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Alabama NRCS

Tech NewsSpring 2007

Calendar

Apr 25, 2007 - QtrlyWiregrass RC&D MtingMay 4-6, 2007 - N. ALBirding Festival, Decatur, ALMay 10-11, 2007 - Lee Co4th Annual Water Festival,Auburn, ALMay 17-19, 2007 - Tri-State(FL, GA, AL) SWCS Mting,Quincy, FLJun 5-8, 2007 - Pond 101,NRCS, Auburn, ALJun 20-22, 2007 - AL SWCSAnnual Mting, Mobile, AL(tentative)Jun 27-27, 2007 - Win-POND Training, NRCS,Auburn, ALJul 19, 2007 - Coosa ValleyRC&D Annual MtingJul 22-23, 2007 - AP and EAAnnual Mting, Destin, FLJul 25, 2007 - QtlyWiregrass RC&D MtingAug 1-2, 2007 - GrazingClinics, AL A&M, Sand MtnRes & Ext Ctr, ALAug 6-10, 2007 - EngSoftware Training, NRCS,Auburn, ALAug 21-24, 2007 - AUT-Square Erosion &Sediment Control Training,Mobile, Montg, H’ville,B’ham, ALSep 9-13, 2007 - ASDSOAnnual Mting, Austin, TXSep 18-20, 2007 - NEDCConcrete Fundamentals, Ft.Worth, TXSep 20, 2007 - Area 6District Annual Mtg, GulfShores, AL

By Bob Daniels, PhD, andTom Ebner (Mississippi)

The MississippiExtension ServicePublication Number 2260by Tim Traugott entitled,“Are My Pine TreesReady to Thin” (1) gaveprivate forestland ownerssome guidelines fordetermining when to thintheir plantations. It alsodefined the goal ofthinning “to reduce standdensity by removing theslow growing, lowerquality trees, thus

Benefits of Marking the First Pine Thinning

maintaining rapid growthon the straight, healthy,vigorous, and evenlyspaced crop trees. “

While Traugottestablished the “why” forthinning pine plantationshe did not address the‘how.” To phrase itdifferently, “What is thebest way to thin a pineplantation in need ofthinning?” His publicationdid not get into suchquestions as “what treeper acre level to thin to,” or“is there a financial penaltyfor delaying the thinning if

pulpwood pricesare low,” nor“should the standbe marked forthinning.”Economics canhelp answertheses questionsand guidelandownerdecisions. In thisarticle we addresswhether “operatorselect” or“marked” thinningis best.

We wereinterested in thesequestions andstarted installing

In This Issue:Treating Cut Stumpsto Improve SpeciesComposition - - - - - - - - 4

Above GroundStorage Tank ForAnimal Wastes -With Air- - - - - - - - - - - - 6

Laurel Wilt Disease -An EcologicalDisaster - - - - - - - - - - - 8

Restoring Alabama’sLongleaf Pine - - - - - 10

permanent growth plots inthinned pine plantationsin 1998. By the end of2005, plots were installedin about 100 differentstands, 30 of which werefertilized.

In this study, wefocused on the70 unfertilized stands.About half of thesestands were thinned bythe logging contractor(termed an “operatorselect thinning”). Theother half of the standshad every 5th rowharvested then leavetrees in residual rowswere marked and all butmarked trees were cut(termed a “markedthinning”). Some of themarked stands weremarked by registeredforesters, some by thetimberland owner, andsome by contract timbermarkers. These plots arelocated in east centralMississippi and westcentral Alabama, the areabounded by PickensCounty, AL, and ClayCounty, MS, to NewtonCounty, MS, and GreeneCounty, AL.

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Marked stands in our sample had an average 26% greater diameter growth per year than did operator selectstands. In operator select thinnings, 14.2% of the remaining trees after the thinning were poor quality treescompared to 5.2% in marked thinnings. Poor quality trees were trees with forks in the first 16 feet or withsufficient crook or sweep in the trunk to render them pulpwood value regardless of age or size.

Poor Quality Residual Tree26 years old

High Quality Residual Tree18 years old

Poor Quality Residual Tree28 years old

The age of the firstthinning on these plotsranged from age 10 toage 23. The treesremaining after thinningranged from100 trees/acre to 350 trees/acre.The marked thinningshad the leave treesmarked.

To judge whichthinning method ispreferred, it’s necessaryto know pre-thinningconditions in each standso before and aftercomparisons can bemade. The pre-thin standconditions were veryclose to the same forboth the operator selectthinning and for themarked thinning. Thestump diameters weremeasured on the thinnedtrees to determine thepre-thinning standconditions. On average,

the stands remainingafter marked thinning hada 0.99 inch diameter gain.The operator selectthinnings had a 0.67 inchdiameter gain. Thediameter gain fromthinning is determined bycomparing the averagestand diameter beforethinning with the averagestand diameter afterthinning. We call this afterthinning diameter gaindiameter lift. In70 thinned stands,marked stands had anaverage .32 inches higherdiameter lift over operatorselect stands. Howeverthe average markedstand had 34 fewer trees/acre after thinning and8.6 square feet less basalarea. Leaving fewer treesper acre would allowsome additional gain indiameter lift.

The amount ofdiameter lift obtainable inthe first thinning can beaffected by a number offactors. The age whenthinned has a lot to dowith the amount ofpossible diameter lift. Asyou walk through anolder stand, say age 16or older, you will seemore variation in treediameter than in a 10- or12-year-old stand. Byage 16, many of thesmaller, slower-growingtrees will have lost mostof their crown as theyhave been overtoppedby the more rapidlygrowing trees. Thismakes marking easier.

The quality of thetrees in the stand canalso affect the amount ofpotential diameter lift.The tree quality amongstands varies

considerably due to thegenetic quality of theoriginal planting stock.Second generationgenetic planting stockgenerally has better andmore consistent tree formthan the first generationwhich is normally animprovement over non-genetically improvedplanting stock.

What about growthafter the thinning? Themarked stands had anaverage annual diametergrowth of 0.484 inches,while the operator selectstands had a 0.381average annual diametergrowth in stands firstthinned between ages10 and 19. The averageage of the first thinningon the marked standswas 14.9 years while onthe operator select standsit was 15.1 years. The

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average site index (base25) was 71.5 for themarked stands and 71.9for the operator selectstands.

The amount ofdiameter lift from thinningis important to growth.Since in a plantation thetrees are all the same age,the largest trees are thefastest growing trees. Ifthese trees were thefastest growing treesbefore thinning, it isreasonable to assume thatthey would also be thefastest growing trees afterthinning. Therefore, byretaining more of theselarger trees in the thinning,the average standdiameter growth should beincreased. The markedstands in our sample hadan average of 27 percentgreater diameter growthper year than did theoperator select stands.

One of the objectivesof thinning identified in theTraugott article was toremove the lower qualitytrees. From a timbermanagement perspective,the “lower quality” or “poorquality” trees are treeswhich will remainpulpwood qualityregardless of size or age.Therefore, they should beremoved as soon aspossible. “Poor quality”were trees graded with afork in the first 16 feet andtrees with excessivesweep or crook.

In the markedstands, 5.2 percent of theremaining trees after thefirst thinning were poorquality trees. In theoperator select thinnings,14.2 percent of theremaining trees after the

first thinning were poorquality trees.

The skill of theoperator or the markeralso plays a part indetermining what diameterlift you can achieve in thefirst thinning. Forexample, if you have600 trees per acre beforethinning and you remove400 trees per acre youcreate the opportunity formore diameter lift than ifyou only remove 200 treesper acre. In the markedstands thinned at age16, the diameter lift fromthe thinning varied from1.30 inches to 0.05inches. For a first thinningat age 16 in an averagesite 70 stand (base age25) the Present Value ofan inch of diameter lift inthe thinning is about $100/acre. This suggeststhat an incentive clause inthe thinning contract whichrelates to diameter lift andthe residual tree qualitywould help the landownerto insure the quality of thethinning job.

First thinning markingin Mississippi costs about$40-50 dollars per acre. (2)

Therefore, if you can gain0.50 inches of diameter liftby marking, you can offsetthe marking cost.

The financial returnfrom a first thinning at age10 through age 19 wastested at different stockinglevels after the firstthinning (using aproprietary growth model)which ranged from275 trees per acre to100 trees per acre. Thesestands were then grown tothe age of the secondthinning. The PresentValue of the stand at the

second thinning, plus thevalue of the thinningremovals at the firstthinning, were thendiscounted to age 10 at a10 percent and 6 percentdiscount rate. When allthese factors (bettergrowth, larger diameterlift, and better treequality) are put togetherfor an average stand, thebest thinning combination(highest present value atage 10) was an age13 thinning leaving200 trees per acre for amarked thinning. For anoperator select thinningthe best combination wasan age 12 thinningleaving 225 trees peracre.

For the markedthinning at age 13 andthen grown to age 22, thestumpage value of thestand prior to the secondthinning was $2,570/acre.For the operator selectthinning, the stumpagevalue at age 22 was$2,105/acre or $465/acreless.

If the marking costwas $50/acre, the returnon investment for theadditional cost of markingis 28 percent for anaverage quality marking.

In the aboveexample, the modeledstand was thinned at age13 and the valuecomparisons were madeat age 22 when themarked stand would beready for the secondthinning. In thisprojection, the markedstand would have grownfrom a basal area afterthinning of 61.0 to a basalarea of 132.2 at age 22.The operator select stand

would have grown from abasal area of 61.1 to abasal area of 118.4.

The better diametergrowth after thinning inthe average markedstand increased the basalarea growth over theoperator select thinningby 13.9 square feet overthis 9-year periodbetween thinnings. Byage 22, the markedthinning has an averagediameter of 11.44 incheswhile the operator selectstand has an averagediameter of 11.04 inches.

These findingssuggest that landownerscan greatly improve theirtimber investments byusing marked thinnings.Marked thinning results inhigher quality residualstands, increaseddiameter growth, andhigher stand presentvalue prior to the secondthinning than in operatorselect thinning. Costs formarking are easilyjustified by increasedstand value.

Few timberlandowners have an averagestand. In order todetermine the quality ofthe thinning or the qualityof the marking, the ownermust know some basicfacts about the conditionof his stand beforethinning. The ownershould know the averagenumber of trees per acreand average diameter asdiscussed in the Traugottpublication. The ownershould also know thepercent of sawtimberquality trees in his stand.

Continued next page-“Pine Thinning”

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Treating Cut Stumps to Improve Species CompositionBy Tim Albritton, NRCS State Staff Forester, Auburn, AL

One of the manyproblems that may ariseafter harvesting a timberstand is too many undesir-able tree species seeding-in or regenerating. This canbe a bigger problem thanno regeneration at all.

Traveling around thestate, I have seen moreand more sites, mainly low-land or bottomland sites,regenerate to undesirablespecies such as: Chinab-erry, Chinese Privet, TallowTree, Tree-of-Heaven, andCallery Pear.

Controlling these un-desirables can be difficult.The first difficulty is decid-ing which control method touse, mechanical or chemi-cal, or a combination of thetwo. A wrong decision canbe costly.

One of the provenmethods for controlling un-desirable tree species iscut-stump treatmentmethod. This method in-volves cutting the tree atground level then applyingan appropriate herbicide to

the stump surface. Thehard part is cutting the treedown, the rest is fairlyeasy.

Most chemicals rec-ommended for the cut-stump treatment methodcan be used year round,but for best results, treat-ments should be madeduring periods of activegrowth. The stump shouldbe treated as soon as pos-sible, ideally within an hourafter cutting the tree.

I tried this method onmy own property in ElmoreCounty, AL. The stand inquestion is a 10-year-oldmixed hardwood standthat naturally regeneratedfrom stump sprouts andseedlings in place after theclear cut in December1996. The stand is fullystocked, however, an un-acceptable level of unde-sirable species are stillpresent and need to beremoved.

The targeted speciesfor removal are: China-berry, Box-elder, Tallow

Tree, and Chinese Privet.Removing, or a better termmight be deadening, thesetrees will increase thegrowth of the residualtrees and thus improve thelong-term survivability.

A new device for ap-plying herbicide has cometo my attention -- the Cut-Stump Herbicide Wand.

If you are interestedin this device, the followingdescription and diagramswere obtained from “TheNature Conservancy’s”website for invasive spe-cies entitled “The GlobalInvasive Species Initiative”at: http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/index.html.

Home-madeherbicideapplicatordabsherbicidesdirectlyonto cutstumps.

“Pine Thinning” cont.

These variables arerelatively easy todetermine as described inthe Traugott publication.The only addition is todetermine the tree qualityin the stand. Trees with afork in the first 16 feetwere called “poor quality”trees as well as trees withexcessive sweep or crook.

Bob Daniels is aRealtor and TimberlandInvestment Specialist withCentury 21 in Starkville,MS. He recently retired asExtension ForestryProfessor at MississippiState University. E-mail:bob@century21starkville.com.

Tom Ebner is aForestry Consultant inColumbus, MS. He isretired from WeyerhaeuserCompany and co-author ofthe book Timberland

Investments published in1992 by Timber Press inPortland, Oregon. Email:tjebner@earthlink.net.

The complete studyfrom which this paper wasdeveloped is about 35pages. If you would like acopy, please send a$5 check for copying andmailing to: Mr. Tom Ebner,Consulting Forester 468Petersburg Drive,Columbus, MS 39702.

Literature cited:

(1) Traugott, Timothy A.2000. Are My Pine TreesReady To Thin? MississippiState Extension Service.Publication No. 2260. 7 pp.

(2) Consultation withseveral practicing forestersin the area.

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This home-made her-bicide applicator wandwas developed by JackMcGowan-Stinski as away to dab herbicides di-rectly onto cut stumps.Easily constructed, itsdesign can be modifiedfor your particular require-ments. It costs about $20to make (and is evencheaper if you alreadyhave PVC glue and purpleprimer).

The sponge-tip appli-cator stores herbicide inits PVC pipe chassis(marked “A” in Figure 1).A ball valve (B) is used tosupply herbicide to thesponge reservoir (C). Her-bicide in this small cham-ber leaks through a flowrestricting drip plate (D),and moistens the applica-tor sponge (E). When thesponge reservoir is de-pleted of herbicide duringuse, a quick turn of thevalve will recharge it. Rub-ber gaskets (in grey inFigure 1) let the wand berefilled, or disassembledfor cleaning.

The ball valve hasthe important function ofkeeping the main reser-voir separate from thesponge reservoir. If thesponge is pulled out ofthe wand, only the herbi-cide in the sponge reser-voir will be able to leakout. Furthermore, the flowrestrictor ensures thatthis leakage would be at adribble.

—Barry Rice, TNC/GISI, May2000; revised March 2001

Many chemicals arelabeled for cut-stump treat-ment. I used a productcalled RazerPro* whichhas glyphosate as its ac-tive ingredient. Anotherexample of a product la-beled for this type treat-ment is Pathfinder* II fromDow Agro-Sciences. Theactive ingredient istriclopyr: 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinyloxyacetic acid,butoxyethyl ester.

Pathfinder* II is aspecialty, ready-to-use,herbicide for the control ofwoody plants on:

* Trade names are used solely toprovide specific information. Mentionof a trade name does not constitute aguarantee of the product by the U.S.Department of Agriculture, nor does itimply endorsement by the USDA orNRCS over comparable products thatare not named.

Cut-Stump Herbicide Wand

I made a“Cut-StumpHerbicideWand” andused it onmyproperty ina 10-year-old standof mixedhardwoodsthat hadnaturallyregeneratedafter aclear-cut.

• Rights-of-way• Rangeland and perma-

nent pastures• Forests• Industrial sites• Non-irrigation ditch banks• Non-crop areas• Wildlife openings

including grazed areason those sites

Marking undesirable speciesfor removal.

Hardwood stand after removalof undesirable species.

Opening up a site with a chain saw is very labor intensive. The last thing you want isundesirable trees resprouting. Cut-stump treatment is an excellent method topermanently kill the unwanted species and improve the residual stand.

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This partially assembled floating aeration system will be lifted by cranes onto the surface of the liquidinside the storage tank.

Above Ground Storage Tank For Animal Wastes-With AirBy Bill Prince, NRCS Environmental Engineer, Oxford, AL

To obtain a linercertification for anexisting waste storagepond for a swine CAFOregistration, one Alabamafarmer was faced withtwo conventional choices.The first was to stay inproduction and, usingtemporary storagemeasures, install a linerin the existing storagepond. The second, aneasier but more costlyoption, was to shut downproduction in the swinenursery operation andinstall a liner in the pondwhile it was not beingused. With neither option

being very appealing, hedecided on a third, moreunconventional option,and installed an aboveground steel storagetank. He applied andreceived funds throughthe USDA-NRCSEnvironmental QualityIncentives Program(EQIP) as a specialproject.

The tank is made ofcurved panels of glass-lined steel to resistcorrosion. The panelsbolt together to form the120 foot diameter, 19 foothigh tank. The tank sitson a circular concrete pad

that has a leak detectionsystem and a geo-synthetic clay liner (GCL)underneath. The leakdetection system will alertthe owner if there is anywaste seepage from thebottom of the tank thatwould otherwise goundetected, and the GCLassures that none of theleaking wastes, if there isindeed a leak, get into theground water.

While the idea of anabove ground steelstorage tank to containliquid animal wastes isnew to Alabama, it is notnew in other parts of the

country. But what makesthis system unique is theforced aeration systemthat is installed on thesurface of the liquidinside the tank. Two fivehorsepower electricmotors pump air throughflexible pipes to 14aeration modules evenlyspaced and suspendedabout four feet below theliquid surface in the tank.The purpose of theaeration system is toprovide an oxygentreatment to the wastesand form an aerobic (withoxygen) cap on thesurface of the tank. This

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Newly installed above-ground steel tank for the storage and treatment of liquid swine wastes.

aerobic cap is tosuppress odors from thewastes at lower levels inthe tank where anaerobic(without oxygen)breakdown of the wastesis being performed bymicrobes and bacteria.

Another purpose ofthe oxygen rich cap layeris to provide a “cleaner”source of water to berecycled through theproduction houses as pitwater. Concrete pitswere constructed under

the slatted floors wherethe hogs are kept, andwater is maintained in thepits to keep the wastesliquefied and to controlodors. Usually aftercollecting the wastes fora week, a big drain plugis pulled that lets the pitwater and wastes drainto one of four sump pitsinstalled at the houses.From the sump pits, thewastewater is pumpedover the top of the 19foot high tank for anotherround of treatment andaeration. As thewastewater is treatedwith aeration, the volatilesolids (VS) andbiochemical oxygendemand (BOD) arereduced before beingpumped back into thehouses again as pitwater.

This aeration typetechnology is not new to

the treatment ofwastewater, but it hasbeen used mainly in thetreatment of human andmunicipal wastes. Thiswill be the initialapplication of thistechnology to animalwastes in Alabama. Aprivate consulting firmexperienced in municipalwastewater treatmentemployed for the aerationdesign has assured theAlabama Department ofEnvironmentalManagement that thesystem will meet thetreatment and odor levelsof a much largeranaerobic lagoon.

The tank andaeration system have justbeen installed. Theoperational phase is justbeginning and will beclosely monitored thisspring. The effectivenessof the system will depend

largely on the amount ofaeration time providedeach day. Aeration timeswill be adjusted, perhapsoften during the year asseasons change, toprovide acceptable levelsof odor control andnutrient concentrations.The results of thisoperational testing phasewill be the subject of afuture article.

“ What makes thissystem unique is

the forcedaeration systemthat is installed

on the surface ofthe liquid inside

the tank.”

The U.S. Department ofAgriculture (USDA) prohibitsdiscrimination in all its programs andactivities on the basis of race, color,national origin, age, disability, andwhere applicable, sex, marital status,familial status, parental status,religion, sexual orientation, geneticinformation, political beliefs, reprisal,or because all or a part of anindividual’s income is derived fromany public assistance program. (Notall prohibited bases apply to allprograms.) Persons with disabilitieswho require alternative means forcommunication of programinformation (Braille, large print,audiotape, etc.) should contactUSDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file acomplaint of discrimination write toUSDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights,1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.,Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call(800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202)720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equalopportunity provider and employer.”

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Laurel Wilt Disease - An Ecological DisasterExtinction of Red Bay Trees in the Southeast

by Richard M. Bryant,January 2007

SummaryMortality of red bay

trees (Persea bobonia) incoastal locations in SouthCarolina (SC), Georgia(GA), and Florida (FL) isspreading rapidly, resultingin the death of nearly allred bays and sassafrastrees in the infected areas.The cause of the diseaseis a fungus (identified asOphiostoma sp.) vectoredby an Asian ambrosiabeetle (Xyleborusglabratus) . Both thebeetle and fungus arerecent introductions intothe U.S. There is noknown method to halt thespread of this disease.

HistoryIn 2002, a species of

ambrosia beetle new tothe U.S. was discovered in

a monitoring trap in PortWentworth nearSavannah, GA. Thebeetle is a native of India,Japan, and Taiwan. Bylate 2003, red bay treeswere dying in coastal SCand the beetle found onthose dead and dyingtrees was suspected.Diseased trees werefound to have a fungus,present in all cases andinoculation experimentsconfirmed the fungus wasthe cause of mortality.The fungus was presentin all examined beetles.Evidence stronglysuggested the beetle wasthe vector for moving thisfungus from tree to tree.

Red Bay InfoRed bay trees

extend from Virginia toLouisiana on the coastalplain. A member of thelaurel (Lauraceae) family,

it is closely related toswamp bays and silkbays. Also in theLauraceae family are:1. pondspice (Litseaaestivalis); 2. avocados;3. sassafras; and 4.pondberry or southernspicebush (Linderamelissifolia), a federallyendangered species.

Currently red baysand sassafras areconfirmed to besusceptible to this wiltdisease. It is unclear ifother members of thelaurel family are affected,but since it is suspectedthat several members ofthe family may beimpacted, the proposedname for the disease is“Laurel Wilt Disease.”

Red bays havelimited commercial use.The wood is sometimesused in cabinetry andboat building and thetrees are occasionallyused in landscaping. Theseeds of red bay areeaten by turkeys, quail,deer, songbirds, andbears. Leaves are used inSouthern cooking toflavor gumbos.

Red bays are host tothree butterflies: Schaus,palamedes, and spice-bush swallowtails.

Beetle Biology The vector for the

Ophiostoma fungus is anambrosia beetle. Thereare 20 species ofambrosia beetles in the

U.S. Nine of thesespecies are non-nativeand eight of these non-native species do notcause any economic orecological harm.

Ambrosia beetlesare usually attracted todying trees. However, X.glabratus seems to attackhealthy trees. The beetleburrows into the cambiumlayer and deposits thefungus which thenmultiplies and results inthe tree’s inability to movewater and nutrients. Thebeetle may leave the treeafter the initial visit, butonce the trees dies, alarge number of beetlesreturn to the infected treeto eat the fungus. It maytake only a single beetlevisit to inoculate thefungus into the tree.

Other beetles mayattack red bay trees withlittle impact. Forexample, attacks by theblack twig boring beetle(Xylosandrus compactus)will result in limited (few)terminal leaves dying.This is not to be confusedwith the disease causedby the Ophiostomafungus which results inthe death of the entiretree.

Rate of SpreadThe initial obser-

vation of dead red baytrees in SC was in late2003. By 2005, thebeetle and disease wereconfirmed in seven

lateral view dorsal viewXyleborus glabratus female.

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counties in northeast GA,five counties in SC, andDuval County in FL. Thespread of the disease toFL happened without thedisease being observedin southern GA.

By the end of 2006,the disease had spread to5 counties in SC, 15counties in GA, and 8counties in FL. One ofthe counties in FL, IndianRiver, is about 140 milessouth of any knowninfestation. Researchersin SC estimate the rate ofspread is approximately20 miles per year. Rateof spread in FL farexceeds this estimate.

Currently there is nomethod to halt or evenslow the spread of thiswilt disease. It appearsthe X. glabratus beetle isa powerful flier and by thetime brown leaves areobserved, many trees inthe vicinity are alreadyinfected. The use ofpesticides is not practicalas many other species ofbeneficial insects wouldbe impacted. There areno known biologicalcontrols and even if onecould be located, it wouldbe years before it wouldbe available for release inthe infected area.

Transportation of thebeetle via inadvertenthuman actions (e.g. infirewood, in shipment oftimber products, or stuckon a vehicle or train) overdistances greater thanthe flight distance alsoseems to be occurring.On at least two occasionsinfections have made“jumps” of over 80 miles(from northern GA toDuval County in 2004 and

from north FL to IndianRiver County in 2006).

Monitoring plots onFt. George Island (DuvalCounty, FL) show a 92percent mortality of redbay trees. All red baysabove 6 inches indiameter have died.Given this mortality rate,one researcher statedthis was an ecologicaldisaster.

While no one waswilling to predict the longterm impact of the loss ofred bays (and possiblyother laurel species), allresearchers agreed it willhave major impactsincluding changes in firebehavior, loss ofdependent species, andeconomic consequences.

Ongoing and ProposedResearch

Following are someprojects that are currentlyunderway or will start in2007:

1. A workshop on therapid decline of red baytrees in the southeastwas held in January2007 in Jekyll Island, GA.This paper was preparedto summarize thatworkshop.

2. SC, GA, and FLwill continue to monitordisease spread.

3. U.S. Departmentof Agriculture – ForestService (USDA-FS) willcontinue inoculationstudies to determine whatother species may besusceptible in thelaboratory.

4. All visuallyinfected trees on JekyllIsland, GA, wereremoved in December2006 to determine if

manual removal will slowthe spread.

5. FL Division ofForestry (DOF) will startfungicide injection testingat two locations (Ft.Clinch State Park andJennings State Forest) inthe spring of 2007.

6. CumberlandIsland National Seashore,GA, was planning amanual/mechanicalremoval of all dead anddying red bay trees todetermine if sanitationwould slow the spread onthe island. However,recent investigationsshow nearly all red baytrees already show signsof the fungus and the treeremoval effort has beencancelled.

7. FL DOF willcontinue monitoring ofsentential avocados onFt. George Island.

What is next?1. The USDA-FS will

head up a task force tobe assembled in spring

2007. This taskforce willbe modeled on theSudden Oak DeathTaskforce.

2. The USDA-FS isalso starting a web site tofacilitate informationexchange on the wiltdisease.

3. The USDA-FS isproposing a scientificforum in late 2007 toassemble researchers togive updates on what isknown about the disease.

Contacts1. USDA-FS, Don

Duerr, (404) 347-3511,dduerr@fs.fed.us

2. FL Division ofForestry, Dr. Bud Mayfield,(352) 372-3505 x 119,mayfiea@doacs.state.fl.us

3. GA ForestryCommission, JamesJohnson, (706) 542-9608,jjohnson@gfc.state.ga.us

4. SC ForestryCommission, Laurie Reid,(803) 896-8830,lreid@forestry.state.sc.us.

A. Wilt symptoms of red bay attacked by Xyleborusglabratus and infected with Ophiostoma. Sections ofcrown turning purple to red. B. Healthy red bay.

AAAAA

BBBBB

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The Alabama USDA-Farm Service Agency(FSA) has received37,000 acres for plantingof Longleaf Pine throughthe ContinuousConservation ReserveProgram (CCRP) practiceCP-36. A total of 250,000acres of longleaf pine isthe goal for nine southernstates: Alabama, Florida,Georgia, Louisiana,Mississippi, NorthCarolina, South Carolina,Texas, and Virginia. Thepurpose of this practice isto establish longleaf pinestands at densities that

Restoring Alabama’s Longleaf Pine Forests

benefit wildlife andprotect water quality.

Eligible producersare those that haveowned or operated theoffered land for12 months prior to theclose of signup. Eligibleland is cropland that hasbeen planted orconsidered planted to anagricultural row-cropcommodity four of theyears 1996 to 2001 and isphysically and legallycapable of being plantedin a normal manner. Thesoils must be suitable forlongleaf pines - generally

sandy well drained soils.Local FSA offices have alisting of approvedlongleaf soils.

The land offeredmust also be locatedwithin the NationalLongleaf Priority Area.For Alabama, 52 of the67 counties are eligible.The counties NOT eligibleare: Lauderdale, Lime-stone, Madison, Jackson,Colbert, Lawrence,Morgan, Marshall,DeKalb, Franklin, Marion,Lamar, Pickens, Greene,and Hale.

Producers approvedPractice CP-36 contractswill receive an annualrental payment for 10 to15 years, a one-timesignup bonus of $100 peracre, a one-time PracticeIncentive Payment equalto 40 percent of theeligible installation costs,and financial assistanceup to 50 percent of theeligible reimbursablepractice costs.

Sign-up beganDecember 1, 2006, andwill run continuously (i.e.eligible land may beenrolled any time) untilthe 250,000 acres for thenine-state region areenrolled, or December31, 2007, which evercomes first. Applicationswill be approved in theState FSA office on afirst-come-first-servedbasis as approvedconservation plans arecompleted.

Autauga

Baldwin

Barbour

Bibb

Blount

Bullock

Butler

Calhoun

Chambers

Cherokee

Chilton

Choctaw

Clarke

Clay

Cleburne

Coffee

Colbert

Conecuh

Coosa

Covington

Crenshaw

Cullman

Dale

Dallas

De Kalb

Elmore

Escambia

Etowah

Fayette

Franklin

Geneva

Greene

Hale

Henry

Houston

Jackson

JeffersonLamar

Lauderdale

Lawrence

Lee

Limestone

Lowndes

Macon

Madison

Marengo

Marion

Marshall

Mobile

Monroe

Montgomery

Morgan

Perry

Pickens

Pike

Randolph

Russell

St. Clair

Shelby

Sumter

Talladega

Tallapoosa

Tuscaloosa

Walker

Washington

Wilcox

Winston

The counties in green areeligible for CCRP practiceCP-36, longleaf pine.

NRCS and FSAhave partnered topromote greater use ofFarm Bill conservationprograms such as CCRPand the Wildlife HabitatIncentives Program(WHIP) for wildlifehabitat improvements.With support from non-profit organizations suchas the Alabama WildlifeFederation, theseprograms will leverageadditional resources forfarm wildlife habitatimprovements.

For moreinformation regardingCP-36, other CCRPpractices, and additionalfederal programs toimprove wildlife habitatand water quality,contact your local USDA-Service Center.

Young longleaf pines.