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SUMMER 2007: PDF VERSION (1.6 MB)
IN THIS ISSUE:
WORKING WITH NATURE: Recoursing the Resource
The water cycle seemed like such a simple concept when we learned about it in the 2nd grade.
The illustration varied a bit from one textbook to the next, but the essentials were consistent: water from an azure sea evaporated to form billowing clouds above lush forests before releasing precipitation that returned to the sea where the cycle began again.
It looked like something out of Eden — but to our 2nd grade minds, it was the way the world worked. Since then, we've all learned that nothing is quite so simple.
Countless factors affect the route that water takes as it evaporates/transpires, condenses, and precipitates. For instance, consider the impact of the human hand — specifically pavement and structures — on that idyllic illustration. Naturally, the picture will look a bit different.
A New Lesson
Researchers from the Federal Interagency Stream Corridor Restoration Working Group (or FISCRWG...thank goodness for acronyms) sought to create such an illustration. In 1998, they performed a study to evaluate the effects that impervious surfaces (ones that prevent water from reaching the soil) have upon the water cycle.
Among the notable figures to absorb from their research is the amount of precipitation that becomes surface run-off in a natural area vs. a suburban site vs. an urban setting. According to the FISCRWG findings, 10% of precipitation becomes run-off in a natural environment. The percentage rises to 30% in the suburbs and 55% in the city.
Case in point: remember the heavy rains that fell in June and July? The precipitation rushed atop impervious surfaces then inundated the City's sewer system, eventually causing roads to become rivers and basements to become ponds.
Besides preventing storm water from infiltrating into the soil, impervious surfaces uproot the natural processes that safeguard water supplies. In nature, herbaceous plants cover the majority of the land and are able to capture impurities that are collected in run-off. Urban and suburban areas lack the same filtration systems and as a result, pollutants (such as motor oils, fertilizers, or insecticides) are whisked into the water systems that eventually become our drinking water.
Lesson learned. Impervious surfaces in urban and suburban settings cause storm water to move too quickly across the landscape, preventing it from infiltrating the soil and enabling it to transport pollutants — which often results in flooded roads and basements.
A New Illustration
If you re-draw that 2nd grade illustration specifically for the suburban and urban environment, it should reflect the impact of impervious surfaces and include new technologies that mimic natural storm water management systems.
The systems are not nearly as complicated as you may think — you can easily incorporate them into your home landscape. The additions can even be beautiful. Perhaps most important of all, the systems are able to help in the effort toward preventing the type of floods we saw in June and July (not to mention keeping water out of your basement).
Rain barrels, pervious pavement systems, infiltration gardens, and green roofs — these and other systems are essential elements of the revised urban water cycle illustration. Together, they are capable of slowing the movement of storm water across impervious surfaces, alleviating stress on the sewer system during severe storms, and providing opportunities to harvest an untapped resource.
The return from such systems can be significant. For example, it has been estimated that during a moderate rainfall — one accumulating .33" of precipitation — a rooftop measuring 1200 sq. ft. can gather 220 gallons of rainwater that would otherwise be diverted into the sewer system. In total, during one growing season in Chicago (April – October) it is possible to harvest from a typical residential roof roughly 16,500 gallons of rainwater.
It isn't just good for your basement — the systems are good for the environment, too.
Use harvested rainwater to irrigate your landscape and you will avoid unnecessary use of our limited tap water supply; meanwhile, you'll give rainwater the chance to infiltrate the soil and recharge groundwater stores. Rainwater is even considered to be better for your plants than tap water (rainwater contains no chlorides, has zero hardness, and contains fewer salts).
In a time when global warming is becoming a reality, when shifting weather patters are making droughts and floods far too familiar, and when population booms are taxing our limited freshwater supply as never before, it makes sense to manage our water wisely.
Get out the crayons! It's time to make a few adjustments to that old illustration.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
ON THE WEB: If you would like additional information about storm water management — and about Chicago's water management plan in specific — visit the City of Chicago Web site: www.cityofchicago.org. There, you can click your way to the Department of Water Management, the Department of Environment, and the Center for Green Technology.
IN PRINT: For a thorough education on rain barrels, infiltration gardens, green roofs, and the like, pick up the text Rain Gardens: Managing Water Sustainably in the Garden and Designed Landscape by N. Dunnett and A. Clayden (2007, Timber Press). Another great resource for everything green is the text World Changing edited by A. Steffen (2006, Abrams).
ASK AN ARBORIST:
Dutch Elm Disease Review
When it comes to tree pests and diseases, Dutch elm disease (DED) is among the most devastating to strike the urban forest in recent memory.
DED is nothing new — it arrived in the United States around 1930. Yet (nearly 80 years later) one thing remains constant: as with all insect pest and disease issues, the most effective means of managing DED and controlling its spread is when tree lovers — like you — remain informed and vigilant.
It has been a while since we last discussed DED, so perhaps you aren't familiar with the disease. There couldn't be a better time for a review.
Disease Review
Dutch elm disease is caused by either of two closely related species of fungi, Ophiostoma ulmi and Ophiostoma novo-ulmi. The fungi infect and literally clog an elm tree's vascular system (the system that transports water through a tree).
The most noticeable symptom of DED is called "flagging" — when leaves begin to wilt, yellow, and eventually brown and fall off of the tree. Streaking of the sapwood is another telltale sign that the fungus is present.
The infection is spread by two primary methods: root grafts or insect vectors.
Root grafts form when the root systems of trees growing in close proximity to one another fuse. If one of the trees involved in the graft contracts DED, the disease finds ready access to the next tree by way of the graft.
Insect vectors are the other culprits. The insects to blame are native elm bark beetles (Hylurgopinus rufipes) and European elm bark beetles (Scolytus mulistriatus) (European elm bark beetles are more common in Illinois). The beetles are attracted to dead, diseased, or stressed elm trees, into which they tunnel to lay their eggs. After the eggs hatch and the larvae mature — if the tree is infected with DED — fungal spores adhere to the beetles as they emerge from the tree. As the spore—covered adults fly to other elm trees (healthy or sick) they spread the fungus to the trees they visit.
The best means of managing DED is to prevent it with proactive treatments. Fungicide injections administered during the growing season (i.e. when leaves are on the trees) provide the first line of defense. Proper tree maintenance is also important — keeping an elm tree free of diseased or decaying branches helps to keep elm bark beetles away. One not about pruning: it is essential that elm trees are pruned during the winter months when insect vectors are dormant (fresh pruning wounds attract elm bark beetles).
Other Options
It is true that North American elm species are highly susceptible to DED. However, all is not lost. Horticulturalists are now hybridizing American elm species with Asian elm species that are resistant to DED, creating a new generation of trees that are resistant to DED. If you are interested in planting an elm in your yard, consider your options carefully.
Additional Questions
If you have any questions about Dutch elm disease, please contact your ATCE arborist at 847.729.1963.
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| © 2007 Jayson DeGeeter |
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UPDATE: Emerald Ash Borer
Since mid to late May, emerald ash borer adults have been flying around and the females have been busy laying eggs on ash tree bark. Now, in late summer, the adults are dying while the larvae are hatching and beginning to tunnel out-of-sight into the cambium layer of ash trees. As a result, these difficult-to-spot pests are becoming even tougher to detect.
Nonetheless, remember that you play a vital role in the process of eradicating EAB and saving Illinois' ash trees. Please, continue to look for the signs and symptoms of an EAB infestation in your community. Additionally, it is essential that you do not move firewood! EAB larvae can easily hitchhike from one area to the next on firewood transported to or from a campsite. Always buy firewood locally and burn all of it on-site.
Since our last issue, the following developments have occurred in the battle to control the EAB infestation:
May 5: Safari Insecticide was granted a Special Local Needs (SLN) label for emerald ash borer treatment in Illinois.
May 20 – 26: The week was proclaimed to be Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week in Illinois by Governor Rod R. Blagojevich.
July 11: EAB was discovered in LaSalle County, just north of Peru.
July 16: EAB was found in Glendale Heights, located in DuPage County.
July 19: The State of Illinois Department of Agriculture — in response to recent, widespread EAB findings — significantly altered the borders of the existing interior quarantine. The regulated areas were expanded to include the entire Counties of Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, McHenry, Putnman, Will, and Winnebago; as well as adjacent portions of Bureau, Lee, Livingston, and Ogle Counties.
For More Information
Visit the Autumn Tree Care Experts web site: www.autumntree.com/eab
Additional information — including details regarding quarantine zones and eradication efforts — is available at www.emeraldashborer.info, or by telephoning the Illinois Department of Agriculture's Pesticide Hotline: 800.641.3934
ATCE NEWS
We at ATCE already knew that Jose Lopez, Pedro Martinez, and Jose Ramirez, are particularly talented climbers; but now we have proof! The three recently earned the designation "ISA Certified Tree Worker/Climber Specialist" from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).
To be considered for this honor, an individual is required to have a minimum of 18 months' experience as a tree climber and have training in aerial rescue, CPR, and first aid. Then, the candidate's arboricultural aptitude is tested through knowledge and skill assessments.
The written examination evaluates his or her understanding of climbing safety, tree removal, rigging, pruning, cabling, climbing/knots, tree sciences, and tree identification. That knowledge is put to the test during the skill assessment, where candidates demonstrate climb preparation, knot tying, climbing, rope throwing, secured entry, rope advancing, tie-in, work climb, and descent skills.
To date, Autumn Tree Care Experts employs 4 ISA Certified Tree Workers/Climber Specialists (Jose Lopez, Pedro Martinez, Tony Perez, and Jose Ramirez) along with 8 ISA Certified Arborists and 4 Board-Certified Master Arborists.
ATCE EVENTS
Remember that saying about "hay" and "sunshine"? Well, the same rule applies to tree care. Despite the occasional rain there's been a lot of sunshine, so it goes without saying that we've been busy! Here's a list of what we've been up to lately:
Recent Events, Projects, and Programs:
May 12 and 19: Vice President Dan Klindera hosted two guided garden walks at the Chicago Botanic Garden to educate visitors about the Garden's most intriguing arboricultural specimens.
May 19 – 20: Arborists Ross Hassinger, Phil Fitch, Mike Provost and Vice President Dan Klindera shared a breathtaking spring weekend with countless others at the Chicago Botanic Garden when ATCE hosted an Ask An Arborist booth.
June 20: During a training session for the Chicago Botanic Garden's Plant Information Volunteers, Vice President Dan Klindera offered a lecture about the intricacies of soil structures, followed by a demonstration of vertical mulching techniques presented by Arboricultural Services Manager John Kahon.
June 30: At the end of June, you can usually bet that you'll find ATCE at the annual Glenview Summer Street Sale. You can also usually bet that at our booth you can pick—up a new seedling for your yard. All bets were "on" this year until about 2 p.m. That's when the last of the 2,000 seedlings we brought to the event found homes. In the coming years, you'll notice a few extra Tuliptrees (Liriodendron tulipifera), Eastern Redbuds (Cercis canadensis), and Frasier Firs (Abies fraseri) in the tree canopy that covers Glenview!
July 1: Arborist Laura Smies was on-hand with the ATCE Ask An Arborist booth at the annual Keep Evanston Beautiful Garden Walk.
July 9: ATCE served as a sponsor of the annual Celebrity Golf Outing to benefit the Arthritis Foundation. The event was held at Wynstone Golf Club in North Barrington, where arborist Jim Matkovich represented ATCE at the booth while Vice President Dan Klindera and Arborist Phil Fitch demonstrated their prowess on the course.
Upcoming Events:
August 18: Join ATCE at the Chicago Botanic Garden! During the day, ATCE will host an Ask An Arborist booth near the Rose Garden and lead a Guided Garden Walk that meanders throughout the grounds. While you're there, don't miss the Midwest Bonsai Society Show & Sale!
September 15: ATCE will be back at the Chicago Botanic Garden with our Ask An Arborist booth and will offer another Guided Garden Walk. Look for our booth near the Rose Garden. Also, don't forget to participate in the Garden's Harvest Festival!
If you or someone you know would like an arborist to speak, sing, or dance at your next gathering, don't hesitate to ask: call us at 847.729.1963 or send an email to welovetrees@autumntree.com.
RECIPE BOX: Bottled Water — Chicago Style
This recipe was provided by ATCE's Vice President, Dan Klindera.
Supplies:
Empty bottle (any re-useable vessel will do)
Tap
Directions:
Place bottle under tap. Turn on tap and fill bottle to capacity. Drink and enjoy!
Believe it or not, the chances are good that the water flowing from your tap is safer than the water you bought in a bottle. In the U.S., tap water quality standards set by the EPA are more stringent than the FDA's standards for bottled water. Eek! [Source: EarthAction]
RESEARCH DEPARTMENT:
We seem to be in love with bottled water even though there is a ready supply at the tap.
Consider this: roughly 30 billion disposable bottles of water are consumed each year, according to the Sierra Club. If you were to lay those bottles end to end, they would circle the globe 150 times. The sad news is that 4 out of 5 of the bottles will end up in landfills, where the bottles may take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.
Now, add to the equation the environmental impact of creating the bottle and transporting the bottled water from some pristine source to your local grocer. Wow!
The water coming from your faucet is looking pretty good! [Sources: ABC News, EarthAction]
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