• Emerald Ash Borer
• Coyotes
• Mulch - Not Just for Looks
• Six Winter Chores for Healthier Spring Trees
• 2005 IPM Report
• Clearing Snow and Ice Can Cause Damage To Your Trees
• Elm Tree Planting

Emerald Ash Borer

(This photo is from http://www.forestpests.org/acrobat/eab.pdf)

Exactly one month after state officials announced the first emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) infestation in Illinois, officials revealed the pest has been found in Wilmette, a suburb north of Chicago. Also, Wilmette village foresters have found 16 trees in a five-block area with symptoms of emerald ash borer (EAB) infestation. On June 13, 2006 the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) announced that a beetle found in the yard of a Kane County home east of Lily Lake was EAB. The Morton Arboretum was out in front as an advocate for developing prevention and readiness plans to prepare for the inevitable.

Officials believe the borer arrived in Illinois on ash firewood transported from a quarantined area in Michigan. Firewood transport is the primary means of introducing pests into new geographic areas. EAB threatens to destroy one-fifth of all Chicago-area trees, which are ash, and could destroy the 130-million ash trees in Illinois. For more information, then please go to The Morton Arboretum - Emerald Ash Borer Section or go to The Morton Arboretum website

(This photo is from http://www.usda.gov)

Coyotes

MULCH - NOT JUST FOR LOOKS

• Helping to maintain soil moisture with less evaporation
• Reducing the number of weeds
• Providing insulation by keeping soil cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter
• Protecting from damage caused by lawn equipment such as weed-eaters and lawn mowers
• Improving soil fertility, aeration, and drainage

• Thin is better. Apply a 2 to 4-inch layer of mulch unless a drainage problems exist then a thinner layer is recommended. Do not add mulch if there is already a sufficient layer. Instead, rake the old mulch to break up any matted layers and refresh the appearance.
• No volcano mulching. Avoid placing mulch against the tree trunks. If mulch is already piled against the stems or tree trunks, pull it back several inches so that the base of the trunk and the root crown are exposed.
• Mulch Wide. Mulch out to the tree's drip line or beyond if possible.

SIX WINTER CHORES FOR HEALTHIER SPRING TREES

Champaign, IL (January 16, 2006) - The tree-filled landscapes of winter can be mistakenly thought to be asleep. Wintering trees are not sleeping; they are simply still - counting the days until spring. Only then will it be apparent whether the tree has saved enough resources to respond to the new season of growth.

Winter is a difficult time for trees which must stand alone against all circumstances that the season can generate. Trees have some internal methods of protection. Most of the growing points in the tree are protected inside jackets called buds, and food reserves are carefully conserved for the coming needs of spring. Also water continues to move through the tree until it freezes. However, these protective stages may breed other problems. For example, creatures needing a meal may chew and nibble on the resting buds and twigs.

What can you do to help your valuable trees? A few things can help a tree be more efficient and effective in surviving the winter and thriving in spring.
These small winter investments can pay off in a large way, yielding healthy and structurally sound trees.

The "Critical Six" things to do for your tree this winter are:

• Add a thin layer of composted organic mulch to blanket the soil surface.
  Mulch protects and conserves tree resources and recycles valuable materials.
• Properly wrap new trees that have not developed a corky bark and could easily be damaged. Mechanical injury from the environment, including chewing and rubbing by animals, must be prevented.
• Remove or correct clearly visible structural faults and deadwood. Try to make small pruning cuts that minimize the exposure of the central heartwood core on branches.
• Perform limited greenwood pruning of declining and poorly placed branches.
  Pruning should conserve as many living branches as possible, with only a few selective cuts.
• Fertilize with elements needed in small quantities. Essential elements added over a mulch layer will help provide a healthy soil environment for root growth.
• Water where soils and trees are cool but not frozen, and where there has been little precipitation. Winter droughts need treatment with waters the same as summer droughts. However, it is easy to over water in winter, so be careful.

Invest in great trees by helping them over a difficult time. For trees, wonderful springs come from well-tended winters. Seek assistance from ISA Certified Arborists <http://www.isa-arbor.com> for the life of your trees!

The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), headquartered in Champaign, Ill., is a nonprofit organization supporting tree care research and education around the world. As part of ISA's dedication to the care and preservation of shade and ornamental trees, it offers the only internationally-recognized certification program in the industry. For more information and to find a local ISA Certified Arborist, visit www.treesaregood.com.

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MEMORANDUM

TO: Chairman Williams & EPS Committee

FROM: Daniel H. Schoenberg

DATE: November 23, 2005

RE: IPM Compliance 2005

In accordance with the November 21, 1995, resolution that formalized the Integrated Pest Management Policy of the Village of Hinsdale, the following is the required annual report from the Pest Management Coordinator of compliance with this policy. Attached are tables that illustrate the Village's activities this year. The specifics of these activities are below:

1. Turf Maintenance

New grounds maintenance contracts went into effect May 1, 2005 incorporating the seeding, aeration and fertilizing procedures recommended by Dr. Fermanian in 1999 and reviewed in subsequent annual review meetings. The seeding mix specified was a rye grass/blue grass mixture. The contract established unit prices for aeration and weed control.

Attached are tables that describe the locations at which fertilization, seeding, and aeration took place. There were three rounds of fertilization, three rounds of aeration, plus some contracted seeding and weed control in the autumn. The areas covered by these activities are summarized.

Staff has developed quantitative and qualitative records to evaluate the performance of the turf maintenance activities. Staff visits each public grounds site and evaluates each space for turf density, weed content, and overall appearance. Each area was rated one through five with one being poor and five being excellent. Two rounds of visits were made this year. Appendix 1 describes the rating techniques.

As a result of the 1998 IPM annual meeting, the Committee established goals for the conditions of each turf use. Comparison with the established goals allows the Committee to track the results of the Village's efforts. All objectives were met in 2005, but conditions were generally worse than the previous three years. The trend is stable in all turf classes. Attached are a summary and tables.

Previously noted patchy weed outbreaks, such as nimbleweed at Highland Park, bentgrass on the KLM concert hill and crabgrass between the Peirce Park ballfields, are not spreading. They will continue to be monitored.

2. Other Grounds Maintenance

Weeding by hand of shrubbery, flowerbeds were completed by Village personnel and under contract. All mowing was contracted.

3. Tree Preservation

Gypsy Moth was not detected in 2005. Elm Ash borer, another devastating pest, has been tracked in Ohio and Michigan and is being watched for in Illinois.

Another mild winter resulted in high tree loss from Dutch Elm Disease. Hinsdale lost 100 public elms and 155 private elms. The elm tree fungicide program continued to allow property owners to financially participate in protecting parkway elms. A total of 108 elms received fungicide this year, 76 of which were part of the 50/50 program.

The planting stock received from the Suburban Tree Consortium was of good quality. A total of 76 trees were planted. Twelve property owners paid to upgrade parkway plantings and were partially reimbursed in accordance with the policy. This year a private Princeton Elm planting initiate started. Princeton Elms are on the approved tree list for public property.

4. Mosquito Abatement

During 2005 Illinois saw levels of West Nile Virus (WNV) comparable to the bad year of 2002. There were 244 human cases and eleven fatalities this year. The combination of low precipitation and high temperature favored the culex mosquito which spreads WNV.

In 2003 the Village initiated a fourth cycle of inspection and treatment and paid for a trap in town to verify WNV presence. In 2005 the trap did find two mosquito pools that tested positive for WNV but the mosquito population did not stay consistently positive. No mosquito adulticiding was performed except for a concert at KLM on August 23rd.

The DuPage County Health Department continues developing a county-wide abatement strategy.

5. IPM Discussions

In October the EPS Committee started a re-evaluation of the IPM policy. In November the Committee recommended the formation of a task force to analysis and test procedures, techniques and standards. The Park and Recreation Commission will have input on the personnel involved and the scope of study.

6. Recommendations

a. The general approach to turf management has resulted in good, stable conditions on most sites. No change in approach is proposed, until after the Task Force finishes its proceedings.

b. No changes in tree management are recommended.

c. No changes in mosquito abatement are recommended.

7. Annual Pest Management Review Meeting

The November 1995 ordinance requires an annual review meeting to be held by the Environment and Public Services Committee sometime before the end of February. The regularly scheduled Committee meeting in February was the last review meeting. Proper notice must be given.

Attached are the following:

weather data
2005 activity report
acreage of activities history
turf condition rating summary
elm tree history

DHS/tlp

cc: President and Board of Trustees
Bohdan J. Proczko
Robert Kotula

Appendix 1 - Rating Turf Areas

Unlike separate plots of farmland whose crops can be weighed and compared, turf areas are evaluated by the way they look, not what they produce. By definition any rating will be subjective. However, horticulturalists and other turfgrass professionals have developed a numerical rating system by which, plots of different grass seed mixes are compared in the National Turf Evaluation Program (NTEP). Several attributes of turf are rated on a 10-point scale then averaged together to create an overall number, which is used in comparisons, of for example, new variations of bluegrass.

Staff took a simplified approach, using only three attributes - turf density, weed content and overall appearance. Each attribute is rated from one (way below average) to 5 (way above average). Each turf area is classified by its use: high visibility, athletic, passive with foot traffic, passive without foot traffic or other.

Since 1996 sub-areas within locations have been identified and rated separately. A composite average equally weighing the three measures is computed next. An overall rating for each turf use is determined multiplying the sum of each place's rating average by its area and dividing by the total area of that turf use.

Here is a simple example of one turf type:

Composite rating 27.1 divided by 10 = 2.71

Goals based upon the rating system were established in 1999. These are the ideals to which the turf management program strives, but they are also based in reality. Lawns of green carpet are not appropriate everywhere. Next the objectives, the practical gauges by which progress is assessed were set. Neither the goals nor the objectives should change often. Maybe in time, sights can be set higher.

The goals are as follows:

• High visibility areas shall be treated to maintain a well above average rating (4.0).
• Athletic areas shall be treated to maintain an above average rating (3.5).
• Passive areas with foot traffic shall be treated to maintain an above average rating (3.5).
• Passive areas without foot traffic shall be treated to maintain an average rating (3.0).
• Other areas shall be treated as appropriate to their use.

The objectives are based on a three-year basis and are 80% of the goals. They are:

Staff has discussed this methodology with its turf consultant, Dr. Fermanian. He thought the approach was reasonable and agreed that a three-year average is a long enough time frame to judge progress. Individual seasons of extreme weather may tilt study lengths of shorter duration.

The object of a turf management program is stability over time. Any activity influenced by weather will see periodic advances and declines. The goals and objectives allow the Village to look past the seasonal battles over turf growth to assess its long-term programmed approach reflected in the IPM policy. An analysis using these tools will reveal long-range trends.

For more information contact the Public Services Department at (630) 789-7030 or send e-mail.

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ELM TREE PLANTING

The Village of Hinsdale has approved the planting of Princeton Elms in its public lands. If anyone wishes to plant a Princeton Elm in their parkway, they must first get permission. Please call Public Services at 630-789-7030. Property owners need no permission to plan trees on their own property, but not every tree species is appropriate under overhead wires. Check with ComEd for desirable tree types.

The Village of Hinsdale applauds the efforts of Elm Tree Restoration LLC to expand the population of desirable trees, but this is not an endorsement. Elm Tree Restoration LLC is a separate concern.

Elm Tree Restoration, LLC
announces
"Project 2005"
" Plant a Piece of History by Replacing an Elm Tree with an Elm Tree"

Our Story:
In 2003, a Mario Cirignani, a Hinsdale resident, lost two 90 year old parkway elm trees to Dutch elm disease. To preserve the elm canopy ofhis block, he sought to replace his lost elms with elms. Experts suggested to him and his research confirmed that if you could get them, the Princeton American elm was the tree to plant. The problem: sizable trees were unavailable to either individuals or nurseries. Undaunted, he contacted and then pestered the grower. Finally, 14 large trees destined for the Village of Ann Arbor, Michigan became available when they could not fit on the delivery truck. He bought them all, including 14 smaller trees. Through word ofmouth, all were sold to neighbors and thrive today. A friendship was struck with the grower and a small number of large trees are once again available.

Princeton American Elm Facts:

• The unanimous selection of the National Park Service to be planted at the White House
• As featured on "This Old House", " The Wall Street Journal" and "USA Today"
• The Princeton American elm is NOT a hybrid. It has not been crossed with any other species, foreign or native. It is a true American elm. (Most disease resistant elms are hybrids)
• Of the disease resistant elms, the Princeton American elm is the most arching in form demonstrating a true vase-like shape
• The Princeton American elm has more than 75 years of proven tolerance to Dutch Elm Disease in the landscape. National Arboretum tests conflrlD a 96% survival rate for "Princeton"
• In March of this year, 88 Princeton American elm trees were planted along Pennsylvania Avenue at the White House as part of the complete renovation of America' s main street
• The Princeton American elm is unavailable in nurseries

Cost: $1,360.00 3-3.5" inch caliper, 800lb, 5 year old, Princeton American elm will be planted in early December

Matching Tree Grant: With every large tree purchased, a 1.5" caliper tree will be provided to the town of your choice to be planted on public property.

Reimbursement Program: Some municipalities offer partial reimbursement for the replacement of parkway trees.

*********************Please Note***********************

Do not confuse the Princeton American elm with other disease resistant elm trees available at local nurseries. You cannot buy a Princeton elm at a nursery. The Princeton American elms offered here are only available in limited numbers. Elms of this size are reserved years in advance and only made available to municipalities. You may find a cheaper elm tree, but it will not be a Princeton American elm.

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