The Value of Christmas Trees

"...there is no reason why the joy associated with the Christmas evergreen may not be a means of arousing in the minds of children an appreciation of the beauty and usefulness of trees; and keen appreciation of the beauty and usefulness of trees is a long stop toward the will to plant and care for them (Arthur Sowder, US Forest Service, 1949)."

Monday, March 14, 2011

Updated website on pesticides

The web site with pesticides labeled for Christmas trees has been updated. Click here http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/programs/xmas/pesticides/index.html for the link.

There is a lot of information at this site. Practically all pesticides labeled for Christmas trees are listed. That includes insecticides, herbicides and fungicides. There may be some others that are labeled. Glyphosate alone has multiple products that can be used in Christmas trees. But hopefully this web site will include most that are regularly used by the industry in North Carolina. (If there are others you would like to add, just let me know!)

On the site is the following information for each material:

  • The common name -- that's the name you see on the package.
  • Type of pesticide and the uses for the product.
  • Active ingredient -- that's the name of what actually is working in the pesticide.
  • Active ingredient concentration -- let's you know how many pounds of active ingredient are in each gallon or pound.
  • The chemical family -- so you can see which materials are related to each other.
  • The manufacturer.
  • The EPA registration number -- you need to list this in your pesticide records. Also, when you talk to NCDA&CS folks, have that number so they can quickly pull up the product.
  • Use/Signal word -- whether the product is labeled CAUTION, WARNING or DANGER.
  • REI -- the restricted reentry interval. Be careful though. What is listed is for normal reentry. There may be additional cautions on the label for special circumstances.
  • The rate -- which includes the maximum amount that can be applied each year when applicable.
  • PPE -- the personal protective equipment required for applicators. Again caution as there may be special PPE required for handlers or other workers or uses.
Also on this site is a link to all the labels and MSDS sheets for these products. 

This information is provided for your convenience. If you see any errors, please let me know. Updates will be made as necessary. But be sure to review the label that comes with the material you are using. That is what you should always go by.