probably see more because of weather stresses.  This pathogen is a weak one and only successfully damages plants stressed from something else, like drought. Look for dead or poorly leafing branches this spring and examine them more closely for sunken, discolored lesions.  These are the cankers. Prune damaged branches off below them. Water trees every 2-4 weeks if there’s no significant snow melt or rainfall.  For more information on Cytospora canker management strategies, see fact sheet 2.937, Cytospora Canker at http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/02937.html  

Barkbeetles.org

Borers and bark beetles that attack stressed plants.  When trees are stressed, they produce chemicals that can attract certain insect pests. An example of this is the spruce ips beetle. Spruce ips beetles feed in the conductive tissue under the bark, causing needle and branch death. They are typically found in the upper portion of mature trees. They also damage recent transplants.  Actively growing, healthy trees are more resistant to insect pests.  Promote  plant health by watering during dry periods, but avoid over-irrigation as that  stresses trees, too.  Insecticide treatments may be applied to trunks just prior to the time when adults fly and begin laying eggs in the spring.  For more information on ips beetles see: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05558.html

Rosemary and Powdery Mildew by Carol King

I received a nice little rosemary Christmas tree as a gift.  I was cooking chicken and decided to add some when I noticed it was covered with some white powdery dust.  It seems that my little tree had powdery mildew.  Rosemary grown indoors is very prone to this and the little Christmas trees especially so.  I investigated the cure and found that potassium bicarbonate products and neem oils can be used  to control this disease.  However, I was cautioned to make sure the product of choice can be used both indoors and on edible crops. Read the directions on the label and follow them perfectly since it is being used for cooking. There has been some success reported with baking soda and water: spray with a solution of 1 tablespoon baking soda dissolved in 1 quart of water.  Repeat if necessary. 

I personally  just tossed it in the dust bin and put it out of its misery!

Top 10 Rookie Gardening Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

 I am hardly a rookie gardener and yet I continue to commit many of these mistakes.  I'm "turning over a new leaf".  I promise!!


Top 10 Rookie Gardening Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them) - Planet Green

Got Cracks in your Tomatoes? Here's Why

 We had question at the Belmar Farmers' Market about cracked tomatoes.  I was unsure as to the cause but Carol O'Meara from Boulder County explained all our summer tomato woes.  Seems it's weather, weather, and weather! 

Gardening after five

Recognizing Tomato Problems

Tomatoes can certainly be a pain to produce.  There seems to always be something going on that's not quite right.  This fact sheet sheds a light on many of tomatoes biggest problems.

Recognizing Tomato Problems

Hot Weather Garden Problems by Carol King and Donna Duffy

The Dog Days of summer are here. The Greeks and Romans believed the dog star Sirius, a prominent star in the August heavens,  was the cause of the hot, sultry weather. They considered this to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" according to Brady’s Clavis Calendarium, 1813.

It’s also the time in the garden when hot weather causes all sorts of calamities as well and gives gardeners fevers, hysterics and phrensies!  Be on the lookout for these problems.

The lawn is getting brown! The lush green grass from spring is starting to dry up with the hot days. If your lawn is Kentucky bluegrass (very common in landscaping) this slowdown is a natural part of the life cycle. Tip #1: mow to a height of 2.5 to 3”, and return the mulched clippings back to the lawn. Tip #2: fertilization is typically not necessary from July to early August. Wait to fertilize until late fall while the grass is still green. Tip #3: when a lawn looks thirsty, a common mistake is to increase the watering time. When using a standard sprinkler system with pop-up heads, eight to ten minutes is about the optimal time any one turf zone should run so run-off doesn’t occur. The full cycle may need to be repeated two or more times depending upon rain, humidity, wind and heat in the environment.

Yikes! Spider mites! Spider mites are common pest problems on many plants around yards and gardens in Colorado. Damaged areas typically appear marked with many small, light flecks, giving the plant a somewhat speckled appearance. You might also see webbing. Tip: few insecticides are effective for spider mites and many even aggravate problems. Instead, try a periodic hosing of plants with a forceful jet of water to physically remove and kill mites, as well as remove the dust that collects on foliage and interferes with mite predators.

Leaf scorch. During the hot days of summer, many trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables develop dry, brown leaf margins. Once leaf scorch has occurred, there is no cure. The dehydrated portions of the leaf will not turn green again, but with proper water management, the plant may recover. Tip #1: during the growing season, water deeply and infrequently. Resist the urge to water more frequently. Tip #2: in the winter, give the plant a deep watering once a month when there is no snow cover. Tip 3: avoid overfertilizing. Fertilizer spikes, that deliver concentrated salts at specific sites, can burn roots and contribute to leaf scorch.

Pollination issues.  Many summer vegetables must be pollinated by insects such as bees to set fruit, During hot weather, pollen doesn’t remain viable very long. As a result there may be a drop in vegetable production for several days during and after hot spells even if bees are present. There may be more misshapen fruit as a result of poor pollination.

Blossom drop. Temperatures in the nineties cause many vegetables to drop their blossoms before fruit forms. Squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and beans are especially prone to this. Over fertilizing and under watering also contribute to blossom drop. Tip #1: To minimize blossom drop during a heat wave, keep your garden well watered by applying around 1” of water per week if it does not rain. Tip #2: avoid high nitrogen fertilizers.  Tip #3: Mulch the vegetables to conserve moisture and keep soils cool.

Blossom end rot. Another problem that is common in hot weather is blossom end rot (BER). This disorder occurs when there is not enough calcium available to developing fruit, resulting in the lower end of the fruit turning tan or black and failing to develop. BER is most common in tomatoes, but also occurs in eggplant, peppers, watermelons, and squash. The most common causes are uneven watering, over fertilization, extreme temperatures, and low soil pH (acid soil). Tip #1:  keep vegetables evenly moist. Do not allow them to dry out during dry spells. Tip #2: do not over fertilize with high nitrogen fertilizers.

If you have other “phrensies” in the garden, call the Jeffco CSU Extension Office at 303-271-6620.  We’ll get through this together!

Check Your Tomatoes! Psyllids Have Arrived by Mary Small

Better check your tomatoes!  Tomato/potato psyllids have arrived from the south and are wreaking havoc in area gardens. 

Psyllids are small sap-sucking insects. Their saliva is toxic to tomatoes and potatoes and can cause them serious damage.  Unless you know what you’re looking for and are checking regularly, the insects can go undetected until it’s too late. Here are some psyllid-detecting tips.


Examine the undersides of tomato and potato leaves; that’s where the bulk of psyllids hang out.  Eggs are small, orange-yellow and “ stalked” (held upright by a little pedestal).  See if you can find the yellowish nymphs (young). They look like tiny, plastic flying saucers. Following egg hatch, nymphs crawl around the leaf, looking for a place to settle.  When satisfied with their choice, they hunker down, feed and remain stationary. So they’re not going to jump or fly away while you’re looking for them.

Unfortunately as nymphs mature, they turn pale green, making them harder to detect. Fortunately, psyllids produce easily-seen “psyllid sugar” (a polite euphemism for their  poop).  So if you don’t see the beasts but find sugar on plant leaves, you know they’re around…and feeding!

Unchecked, these insects cause plant symptoms known as  “psyllid yellows”.   Upper leaves turn yellow with a purple tinge to veins and margins.  Leaves become stiff and leathery.  Tomato plants either produce an abundance of tasteless fruit or produce no fruit at all.  Potato plants develop lots of small, weirdly-shaped tubers that may actually sprout underground. Needless to say, the crop is ruined.

So what’s a gardener to do?  Check tomato and potato plants regularly.  Inspect eggplants and peppers, too.  Psyllids can feed on these plants, yet not cause significant damage. Apply insecticidal soaps, sulfur dust (if you can get it coated on the leaf undersides) or insecticides containing permethrin or esfenvalerate.  Always follow label directions when using any of these products.
See this Colorado State University extension fact sheet for more details:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05540.html

Here's an article from the Boulder Daily Camera also.

Fire Blight Arrives in Our Trees! by Mary Small

As if trees didn’t have enough trouble from last summers’s hail, October’s damaging freeze and a late spring, some have now developed fire blight!  This bacterial disease is common on crab apple, apple, mountain ash and pear. 

Warmer than average temperatures during blossom time creates ideal conditions for disease development. If rain falls at the same time, its spread is rapid.  And guess what?  This spring was just perfect, if you were fire blight bacteria!

Fire blight symptoms can be found as early as petal drop, when infected blossoms shrivel and turn brown.  During the late spring and summer, infected branches wilt and darken as the bacteria colonize them.  Branch tips darken and bend over in a “shepherd’s crook” formation, appearing as though they were torched.  In wet weather, it’s easy to find small blobs of cream colored bacterial ooze on infected tissues.  Branches and trunks also develop cankers, areas of sunken discolored tissue.  

Fire blight bacteria spend the winter in the canker margins until warm, moist spring weather stimulates bacterial growth and oozing.  Insects carry the ooze to flowers where the bacteria reproduce quickly in the sugary nectar.

Bacteria also spread through splashing water into natural openings and wounds created by hail, insect feeding and pruning.  We’ve seen a great deal of fire blight this year on crabapples damaged by last July’s severe hail storm.

Prune out the damaged branches.  Make pruning cuts 8 to 12 inches below visible signs of infection.  Surface sterilize pruning tools with bleach, ethyl alcohol or disinfectant sprays after each cut to avoid spreading fire blight on pruning tools. 

Local weather conditions determine disease severity each year.

Check out this CSU Extension fact sheet for more information.

Bug News from Whitney Cranshaw

Locally, I have seen a sharp uptick in aphid populations on woody plants and ornamentals in the past week. Not surprising with the wet and generally cool spring conditions. Furthermore, I am not seeing alot of predator activity (lady beetles, lacewings, syrphid flies) so I suspect that the next couple of weeks will see them spiking, crashing when the predators finally catch up and the succulent new growth ceases.

(As a side note I was watching an ash sapling that had serious leafcurl ash aphid injury developing. However, when I checked them yesterday, most of the leaf curls had been cleaned out by earwigs. They completely consumed all the aphids in the curls where they had been harbored.)


However, this may just be a local deal, or at least in places that similarly have had cool wet weather. The situation in much of south east CO is alot different, with some areas in the SE being very dry. Furthermore, I do not see many aphids on the plants in the prairies and last year and several of these sustained particularly high aphid populations at this time in 2009. Particularly the sage, which were loaded with aphids and which subsequently produced most the the convergent lady beetles (Hippodamia convergens) that were in tremendous number in 2009 and moved into Pueblo and Colorado Springs early last summer. (Before settling in the high country for winter dormancy.)

I am also getting a fair number of questions about honeylocust looking odd. I think there are a couple of things involved in many of these. For one, in places where we had the mid-October freeze the trees looked strange all winter with the old leaves hanging on through winter, caught before they could abscise. And a very heavy flowering and seed set is occurring on many plants, likely the response to the freeze in spring 2009 that killed the flowers of honeylocust (and most everything else), causing them to boom more profusely this season.


Then there is the plant bugs, that distort and may kill back the new growth. Although in Fort Collins I am not seeing extraordinary amounts of injury, I would say it is average or even a bit below average here, I am getting reports of more serious damage elsewhere along the Front Range.


And though the plant bugs should now be on their last legs for the season I am bracing for the floodwater-type mosquitoes, which I suspect should come on strong this weekend in Fort Collins.


Ash borers continue to dribble into my pheromone traps. Miller moths (army cutworm) continue to dribble through town. Low numbers for both all year.



Whitney Cranshaw

Fort Collins

Recent Plant Diseases in Jefferson County by Mary Small

Cool moist spring weather contributed to the development of oak leaf blister, a fungal disease.  Infected leaves develop light green blisters or bulges that later turn brown.  The problem often goes unnoticed until leaves drop prematurely beginning in mid summer. 
While unattractive, tree health is not usually affected. However, yearly infestations of oak leaf blister can weaken a tree, making it more susceptible to other problems.  Maintain good tree health.  In fall, rake up fallen leaves and dispose of them.

Moist spring weather also contributed to the appearance of rose rust.  This fungal disease causes orange pustules to form on leaf undersides.  Leaf surfaces initially have orange-colored spots superficially resembling drops of paint.  As the pustules enlarge, spots turn brown.  Infected leaves may drop.
When a rose has the leaf symptoms, also look for black crusty growths on canes (which are overwintering fungal structures) and remove the canes. If not done already,  prune roses to increase air circulation within the leaf canopy.
Moisture management is essential to minimize this disease, so water early in the day to dry leaves quickly.  In the fall, clean up leaf debris from around infected plants
A few fungicides are available for rose rust management but must be applied when conditions are conducive to the development of the disease: moderate temperatures and wet leaves.  Products available for rust management include potassium bicarbonate, mycobutanil, propiconazole and sulfur. Fortunately, hot dry weather stops disease development.

Herbicide Injury by Mary Small

We have been blessed by an abundance of rain this spring.  It’s been great, not only for our gardens, but also for those pesky weeds.  Just as there are a variety of weeds, there are a variety of ways to manage them.  One of the most common methods is spraying them with herbicides (weed killers).  When used according to label directions, herbicides are quite successful.  However, some users fail to read the directions and that’s when problems occur.
We’ve started to see herbicide injury to garden plants in the CSU/Jefferson County Extension plant clinic.  Growing tips are twisted and curled; leaves may appear twisted, cupped or narrower than normal.  Leaf stems (petioles) may be twisted or curled.  Garden plants such as tomatoes, beans and lilacs are very sensitive.  Unfortunately, herbicides don’t “know” the difference between a desirable and an undesirable plant.   And it doesn’t have to be you that applied the product; herbicides can move from their target area (ie, a lawn) under the right conditions.
What can you do to avoid problems with herbicide injury? 

Watch the air temperature.  High temperatures (85 degrees or higher) during or right after application can cause some products to vaporize and move elsewhere (called “drift”).
Watch the wind speed.  Don’t apply products when it is windy or breezy.  Early day applications are often best to avoid “drift” from wind movement.
Use lower pressures or sprayer nozzles with larger openings that will increase the droplet size and make it more difficult for the product to move elsewhere.
Hold the sprayer nozzle as close to the plant as the product suggests so it doesn’t have a chance to become airborne.
Distortions or weird growths you find are not always  the result of herbicide injury.  Weather, soil problems, root stress, diseases, insects, mites and mutations can also cause these problems.  Have the problem checked out by the CSU/Jefferson County plant clinic.  We can’t test for herbicides in plants, but we can look for other problems.  The clinic is located on the Jefferson County fairgrounds in the Extension office.  There is a $7 fee for Jefferson County residents and a $10 fee for non-county residents.

Viburnum Bacterial Blight by Mary Small

If your viburnum leaves are sporting brown and yellow speckles, better get out the pruners!  These leaves are infected with Pseudomonas blight, a bacterial disease.  Cool moist spring weather is partially responsible for its appearance this year.
The disease over-winters on buds and twigs.  During springs like we just had, bacteria is splashed from the wintering sites to the leaves, creating brown, angular spots often surrounded by a yellow “halo”.  In severe infections, leaves become distorted and twig tips may die.
Prune out the damaged areas, disinfecting your pruning tool between each cut with rubbing alcohol, a 1:9 bleach/water solution or a disinfectant spray.  The treatment helps prevent accidental bacterial introduction to healthy tissue.
Also take time to thin or prune the affected viburnum so there is better air movement in the canopy of the plant- which also helps reduce infection.

Iris Leaf Spot by Mary Small

Cool moist spring weather is partially responsible for the appearance of iris leaf spot, a fungal disease.  Leaf spots are most noticeable on the upper half of iris leaves.  They are oval-shaped with tan to gray centers and red-brown borders.  During summer, infected iris leaves may die back prematurely from the tip.

This fungus over-winters on dead leaves and stems, so one way to reduce the problem is to clean up the garden in the fall. This removes infected plant material which reduces the amount of fungal matter in the garden next season.

 Dig and replant iris (about 6 weeks after blooming) to keep them from becoming crowded.  Close plantings encourage poor air circulation which creates good growing conditions for the fungus.  Crowded plants also make it easy for fungi to splash from plant to plant, spreading the disease.

In most cases, good cultural practices (fall cleanup and plant thinning) keep the problem low in our western climate.  Fungicides are rarely needed.

Watch Your Lawn for Snow Mold by Mary Small

Many lawns in the Metro area have symptoms of gray snow mold.  The damage appears as circular patches of matted, discolored grass. 

Snow mold is a fungal disease that develops when snow falls on unfrozen turf and remains there for long periods of time. The most severely damaged grass is found adjacent to driveways (where large piles of snow accumulate from shoveling) or where there are snow drifts.  Snow mold fungi thrive in temperatures just above freezing, conveniently provided by the long-lasting snow cover!

As snow recedes, circular patches of light yellow, straw or brown-colored turf suddenly appear.  The grass blades in these patches are matted and may be covered with gray or white webbing.  As the grass dries out, webbing disappears and the patches crust over.  Grass blades may be killed if infestations are severe.  When temperatures warm, new leaves develop and the lawn begins to recover.  Damaged grass may be a bit slower to green up.

Although infections begin in winter under snow, fungal growth may continue after snowmelt if the grass remains cool and wet.  Once temperatures regularly exceed 45 degrees or the lawn dries out, gray snow mold activity stops.

To manage snow mold, rake the patches to break up the crust and dry out the lawn.  You can follow this with a light fertilizer application in early spring.  Fungicides are available, but must be applied in the fall.

Fortunately, snow mold infestations don’t happen every year. Environmental conditions must be just right for the disease to occur and piles of long-lasting snow aren’t that common in the Metro area.

Officials: Pine beetle infestation has peaked

The pine beetle has just about eaten all the pines we have in the Colorado Mountains.  The infestation has peaked but the remaining millions of dead trees are causing a new hazard for us.


Officials: Pine beetle infestation has peaked - The Denver Post

There is also concern that the beetle is headed eastward toward our Front Range  mountain communities.

Read this.

Herbie the Elm Bites the Dust

Here's the complete story of the elm "Herbie"  who lost its battle with Dutch Elm disease last week.

Herbie The Elm Removal

Sudden Aspen Decline

It seems that a lot of the posts lately have been concerning the dire state of many of our trees.  Aspens also are dying at an unprecedented rate in Colorado. Here's an attempt to treat and reverse "sudden aspen decline" with fire.


Next victim: aspen trees | SummitDaily.com

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Scientists Race to Save Ash Tree

The emerald ash borer has devastated ash trees in fourteen states and threatens to make the ash tree extinct.  An effort to save seeds and save these trees is underway.  The National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation in Fort Collins, Colorado is storing the seeds.

 Click here for this story.

Scientists race to save ash tree - The Denver Post

 
In addition, these two articles, one about pine beetle moving into urban areas and one about moving firewood in general should alert us to heed this wise bit of advice: DO NOT MOVE FIREWOOD!