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, January 31, 2011

Visiting Scientist Richard Cowles

On Friday March 4, Dr. Richard Cowles with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station will be speaking about scale control in Christmas trees.He is an expert on scale control, working with both elongate hemlock scale and Cryptomeria scale. He also has worked with the systemic insecticides such as Merit and Safari for hemlock woolly adelgid control. Attending the NCCTA meeting would be a great opportunity to learn from and talk to this expert.

The following are two references by Dr. Cowles that you might want to look at before the meeting.
  1. 2008 Scale Efficacy Trial: In this paper is information about Judo, Onyx, Botaniguard and Safari for elongate scale control
  2. Connecticut Weekly Agricultural Report, April 7, 2010: A New Method for Managing Armored Scales in Christmas Tree Plantations: This report has information about trunk applications of Safari for scale control in Christmas trees

Friday, January 14, 2011

Pesticide Safety Web Site

Farm safety is a big topic these days. As stated on the OSHA homepage for agricultural operations, “Agriculture is one of the most hazardous industries in the nation. Farming is one of the few industries in which the families (who often share the work and live on the premises) are also at risk for fatal and nonfatal injuries.” These dangers are compounded when most farmworkers are Latino, and even Spanish may be their second language. Their understanding of English is often limited, making them an especially vulnerable work force.


To help growers comply with existing laws, and to draw together resources from many states, a Christmas tree farm safety web site has been developed. 


Information is organized in several categories including general farm safety, equipment safety, shearing safety, pesticide safety (by far the biggest section), and harvest safety. Many resources are available in Spanish. There are links to pertinent laws, laws for record keeping, forms to record worker training, and videos on many topics.

So check it out at: www.ces.ncsu.edu/Christmastrees/farm-safety