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8 THE RURAL VOICE
Scrap Book
Help for one tree pest but another arrives
Rural Ontario's landscape has
been dominated by two stately tree
varieties since pioneer days: the
American elm and the sugar maple.
The elms were devastated by an
earlier invasion and a now new pest
threatens the maples.
Some remaining elms may get
protection from the work of a
University of Toronto researcher
who has spent 22 years seeking a
solution to the problem of Dutch
elm disease. When the fungus,
carried by the elm bark beetle,
struck Ontario in the 1960s, it killed
millions of trees and changed the
look of towns, cities and rural
countryside alike. "The elm is the
most beautifully shaped tree in the
North American landscape," says
forest pathologist Martin Hubbes.
After decades of dead -ends and
disappointments, Hubbes finally
perfected the equivalent of a vaccine
against Dutch elm disease. Earlier
tests in more than a dozen cities
indicatcd his research was on the
right track and a trial this spring on
about 300 elms in Kingston showed
the vaccine could protect trees.
A chemical -filled pellet no
bigger than a cigarette filter, is
inserted in a shallow drill hole in the
bark just before the leaf buds open.
However, while urban
homeowners may find the new
vaccine worthwhile, it may not be
practical for rural landowners. The
Toronto company seeking approval
to market the pellets says it must be
administered yearly and says the
vaccine will initially cost "less than
550".
Meanwhile a new invader from
China is threatening the future of
the maple trees that are the most
common sight in Ontario and which
provide a huge economic benefit
through both lumber and maple
syrup sales.
In June 1998 a live adult Asian
long -horn beetle was found in a
warehouse in Waterloo. The beetle
is thought to have arrived in a
shipment originating from China
where the beetle is a native species.
Portions of the same shipment were
sent to seven other locations in
southern Ontario. While inspection
of other sites found no live beetles,
there were bore holes and sawdust
in crating materials. The insect had
earlier been found in New York and
Chicago.
The insect attacks and kills
healthy trees and has no known
natural enemies in Canada. Not just
maples but most broadleaf trees
including poplars, sycamores, elms,
willows, cherries and various fruit
trees are susceptible. No practical
insecticide treatment exists.
Adults feed on leaves andbark
of tender shoots of the trees. Mature
larvae bore into the tree and create
large, winding galleries in the inner
wood, eventually killing the host.
Adults chew their way out of the
wood, creating large, circular exit
holes.°
—Sources, Toronto Star and
Natural Resource Canada bulletin
Study says organic farming cuts emissions
Crops grown with organic fertilizer produce equivalent yields but much less
carbon dioxide than crops grown with chemical fertilizers, according to a 15 -
year -long study by the Rodalc Institute in Pennsylvania.
"This is important because right now we are facing a problem with CO2 and
the potential impacts on climate and we are in the process of signing a treaty and
trying to work with other countries on a global scale," said Laurie Drinkwater of
the Rodale Institute.
In a letter published in the science journal Nature, November 18, the
researchers said if organic fertilizer (either manure or a variety of legumes) is
used in the major com/soybean growing regions of the United States, the annual
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could be reduced by an estimated two per cent.
In addition to producing Tess CO2, the study found organic farming also uses
50 per cent Tess energy than conventional farming methods.°
— Source: Reuters News Agency