It's winter. The weather, usually bitter cold, has been pleasant, breaching the 40s and usually hovering above the freezing point during the day. I never remember a winter like this.
But we still took in the plants. We don't have many, just a few herbs, a tomato plant, a zygo cactus, an orchid, and a succulent. I guess that's more than most people! Ha!
Anyhow, we brought the plants in mid-December. By the time Christmas arrived we had fruit flies buzzing around our apartment. At first I thought it was from some bananas on the counter. But we kept the kitchen clean and they still continued their silent flight, irritating us by landing on computer screens, the TV, and, occasionally, showing up in a glass of water. It was gross.
When I bumped one of the plants, the fruit flies came swirling out. They were living in the plant soils! So I set all the plants out on the deck and sprayed them down with soapy water. Inside, I kept smacking them, clapping my hands in the air, following them around the wall and quickly squishing them, leaving a dark mark on the white paint.
I saw one in the office. To keep his options limited, I closed the door. Our office is small, and I tried to follow him with my eyes, but lost a few times due to his zany flight path. It took about five minutes, but I caught him against the window and made him pay. Soon victory was ours and we ceased find any fruit flies.
All this got me thinking about what a huge task the USDA and other government offices have. When a ground animal is on the loose, officers get the dogs out, load guns, track prints, and capture the beast. In the ocean, the task is more difficult. A shark or harmful animal may never be in the same place at the same time, so finding a shark that bit a person isn't likely. However, crocodiles and alligator have a better chance of being caught. As do snakes.
But when it comes to tracking an animal in the air, the difficulty increases immensely. The possibilities of travel are nearly endless. Of course, birds do migrate in patterns, and they are found by the most vigilant of bird watchers. But for birds, chances for escape are plenty. They can't be cornered if they are perched at the top of a white pine near the edge of a cliff.
Tracking and trapping a nuisance flock of birds (if there could be such a thing) would be challenging. But what if the birds were the size of a dime? And what if there were billions of them? And what if people also factored into the situation by moving their habitats across the country with the birdy babies inside? It's impossible.
What I realized is that figuring out the cause of our fruit fly problem was difficult. Then getting rid of the fruit flies from our apartment took time and persistence. But they were limited: to our apartment. What if there was no limit? How could humans stop an insect infestation? Is it even possible?
This just highlights the difficult task the USDA has in battling invasive species.
As I followed one around the office I left the herbs outside, since they seemed to be the worst.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Article: Stink Beetles and Science Reporting
Haddon, Heather. 2012. "Out of Odor: Offensive-Smelling Bugs Put U.S. Farmers on the Defensive." The Wall Street Journal. January 9.
The Wall Street Journal often runs amusing or unusual stories at the bottom of the front page. This story is unusual in the olfactory sense. It describes an invasive species to the US, the stink bug.
The articles describes how these bugs have been eating crops out East, devouring different crops and causing ... a big stink. The Halyomorpha halys came to the states via cargo ships, as did the Emerald Ash Borer. But this bug has been here for about 15 years.
Haddon cites some facts. The damage to 2010's apple crops cost $37 million. The potential risk to all crops is $21 billion (however, this isn't stated as annually or just for 2012). The USDA marked $5.7 million to researchers developing the bug's pheromones. But other entrepreneurs are in on the action, making and marketing their own traps, which people eagerly want, because the bugs sneak into houses during the winter.
The article provided a quick summary of the problem and why it is important to agriculture businesses. It provides a humorous take, mentioning the farmer who trained his dog to eat them. She says that "thousands" of the bug scurry across his floor—an exaggeration?
Haddon informs the reader of the solutions being worked on, the pheromones and the introduction of native prey in the Eastern states. The USDA is working on similar solutions for the Emerald Ash Borer as well.
This article might be a little off topic, but it interested me as research. The writing was a bit more entertaining, but it still illustrates the problem, lists potential solutions, and ends with a question of what will happen next. This outline could be followed for a similar article on EAB. But also, this shows a second case where the USDA is favoring natural biological solutions over chemical solutions. I'm sure this is a common type of solution in the 21st Century, a marked difference from Rachel Carson's 1960s.
The Wall Street Journal often runs amusing or unusual stories at the bottom of the front page. This story is unusual in the olfactory sense. It describes an invasive species to the US, the stink bug.
The articles describes how these bugs have been eating crops out East, devouring different crops and causing ... a big stink. The Halyomorpha halys came to the states via cargo ships, as did the Emerald Ash Borer. But this bug has been here for about 15 years.
Haddon cites some facts. The damage to 2010's apple crops cost $37 million. The potential risk to all crops is $21 billion (however, this isn't stated as annually or just for 2012). The USDA marked $5.7 million to researchers developing the bug's pheromones. But other entrepreneurs are in on the action, making and marketing their own traps, which people eagerly want, because the bugs sneak into houses during the winter.
The article provided a quick summary of the problem and why it is important to agriculture businesses. It provides a humorous take, mentioning the farmer who trained his dog to eat them. She says that "thousands" of the bug scurry across his floor—an exaggeration?
Haddon informs the reader of the solutions being worked on, the pheromones and the introduction of native prey in the Eastern states. The USDA is working on similar solutions for the Emerald Ash Borer as well.
This article might be a little off topic, but it interested me as research. The writing was a bit more entertaining, but it still illustrates the problem, lists potential solutions, and ends with a question of what will happen next. This outline could be followed for a similar article on EAB. But also, this shows a second case where the USDA is favoring natural biological solutions over chemical solutions. I'm sure this is a common type of solution in the 21st Century, a marked difference from Rachel Carson's 1960s.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Government Doc: Natural Resources Defense Council Sues USDA
Natural Resource Defense v. US Dept. of Agric., 613 F. 3d 76 - Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit 2010 Argued: April 6, 2010. Decided: July 8, 2010. http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=836394702275181896&q=emerald+ash+borer&hl=en&as_sdt=3,24
This legal document summarizes an argument between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and some states joined together by a giant environmental non-profit organization. I'll summarize the action.
After the emerald ash borer began spreading through the country, a branch of the USDA, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), looked into the regulations regarding wooden packing material. That's because the emerald ash borer arrived in crating material originating from eastern Asia. Of course, it isn't the first time insects have jumped the ocean by hitching a ride on some crates of Samsung TVs or large boxes of plastic bobbleheads. So it isn't surprising that APHIS would look into tightening restrictions on packing material.
The process began and Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) were written to evaluate the problem. The conclusion was to adopt new guidelines for incoming Solid Wood Packing Material (SWPM—I know, it doesn't seem like this needs an acronym, right?)
It turns out there are some international guidelines for such material, and they are set by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), which is somehow related to the United Nations. So the IPPC's latest guidelines are to have all wooden pallets treated with a gas or treated with a high level of heat.
This provides a good, multinational guideline. Everyone knows it isn't full proof, but it provided one more step for protection against the invasive species.
But some states and the large non-profit National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) disagreed. They sued the USDA because they felt APHIS didn't meet the high standards of the National Environment Protection Act (NEPA) and the Plant Protection Act (PPA).
Basically, the argument was that APHIS could eliminate the risk completely—but they didn't because of outside pressures. They didn't need to pass laws saying packaging should be treated with a chemical harmful to the ozone, instead they should have passed a law requiring the US to ban SWPM completely!
I imagine this would be extremely difficult to accomplish, and it would take a long time. However, it would eliminate this problematic profusion of invasive species. Why not just use prefabricated wood, which wouldn't be infested?
Well, the USDA won the case. The court decided that APHIS took all these considerations to heart, evidenced by the final EIS, in which several other options for SWPM were mentioned.
I learned a few things from this article: 1) These acronyms are out of control. 2) APHIS seems to have a near impossible task: restricting tiny insects or their larvae from entering our borders. 3) Our nation doesn't take this threat so seriously as to harm shipping patterns and trade relations. Is that good or bad? I guess we'll see in time.
I never did see final date of implementation for APHIS's recommendations, however.
This legal document summarizes an argument between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and some states joined together by a giant environmental non-profit organization. I'll summarize the action.
After the emerald ash borer began spreading through the country, a branch of the USDA, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), looked into the regulations regarding wooden packing material. That's because the emerald ash borer arrived in crating material originating from eastern Asia. Of course, it isn't the first time insects have jumped the ocean by hitching a ride on some crates of Samsung TVs or large boxes of plastic bobbleheads. So it isn't surprising that APHIS would look into tightening restrictions on packing material.
The process began and Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) were written to evaluate the problem. The conclusion was to adopt new guidelines for incoming Solid Wood Packing Material (SWPM—I know, it doesn't seem like this needs an acronym, right?)
It turns out there are some international guidelines for such material, and they are set by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), which is somehow related to the United Nations. So the IPPC's latest guidelines are to have all wooden pallets treated with a gas or treated with a high level of heat.
This provides a good, multinational guideline. Everyone knows it isn't full proof, but it provided one more step for protection against the invasive species.
But some states and the large non-profit National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) disagreed. They sued the USDA because they felt APHIS didn't meet the high standards of the National Environment Protection Act (NEPA) and the Plant Protection Act (PPA).
Basically, the argument was that APHIS could eliminate the risk completely—but they didn't because of outside pressures. They didn't need to pass laws saying packaging should be treated with a chemical harmful to the ozone, instead they should have passed a law requiring the US to ban SWPM completely!
I imagine this would be extremely difficult to accomplish, and it would take a long time. However, it would eliminate this problematic profusion of invasive species. Why not just use prefabricated wood, which wouldn't be infested?
Well, the USDA won the case. The court decided that APHIS took all these considerations to heart, evidenced by the final EIS, in which several other options for SWPM were mentioned.
I learned a few things from this article: 1) These acronyms are out of control. 2) APHIS seems to have a near impossible task: restricting tiny insects or their larvae from entering our borders. 3) Our nation doesn't take this threat so seriously as to harm shipping patterns and trade relations. Is that good or bad? I guess we'll see in time.
I never did see final date of implementation for APHIS's recommendations, however.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Article: EAB Update in the Local Paper
DeWitte, Diane K. 2011. "A Destructive Pest: An Update on the Emerald Ash Borer." The Mankato Free Press. November 30.
Last month, as I worked for complete my prospectus for this class, I found an article in the local paper, The Mankato Free Press. Written by a U of M Extension educator, Diane K. DeWitte, the article provides the area with an update on what the ash borer is, what threat it presents, and what can be done to prevent it from moving. She mentions the reason for the update: the upcoming 10 year anniversary of EAB's discovery in Michigan in 2002.
She provides a timeline of EAB in Minnesota, from its discovery in Ramsey County in 2009, then Hennepin County and Houston County, and two years later another in Ramsey and more in Houston and the city of Winona.
To protect homeowner trees, DeWitte mentions the usual scouting for "D" shaped holes and woodpecker activity. She also states that insecticide should not be applied if the tree is "out of the likely range of emerald ash borer," and that "unnecessary insecticide application is a waste of money." Ashes are only at risk, she says, if EAB is found within a 10-15 mile radius. Probably due to limited word count for the article, she provides an excellent short synopsis of the EAB life cycle.
This article was easy to understand for anyone interested in trees. It appeared on the front page of the Home and Garden section with three large, color images. The only downside is that it has no local angle, no opportunity for readers in Mankato to connect in a local way with the author.
I want to follow up with these three things mentioned at the end of the article:
Last month, as I worked for complete my prospectus for this class, I found an article in the local paper, The Mankato Free Press. Written by a U of M Extension educator, Diane K. DeWitte, the article provides the area with an update on what the ash borer is, what threat it presents, and what can be done to prevent it from moving. She mentions the reason for the update: the upcoming 10 year anniversary of EAB's discovery in Michigan in 2002.
She provides a timeline of EAB in Minnesota, from its discovery in Ramsey County in 2009, then Hennepin County and Houston County, and two years later another in Ramsey and more in Houston and the city of Winona.
To protect homeowner trees, DeWitte mentions the usual scouting for "D" shaped holes and woodpecker activity. She also states that insecticide should not be applied if the tree is "out of the likely range of emerald ash borer," and that "unnecessary insecticide application is a waste of money." Ashes are only at risk, she says, if EAB is found within a 10-15 mile radius. Probably due to limited word count for the article, she provides an excellent short synopsis of the EAB life cycle.
This article was easy to understand for anyone interested in trees. It appeared on the front page of the Home and Garden section with three large, color images. The only downside is that it has no local angle, no opportunity for readers in Mankato to connect in a local way with the author.
I want to follow up with these three things mentioned at the end of the article:
- There are three wasps being studied by the department of agriculture. What are they?
- There are new requirements for heat-treating wooden shipping pallets. What are those requirements?
- The Minnesota Tree Care Advisors will put out a communication plan in 2012. What will it be and who are those advisors?
Monday, December 26, 2011
Advice
I received some advice from my professor last semester. The time ticked toward completion dates of several assignments. I found it hard to maintain the deadlines since we did not meet each week to discuss what had to be completed. The asynchronous class works well for some, but I found it wasn't for me. I had multiple projects due at different times and I taught a Composition class of 24 smart students who sometimes also missed due dates.
The professor gave me some suggestions for next semester. She mentioned that few students finish on time. While I want to finish at the end of May, I want to complete a solid work. If that means taking more time, well, I might have to.
But, as the professor mentioned, if I create a schedule, stick to it, expect two weeks for advisor revisions, and clear big changes before I make them, I can complete this on time.
The professor gave me some suggestions for next semester. She mentioned that few students finish on time. While I want to finish at the end of May, I want to complete a solid work. If that means taking more time, well, I might have to.
But, as the professor mentioned, if I create a schedule, stick to it, expect two weeks for advisor revisions, and clear big changes before I make them, I can complete this on time.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Presentation of Research
Will a tree that currently lines thousands of boulevards
in the United States become extinct in the near future? Minnesota’s green ash (fraxinus Pennslyvanica), white ash, (fraxinus americana), and the black ash (fraxinus nigra) face a dire future
because of an invasive species new to the United States (O’Brian and Suszkiw
2011, 18; Wang et al. 2011, 1). The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) Fairmaire (EAB), a green
beetle about the size of a nickel, has yet to be stopped since its uninvited
entrance on shipping material in Detroit, Michigan in 2002 (O’Brien and Suszkiw
2011, 18-19; Dunbar 2011).
While all states
have much to lose to the spread of EAB, Maine and Minnesota have the largest
population of ash trees within their respective borders (MNDNR 2007). To slow
the spread of the pest, many Minnesotan government agencies joined together to
create an EAB task force (USDA 2008; MNDNR 2007). By the time EAB made it
across the Mississippi river and into Minnesota (Schuldt 2010), several other states struggled to
deal with the situation. Although all eastern and midwestern states will lose
trees and money in this battle (Kovacs et al. 2010, 575; H.R. 3901), some
suggest that Minnesotans maintain a stronger emotional connection with their
landscape, especially their trees (Atkins 2007, 1-9). As a result, they may be
more willing to engage with government agencies to protect the larger ash
canopy in the state.
Please view the video below to get a glimpse into some of my research on this subject.
Government Doc: Mankato City Code
Yesterday and I was clambering to figure out how to detail my research for the rest of the class, I looked up the Mankato's city code. I wanted to answer the "So what?" question that many researchers must deal with in order for their findings to have any implication to society outside of their discourse communities.
Also, I've seen elm trees in Mankato yards flagged with Dutch Elm Disease (that is, several leaves turned yellow, which indicates that the disease will soon kill the tree—arborists call this "flagging"). I even contacted a MSU maintain manager when I saw an elm flagging. This great tree was flagging, and its canopy stretched to shade the parking lot.
The MSU staff decided to wait instead of taking up my offer to cut the branch and trace the disease. The tree lingered for much longer than I thought it would. For a while I even doubted it was emerald ash borer (EAB). But the next year, the disease took the tree and they cut the whole thing down.
So I figured Mankato didn't have strict laws like Minneapolis and St. Paul does regarding diseased or dangerous trees. After all, Dutch Elm is rampant in this area (especially on the windbrakes and in the ravines). I was wrong! Here's a segment of Mankato City Code 9.73:
When a homeowner's tree first gets Dutch Elm Disease, they have until April 1st of the next year to remove it. But that assumes the tree won't continue to decline, which happens most often (unless there are dry conditions). If the tree loses more than 30 percent of its canopy, the tree needs to be removed in 20 days.
If the homeowner does not meet this requirement, the forester can "abate the nuisance" (cut it down) and charge the homeowner for it. Depending on the size of the tree, it could cost $1,000 or more (for the biggest trees). Rarely does a Mankato tree removal go for more than this price, even with cranes involved.
So, what are the implications for the ash trees of Mankato? I'm sure when the Emerald Ash Borer hit the city the City Council will update the code here. All the trees they talk about are elm and oaks. So it makes sense they would add ash trees to the rules.
The other big question is whether or not this code is enforced. Does the forester mark trees on people's property? Maybe he does, but considering the size of the town and the amount of trees with Dutch Elm Disease, I don't imagine he gets involved unless a homeowner is negligent and a neighbor is concerned.
Why didn't I look at this sooner? It would have given my research more meaning, and it might even suggest that the city code be adapted in the future to provide for a possible infestation of EAB. Ah well, more to add into the prospectus during winter break.
Also, I've seen elm trees in Mankato yards flagged with Dutch Elm Disease (that is, several leaves turned yellow, which indicates that the disease will soon kill the tree—arborists call this "flagging"). I even contacted a MSU maintain manager when I saw an elm flagging. This great tree was flagging, and its canopy stretched to shade the parking lot.
The MSU staff decided to wait instead of taking up my offer to cut the branch and trace the disease. The tree lingered for much longer than I thought it would. For a while I even doubted it was emerald ash borer (EAB). But the next year, the disease took the tree and they cut the whole thing down.
So I figured Mankato didn't have strict laws like Minneapolis and St. Paul does regarding diseased or dangerous trees. After all, Dutch Elm is rampant in this area (especially on the windbrakes and in the ravines). I was wrong! Here's a segment of Mankato City Code 9.73:
 |
| Section 9.737, Mankato City Code. Taken from <http://www.mankato-mn.gov/CityCode/Section-9.73.aspx> |
When a homeowner's tree first gets Dutch Elm Disease, they have until April 1st of the next year to remove it. But that assumes the tree won't continue to decline, which happens most often (unless there are dry conditions). If the tree loses more than 30 percent of its canopy, the tree needs to be removed in 20 days.
If the homeowner does not meet this requirement, the forester can "abate the nuisance" (cut it down) and charge the homeowner for it. Depending on the size of the tree, it could cost $1,000 or more (for the biggest trees). Rarely does a Mankato tree removal go for more than this price, even with cranes involved.
So, what are the implications for the ash trees of Mankato? I'm sure when the Emerald Ash Borer hit the city the City Council will update the code here. All the trees they talk about are elm and oaks. So it makes sense they would add ash trees to the rules.
The other big question is whether or not this code is enforced. Does the forester mark trees on people's property? Maybe he does, but considering the size of the town and the amount of trees with Dutch Elm Disease, I don't imagine he gets involved unless a homeowner is negligent and a neighbor is concerned.
Why didn't I look at this sooner? It would have given my research more meaning, and it might even suggest that the city code be adapted in the future to provide for a possible infestation of EAB. Ah well, more to add into the prospectus during winter break.
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