171250_VCTGA_WinterNL_2019_PROOF

Volume 9, Issue 1

Winter 2019

Inside this Issue: Photos Tree/Wreath Presentation at Executive Mansion – 2 From the President – 3 Welcome New Member ‒ 4 NCTA 2019 Meeting ‒ 4 VCTGA 2019 Meeting ‒ 4 VCTGA Facebook Group ‒ 4 Trees for Troops 2018 – 4 Elongate Hemlock Scale – 5 Rifton Farm & Nursery on Cover VA Living ‒ 5 VDACS #VAGrown Christmas ‒ 5 Tree/Wreath Presentation – 6 Christmas Tree Month Proclamation –7 VDACS – News Releases – 7 VDACS PR Campaign – 9 VDACS Social Media – 9 Christmas Tree Promotion Board Research Report – 10 VCTGA at State Fair – 16 VCTGA at Floyd Fair – 17 Do You Want to Get into the Christmas Tree Business – 17 Advertisers Tree Teck ‒ 2 Alpha Nurseries − 8 Bosch’s Countryview Nursery – 11 Tim Mitchell’s Yule Stand System – 13 Riverside Enterprises ‒ 19 Kelco ‒ 19 Wagoner’s Fraser Knoll ‒ 24

Governor’s MansionTree/Wreath Presentation

Dave Thomas (l) presents the Commonwealth’s Christmas Tree to Governor Ralph Northam

Raymond Family (l) present Wreaths for the Executive Mansion. (r) First Lady Northam and Bettina Ring, Secretary of Agriculture & Forestry

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There appeared to be many more news articles about Christmas tree farms and VCTGA members this year. Keep up the great work! This season brought a new rise in online sales of Christmas trees by Home Depot and Amazon. Home De- pot sold 5-6’ trees directly from Holi- day Tree Farms, Oregon, for $103.98, 6-6 ½’ from Cottage Farms Direct for $106.98 as well as 2 ½ to 3 ½’ table top Fraser fir for $58.99. Amazon sold 7’ Fir trees for $115, expecting to sell 50-100,000 trees. The Great Big Greenhouse, an inde- pendent garden center in Richmond, VA was offering a fresh cut baled 7’ premium Fraser Fir Christmas tree de- livered to your front door, along with a tree removal bag, and a packet of tree preservative for $99.99. In spite of all this competition, I think we all would say that the choose and cut in- dustry performed very well. Thanks to all the VCTGA members who helped staff the VCTGA exhibit at the State Fair of Virginia. It’s a great opportunity to promote family traditions of having a real Virginia grown fresh tree. The VCTGA hosted a successful Fall Wreath Workshop at the Virginia De- partment of Forestry Nursery in Crimora the morning before the Board meeting on October 17. The workshop was taught by Tommy Naylor, North Creek Christmas Tree & Nursery. Fresh greens were pro- vided by John Carroll, Claybrooke Farms. SAVE THE DATE! The 2019 VCTGA Annual Conference and Farm Tour will be held in Blacksburg at the Alphin-Stuart Livestock Arena, on Plantation Road, with great meet- ing facilities. Hotel rooms will be available at The Inn at Virginia Tech. John Carroll and his committee are al- ready putting together a great pro- gram that will take advantage of the talent and resources at Virginia Tech.

If you have any speaker/program sug- gestions, contact John as soon as pos- sible at claybrookefarm@gmail.com I encourage you to provide sugges- tions and comments of how the VCTGA can help you become more profitable and successful. jeffgreg- son@gmail.com or secretary@Vir- giniaChristmasTrees.org .

From the President

Jeff Gregson, President VCTGA 2016-19 Jeff regson resident VCT A 2016-19

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE I hope everyone had a successful and profitable 2018 Christmas season! There have been many reports of choose-and-cut farms closing 1-2 weeks early as a result of folks buying their trees earlier. Several factors probably played into this. First the weather was cold, and it had been much more season, leading up to Thanksgiving weekend, news stories about being a limited supply of trees, and social media marketing from the Christmas Tree Promotion Board. Some members experienced issues with rain and limited access to park- ing and some farms and some having to actually closed due to the weather. The December 9 th snow storm create a Christmas atmosphere, but came on a prime selling weekend. National tree sales surveys indicated an uptick in tree sales the first 3 weeks of the selling season, starting Thanks- giving weekend.

VCTGA News Journal Contributing and Coordinating Editors VDACS Support & Updates Danny Neel Grant Updates Greg Lemmer Editor in Chief - Jeff Miller Virginia Christmas Tree Growers Association Inc. 383 Coal Hollow Rd Christiansburg, VA 24073-6721 PH: 540-382-7310 Fax: 540-382-7310 secretary@VirginiaChrist- masTrees.org www.VirginiaChristmasTreees.org Disclaimer: Published for your information, this newsletter is not an endorsement for individual products or editorial comments. VCTGA News Journal Contributing and Coordinating Editors VDACS Support & Updates Danny Neel Grant Updates Greg Lemmer Editor in Chief - Jeff Miller Virginia Christmas Tree Growers Association Inc. 383 Coal Hollow Rd. Christiansburg, VA 24073-6721 PH: 540-382-7310 Fax: 540-382-2716 secretary@V rginiaChristmasTr es. r www.VirginiaChristmasTrees.org Disclaimer: Published for your i formation, this newsletter is not an endorsement for individual products or editorial comments.

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Welcome New Member!

Exclusive New VCTGA Facebook Group for Members Only A new VCTGA membership benefit

Christmas Spirit Foundation & Trees for Troops

was introduced at our annual conference in Natural Bridge by Ryan Clouse – a VCTGA Fa- cebook Group!

This is different from a regular Face- book page, in 9that what you post only goes to other VCTGA Group members. Ask a question, offer tips, new resources, post photos, etc. Ryan is also setting up a resource clearinghouse page for Extension Publications, PowerPoint presenta- tions from VCTGA meetings, and other information that will help you be a more successful/profitable Christmas tree business. To Join: 1. Log into your Facebook profile. 2. Enter “Virginia Christmas Tree Growers” in the search box at the top left of the page. 3. Click the Groups tab to see a list of groups related to your search term. 4. As above, click on the name of the group to learn more, or click Join to become a member of the group. 5. You will have to wait for your membership request to be approved. For additional info or help, contact Ryan Clouse rclouse@mafc.com or Jeff Mil- ler, secretary@VirginiaChrist- masTrees.org

The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation is a 501c3 tax-exempt charitable organ- ization that works to recognize and support the true spirit of Christmas for U.S. troops through the Trees for Troops program. The foundation was established in 2005 and is among fewer than 5% of U.S. charities to be awarded the “Best in America” seal of excellence by independent Charities of America. Trees for Troops was se- lected by the US Coast Guard as the recipient of the 2017 Spirit of Hope Award. 2018 Program was the 14 th Year • 16,399 TREES to US military bases • 200 TREES to 4 international military bases • 67 BASES in the US received deliveries including 4 overseas military bases • Over 800 growers donated and trees were picked up from 24 states, delivered to 16 states • 225,319 trees have been distrib- uted for 14 years To learn more, visit www.treesfortroops.org or call 800-965-1653

Kristin Berrier, Keystone Holiday, Forsyth, NC (near Winston-Salem. They sell through Fraser Knoll and were an exhibitor at the VCTGA Fall Conference at Natural Bridge. National Christmas Tree Association Meeting & Contests August 9-10, 2019 The Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association will host the 2019 NCTA meeting and National Christmas Tree contest in conjunction with their meeting, similar to how Wisconsin hosted 2017. VCTGAAnnual Conference & Field Day Save the Date! August 1-3, 2019 At Virginia Tech’s campus Alphin- Stuart Livestock Teaching Arena on Plantation Road, Blacksburg. Hotel rooms will be available at The Inn at Virginia Tech. This will be a great op- portunity to tap into the expertise, technology and resources at Virginia Tech.

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Elongate Hemlock Scale Fiorinia externa Ferris

Photo Credit: Kristopher Abell, University of Massachusetts, Bugwood.org

A real Christmas tree from Rifton Farm & Nursery is featured on the cover of the December 2018 issue of the VIRGINIA LIVING magazine, as well as a 2-page spread in the article “Feeling FESTIVE – Home for the holidays in Bath County”! VDACS - Celebrate the Holidays With A Virginia Grown Christmas Tree November 26, 2018 [This is one of the news releases and social media promotions that VDACS sent out for Christmas tree growers and retailers.] Post pictures of your decorated real, Virginia Grown Christmas tree using #VaGrownChristmas . The Virginia Department of Agricul- ture and Consumer Services (VDACS) encourages consumers to celebrate Christmas with a real, Vir- ginia Grown evergreen tree. With ideal growing conditions and plenty of moisture, Virginia’s Christmas tree growers have beautiful, fresh, farm- grown trees available for this holiday season. Search for Virginia Christmas tree growers online at www.VirginiaG- rown.com or on the Virginia Christ- mas Tree Growers website, www.vir- giniachristmastrees.org . Along with choose-and-cut and pre-cut trees, many farms also sell fresh-made wreaths, garlands, holiday greenery,

County level observation Date created: 25 August 2016 TheAlienForestPestExplorermaintains spatialandbiological information for 89non-indigenous pests to theUnited States forests. Someof thesepestsarewidelyknown,butagreatnumberof themareobscure and relativelyunknown. Becauseof thisdisparity, information for this site isgenerated fromavarietyof sourcesanddepictsageographic rangeat the county scale. For someof the regulated forestpests,we collect data fromForestHealthProtection (FHP)and itspartner’s InsectandDisease Survey (IDS)Dataset. For theotherpests, information isannuallyupdatedusingpeer-reviewedarticles,gray literature,museum specimensand communicationswith experts. We strive togeneratemaps that reflect thebestofour currentknowledge for each species;however,adegreeof error is inherent inallmaps.Themapsaredistributed “AS-IS”withoutwarrantiesofanykind, either expressedor implied, includingbutnot limited towarrantiesof suitability toaparticularpurposeoruse. TheForest Serviceand itspartners shallnotbeheld responsible formissingor inaccuratedata.Anaccuracyassessmenthasnotbeen completed for thisdataset. Mapsanddatamaybeupdatedwithoutnotice. For themostup-to-datemaps,pleasevisit theAFPEmapping tool athttp://foresthealth.fs.usda.gov/portal/Flex/APE. Please cite this map as follows: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station and Forest Health Protection. “Alien Forest Pest Explorer - species map.” Database last updated 28 July 2016. (access date). State level report

Elongate Hemlock Scale Currently EHS is found in Connecti- cut, the District of Columbia, Dela- ware, Maine, Maryland, Massachu- setts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Caro- lina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Is- land, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia. See attached map. Any Christmas tree grower shipping material, which may have EHS in it, to states other than those listed above, may experience difficulties selling their products, or may have their products destroyed. Before any shipments leave Virginia, the growers should look at the Na- tional Plant Board (NPB) website, un- der the State Laws and Regulations tab to see what requirements must be met and any restrictions. This could save a lot of headaches and money. If questions or more information is needed please let me know. Danny Neel Virginia Dept. of Agriculture & Con- sumer Services Wytheville, VA 24382 276-228-5501 Office danny.neel@vdacs.virginia.gov

Rifton Farm & Nursery Tree Graces Cover of Virginia Living

Floyd County Christmas Tree Grower, Rifton Farm & Nursery’s tree graces the cover of Virginia Liv- ing magazine!

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VCTGA News Journal ‒ Winter 2019 VCTGA News Journal – Winter 2019 “The rain really with the saturated ground made working very difficult, scheduling work very difficult for a lot of farmers just trying to get into the fields,” John Carroll, the Vice Presi- dent of the Virginia Christmas Tree Growers Association, said. Carroll’s family runs Claybrooke Farm in Louisa County. ecutive Mansion. An eight foot Con- color Fir will be placed in the Ladies Parlor of the Executive Mansion. RICHMOND, Va. -- Two trees in a white pick-up truck came all the way from Page County to Richmond. It was a special delivery for Governor Ralph Northam and First Lady Pam- ela Northam before Santa Claus comes to the Capitol. From his green tie to his day to day job, Dave Thomas is a Christmas tree guy. “I went to school for forestry and there was a fellow who, near Harri- sonburg, had a Christmas tree farm… At the time, he was getting up there in age and he said he would probably be retiring before long,” Thomas said. “If you do, let me know I might be in- terested.” Thirty years later, Thomas is still out on the land taking care of 10,000 trees. From saplings to 8-footers. “There’s a lot of work that goes into taking care of Christmas trees,” he said. Thomas and his family are gearing up for their busiest weekend of the year, the first one in December. “It depends on the weather. Today’s not a great day to pick a tree and cut it down,” Thomas said. The rain poured as Thomas helped pick up the tree for the Northam’s. It’s been a wet season all around. There’s been about 5 feet of rain so far this year in Richmond, according to the National Weather Service. Some ar- eas saw higher amounts.

roping, centerpieces and tree stands. Some offer special touches for a memorable family experience such as hot beverages, holiday treats, hayrides and Christmas shops. Con- sumers should call ahead to confirm availability and hours of operation. VDACS encourages everyone who buys a real, Virginia Grown Christ- mas tree to help spread the word by posting images of their decorated tree on social media using the hashtags #VaGrownChristmas and #Virgini- aGrown . Virginia has more than 500 Christmas tree farms located throughout the state. The Virginia Christmas tree in- dustry ranks seventh in the U.S. by to- tal trees harvested, eighth in the U.S. by total acres in production and ninth in the U.S. by number of operations with Christmas tree sales, according to the U.S. Department of Agricul- ture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The size of Christmas tree farms in Virginia range from less than one acre to as large as several hundred or even 1,000 acres. They are a valuable and aesthetically pleasing addition to the land and can be planted on barren slopes and difficult spots where other crops will not grow. Virginia’s rich soil and moderate climate are ideal for growing a wide variety of Christmas evergreen trees including white pine, Scotch pine, Norway spruce, blue spruce, Douglas fir and Fraser fir. For every Christmas tree harvested, an- other two to three seedlings are planted in its place. Freshness is an important feature of every Virginia Grown tree. Fresh-cut trees retain their needles and stay fra- grant longer than trees brought in from out of state, which may be cut as much as a month or more in advance. To encourage consumers to choose a Virginia Grown tree, Ralph Northam today proclaimed December as “Vir- ginia Christmas Tree Month” in the

Commonwealth of Virginia. The an- nouncement was made during the Vir- ginia Christmas Tree Growers presen- tation of a Christmas tree and wreath to Governor Northam and First Lady Pamela Northam for Virginia’s Exec- utive Mansion. Christmas tree grow- ers Dave and Barbara Thomas of Val- ley Star Farm in Page County pre- sented this year’s official Christmas tree and Kelly Raymond of Midlo- thian presented this year’s official wreath. Valley Star Farm and Row- land are this year’s Grand Champion award winners of the Virginia Christ- mas Tree Growers Association’s An- nual Christmas Tree and Wreath Con- test. They were joined for the presen- tation to the Governor and First Lady by Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring, VDACS Commissioner Jewel Bronaugh, fam- ily, friends and additional Virginia Christmas tree growers. Contact: Michael Wallace, 804.786.1904 Tree/Wreath Presentation at the Executive Mansion

Governor and First Lady Northam welcomed the Executive Mansion Christmas trees from Valley Star Farm and wreaths from Kelly Ray- mond on November 26, 2018 This year the Virginia Christmas Tree Growers Association has selected Valley Star Farm to present the Exec- utive Mansion with holiday trees. A ten to twelve foot Fraser Fir will be displayed in the center hall of the Ex-

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Having too much rain can be bad for Christmas trees. If there’s too much wa- ter in the ground, it can stop trees from getting oxygen. Basically, it drowns the roots. “Firs don’t like to have wet feet,” Thomas said. “I did lose quite a few but I hadn’t ever lost them before, so hope- fully we won’t get a repeat next year.” Thomas lost at least 300 trees on his farm. Carroll says his trees fared better than expected. The impacts of the weather are different for every farm in every part of the region. There are about 500 Christmas tree farms in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Despite some of these issues, folks in- volved with the Virginia Tree Growers Association say we won’t have a “blue Christmas.” “Looks like there’s plenty of trees for everyone,” Thomas said. While Virginia is getting too much rain, some areas are dealing with too little. The Camp Fire in California went through a Christmas tree farm near Par- adise. “Their entire farm, all of their trees were lost in the fire and they just made it out with the clothes that they had on their back,” Carroll said. The Christmas Tree Growers Associa- tion is raising money to help the farm get back on their feet. “It’s pretty difficult. It makes you think if it were happening here - we’re getting the opposite, we’re getting too much water - they’re not getting enough,” Carroll said. “Our heart goes out to the folks that are out there.” Reprinted from www.wavy.com with the complete text, photos, and video at https://www.wavy.com/news/vir- ginia/how-will-your-christmas-tree-look- compared-to-those-at-virginia-s-execu- tive-mansion-/1621109232

Proclamation - Virginia Christmas Tree Month

VDACS – News Releases for Christmas Trees It’s Not Too Late to Get a Virginia Grown Christmas Tree For The Holiday December 12, 2018 News Release and Social Media from VDACS Christmas is less than two weeks away, so go get your Virginia Grown ever- green tree today. Once you buy your Virginia Grown Christmas tree, the Vir- ginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services encourages you to help spread holiday cheer by posting images of your decorated tree on social media using the hashtags #Va- GrownChristmas and #VirginiaG- rown. Search for Virginia Christmas tree growers and retail locations near you at VirginiaGrown.com or on the Virginia Christmas Tree Growers website, vir- giniachristmastrees.org. Along with choose-and-cut and pre-cut trees, many farms and retail locations sell fresh- made wreaths, garlands, holiday green- ery, roping, centerpieces and tree stands. Some offer special touches for a memorable family experience such as hot beverages, holiday treats, hayrides and Christmas shops. Consumers should call ahead to confirm availabil- ity and hours of operation. Freshness is an important feature of every Virginia Grown tree. Fresh-cut trees retain their needles and stay fra- grant longer than trees brought in from out of state, which may be cut as much as a month or more in advance. Virginia’s rich soil and moderate cli- mate are ideal for growing a wide va- riety of Christmas evergreen trees in- cluding white pine, Scotch pine, Nor- way spruce, blue spruce, Douglas fir and Fraser fir. For every Christmas tree harvested, another two to three seedlings are planted in its place. Contact: Michael Wallace, 804.786.1904

by Governor Ralph Northam WHEREAS, Virginia farmers grow nu- merous varieties of Christmas trees on 500 farms across the Commonwealth for wholesale, retail, and choose-and- cut customers; and WHEREAS, Virginia ranks seventh in U.S. states in terms of total Christmas trees harvested, eighth in total tree acre- age in production, and ninth in number of operations with Christmas tree sales; and WHEREAS, Virginia growers deliver the spirit of the holiday season by do- nating hundreds of Christmas trees to military families each year through the Trees for Troops program; and WHEREAS, Virginia grown Christmas trees are renewable, recyclable, and nat- ural products, and for every tree cut growers replant two-to-three seedlings in its place; and WHEREAS, Christmas tree farming is part of Virginia’s largest private indus- try - agriculture; and WHEREAS, a day spent on a Christmas tree farm is a venerable holiday tradi- tion for thousands of Virginia families and an opportunity to contribute to en- terprising Virginia businesses; NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ralph S. Northam, do hereby recognize Decem- ber 2018 as VIRGINIA CHRISTMAS TREE MONTH in our COMMON- WEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.

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ALPHA NURSERIES, INC 3737 –65 TH ST. HOLLAND, MI 49423

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Phone: 269 - 857-7804 Fax: 269 857-8162 Email: info@alphanurseries.com Find us on the web at: www.alphanurseries.com

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VCTGA News Journal ‒ Winter 2019

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• The top selling #VaGrownChrist- mas trees are: balsam fir, Doug- las-fir, Fraser fir, noble fir, Scotch pine, Virginia pine, and white pine. Which is your favorite?? • After you purchase your #Va- GrownChristmas tree, caring for it is easy. Here are some helpful tips. (link to tips) • Buy a #VaGrownChristmas tree, snap a picture, post it on your so- cial media and tag it with #Va- GrownChristmas. Search for #VirginiaGrown Christmas tree growers at VirginiaGrown.com. After you purchase your #Va- GrownChristmas tree, caring for it is easy. Here are some helpful tips. #VirginiaGrown Multimedia Collection & More Information at http://www.vdacs.vir- ginia.gov/media-social-me- dia-tool-kit.shtml • Graphics • Caring for a fresh cut tree (pdf) • Caring for a live tree (pdf) • Environmental Benefits of a Real Christmas Tree (pdf) • Virginia Grown

VDACS – Virginia Grown Christmas Trees PR Campaign

VDACS - SOCIAL MEDIA TOOL KIT

[This is one of the news releases and social media promotions that VDACS sent out for Christmas tree growers and retailers.] Spread the word about Virginia Grown Christmas Trees, it's simple and easy! Join the social media con- versation today by posting any of the images, prepared messages below or create your own message and post it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Don't forget to use #VaGrownChrist- mas and #VirginiaGrown. For more engaging content, buy a #VaGrown Christmas tree, snap a picture with your family, post it on your social media and tag it with #Va- GrownChristmas. Encourage your friends and followers to do the same. Social Media Messages • Make great family memories this weekend by packing up the kids and getting a #VaGrownChrist- mas tree. Search for #VirginiaG- rown Christmas tree growers at VirginiaGrown.com. • For every #VaGrownChristmas tree harvested, there are two to three seedlings planted in its place. Help keep Virginia Green this holiday season! • Support Virginia Farmers and boost the local economy this hol- iday season by purchasing a #Va- GrownChristmas tree. • Nothing says Christmas like a #VaGrownChristmas tree. Search for #VirginiaGrown Christmas tree growers at VirginiaG- rown.com. • Celebrate Virginia Christmas tree month with a beautiful #Va- GrownChristmas tree. Search for #VirginiaGrown Christmas tree growers at VirginiaGrown.com.

We are overseeing a public relations campaign to promote awareness and purchase of Virginia Grown Christ- mas Trees this holiday season. Part of this campaign will utilize social me- dia to generate organic conversations of the beauty and benefits of Virginia Grown Christmas trees. This is where we could really use your help. We have created a website, http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/me- dia-social-media-tool-kit.shtml , that we would like for Virginia growers to use as a guide to generate post on their social media channels. They don't have to use the contents verbatim, but we would love for everyone to use #VaGrownChristmas on their social media post. In addition, we are hoping that they will encourage their custom- ers to post a picture of their decorated tree on their social media channels and use #VaGrownChristmas. The benefit of using this hashtag is that we can track how many times it was used and the audience it reaches. Contact for the website: Michael Wal- lace, Assistant Director of Communica- tions, Va. Dept. of Agriculture and Con- sumer Services, Richmond VA 23219, 804.786.1904, michael.wallace@vdacs.virginia.gov

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Christmas Tree Promotion Board Supports Research Initiatives Christmas Tree Promotion Board Supports Research Initiatives

In addition to the $200,000 allocated in the 2018-19 fiscal year budget, the board recently approved approxi- mately $177,000 earmarked for future research, Deal said. And all of it will be money well spent to support the in- dustry, she said. “What’s good for one state is often good for another state,” Deal said. “We’re not competitive with each other, we’re competitive with the arti- ficial tree.” There are eight projects currently re- ceiving funding. Turkish and Trojan firs

By Jake Sherlock The science behind growing and car- ing for Christmas trees can have long- ranging impacts on the industry. That’s why the Christmas Tree Pro- motion Board has invested or com- mitted more than $500,000 in a slate of research projects designed to bene- fit the entire industry. “We’re all interconnected,” explained Della Deal, chairwoman for the CTPB Research Committee. “A re- search project in Pennsylvania can impact growers in the Pacific North- west. We try to choose projects all over the country.” The projects that are currently receiv- ing CTPB funding range from having the potential to make a grower’s life a little easier to completely transform- ing a grower’s operation. For instance, several researchers working on a project to grow Trojan and Turkish firs in North America are encouraged by the results they’re see- ing, and they’re just as excited by how big of a hit those species could be with consumers. Other projects focus on controlling pests, like slugs and elon- gated hemlock scale; how to genet- ically improve trees; and how drones can be used to save growers time and money. “Research is the only way you move forward,” Deal said. “There’s always going to be insect disease issues that is an immediate need to deal with. And then there’s genetic improve- ment, and that’s a huge part of becom- ing profitable and sustainable.”

The WA Test plot in June 2018 What’s the appeal of Turkish and Tro- jan fir? Project researchers had sev- eral answers for this question, but it was Rich Cowles with the Connecti- cut Agricultural Experiment Station who summed it up best: Consumers will love them. “The density and foliage and color of the trees is just fantastic,” Cowles said. “They have a dark green, glossy, long needle, and the density of the fo- liage is exceptional. … Their growth habits are such that you have lots of branches and lots of foliage.”

Planting the CoFirGE site in 2013 in Oregon The Cooperative Fir Germplasm Evaluation project, also known by its shortened moniker CoFirGe or as the Turkish fir project, is an experiment to see how well Turkish and Trojan firs can grow in various locations across the country: Connecticut, Ore- gon, Washington, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

Detached branch needle retention evalua- tions that were done on all of the trees in the Nisqually CoFirGE plot earlier this fall In short, they hold many of the same physical characteristics that consum- ers look for in other firs, said Gary Chastagner, one of the project re- searchers and Plant Pathologist and Extension Specialist at Washington State University.

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That post-harvest quality is especially important to consumers, particularly those who set up a Christmas tree dur- ing Thanksgiving week and leave it up through New Year’s and into Jan- uary. “Firs have good post-harvest quality,” Chastagner said. “That quality is re- ally important, particularly as the in- dustry faces consumers wanting to buy trees early and have them last a long time, not shedding is extremely important.” Chal Landgren, a Christmas tree spe- cialist with Oregon State University, said the post-harvest qualities of Turkish and Trojan fir show promise. “They have great needle retention as long as they’ve had a good couple of freezing episodes before harvest,” Landgren said. Another upshot of the Turkish and Trojan firs is they stand up well to

Phytophthora root rot. Phytophthora root rot exists in wet soils and moves from root to root, “the water mold ac- tually produce spores that swim like sperm, they have tails,” explained Bert Cregg, a research specialist at Michigan State University. Phytophthora can show up in a variety of soils, which is especially problem- atic in New England where the soil types changes frequently, Cowles said. “Any field over an acre has more than one soil type,” he said. For the Connecticut sites, the trees were planted in areas “where you’d never in your right mind plant fir trees,” Cowles said with a laugh. “We found sites that were horrible: wet and heavy soil, water pooling in the bot- tom of the hole.” “If anything can survive under those conditions, you have something super special,” Cowles said. The Turkish and Trojans have survived, but they

Trial seedlings are sorted and tagged “The trend in the tree industry is that true firs have increased tremendously, we’ve seen a big increase in Fraser and Noble firs, those account for at least 70 percent of the U.S. produc- tion of Christmas trees,” Chastagner said. “When you look at those species and why there is such a demand for those species, it is largely because of post-harvest quality and stiffness of branches, being able to hold orna- ments and having a really nice high- quality foliage.”

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VCTGA News Journal ‒ Winter 2019 Ad_1_BW_7.5x4.875.indd 1 VCTGA News Journal – Winter 2019

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VCTGA News Journal ‒ Winter 2019 VCTGA News Journal – Winter 2019 “We’re still working up the data on those, but looking at various treat- ments it seemed like the best time for these two species was in April,” Landgren said, adding that prelimi- nary results and final results may change. orchard, you can spray with insecti- cide when the Megastigmus wasp is flying and laying eggs on the cones, which keeps the pest levels down to a lower risk of seed infestation. But when you harvest out of a forest, in some years there is more infestation in seed than in others.” A high infestation can mean nurseries are unable to collect viable seeds, “so there’s a whole year with no seedlings available, at least from that nursery,” Chastagner said. If inspectors find that seeds are in- fested with larvae, all seeds have to destroyed, Chastagner said, because there is no known treatment for the larvae, only the adult wasps. That’s where his research comes in. Chastagner is working with nurseries to secure infested seeds to see if he can develop an approach acceptable to the USDA for eradicating the lar- vae before they eat the internal part of the seed. The first test is to see how well the larvae and seed stand up to heat. Chastagner said he’s hoping the right combination of temperature and exposure time will kill the larvae without damaging the seed. Leader control for firs Chal Landgren, the Oregon State Uni- versity researcher, also has a side pro- ject relating to the Turkish and Nord- mann fir trees -- he’s looking at strat- egies for controlling the leader. So far, he’s examining three cultural treatments to see which is most effec- tive: Cutting the leader at bud break in April; cutting the leader at 2 inches length, generally in May; or cutting the leader after it is fully elongated, generally in August.

“Northwest trees look great but their climate is much milder than Michi- gan’s,” he said. Insect pests haven’t been a major is- sue for the researchers, but Landgren said it’s still early. “Most (Turkish and Trojans) are re- sistant to insect pests. We’re finding that they’re not totally immune to in- sects, and I’m sure insects will de- velop a taste for them in time, but right now they’re pretty pest-free,” Landgren said. Ultimately, are Turkish and Trojan fir viable in the United States? The early evidence may suggest some areas of the country will be better for Turkish or Trojans than others, but there is still much to discover as this project continues. “We’re learning, and that’s the idea of this project,” Cregg said. “Are these trees going to be suitable for all of these different regions? Those are the kinds of questions we’re looking at.” Using heat to kill larvae Chastagner is working on a related project regarding seeds for Turkish and Nordmann fir This project, just underway, will test whether heat can be an effective treatment against Megastigmus larvae, a pest that likes to eat the internal part of conifer seeds. Nordmann fir is grown widely in Eu- rope, and most seed for Christmas tree production come from native tree stands rather than seed orchards, Chastagner said. The same is true of exotic firs used in the Turkish fir pro- ject -- only these come from the Black Sea region, namely Turkey, Russia and Georgia. If the adult wasp can fly to nearby conifers and start laying eggs on the cones of those conifers, the larvae will hatch and seed viabil- ity will decrease as a result. “You can’t manage this pest in the forest,” Chastagner said. “In a seed

haven’t grown well “with their feet in the water,” Cowles said.

Trial seedlings are packed Cowles also explained that one of the sites was chosen for its known high risk of Phytophthora root rot. In the first experiment on that site, every Fraser fir died within three years while Turkish and Nordmann fir suf- fered only minor loss, he added. In the Pacific Northwest, Landgren and Chastagner are recording and evaluating how well the trees perform and what types of issues can arise while growing. For instance, Land- gren said the Oregon site won’t be ready for harvest for another 4 years because of a gopher problem, while Washington should be ready in two years. Chastagner said he has been studying needle retention in the trees, noting that the later the tree is harvested the better it retains its needles. In the early branch testing he’s done, Turk- ish and Trojan fir have shown less needle loss than Fraser fir. When it comes to pests, deer, rabbits and others have shown a taste for the Turkish and Trojan fir, making deer fence a necessary defense. “If you don’t have a way to keep deer out, Turkish fir is a non-starter,” Cregg said. Other issues that Cregg has experi- enced in Michigan are early bud break and slower growth compared to Washington and Oregon. He said the trees can be slow to establish.

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That’s why McDonnell, along with fellow Oregon State researcher Chal Landgren and Gary Chastagner from Washington State, are developing In- tegrated Pest Management strategies to keep slugs out of tree plantations as well as shipping yards. “The fundamental question is: Are slugs getting into trees before they’re cut, after they’re cut, when they’re in the field or when they’re in the ship- ping yard?” Chastagner said. To test which slugs are getting on the trees themselves, the researchers use blanket traps that provide the kind of dark and damp refuge slugs look for when day breaks. Some of the blan- kets are wrapped around the trunk of a tree while others are on the ground. Then, all the researchers have to do is collect the traps once a month and an- alyze to see which species of slugs are in the area. McDonnell said research-

He’s also experimenting with a growth regulator treatment to see if the leaders on those two species can be limited with the right combination of rate and timing. “We used a chemical called ‘Pro- Tone’ plant growth regulator. We found that the right rate at the right time had a pretty success in control- ling the leader,” Landgren said. He added the same experiment will be re- peated by Michigan State researcher Bert Cregg in summer 2019. “Controlling the leader has typically been done by cutting it in August and maybe a quarter of those we do we have to go back and straighten them up with sticks in kind of a splint,” Landgren said. “That treatment on Nordmann and Turkish fir is the most expensive activity … if we can save growers time from tying up and straightening tops, it will save the most money.”

Keeping slugs off of exports One slug. That’s all it takes to shut down a shipment of trees to Hawaii. And fixing the problem can end up costing thousands and thousands of dollars. Slugs are a very, very important pest to the tree industry,” explained Rory McDonnell, Oregon State Univer- sity’s slug expert. “That surprises a lot of people. Many think slugs are pests for field crops ...But in the Pacific Northwest, slugs are the top three most common rejection for exports.” McDonnell offered this example: A shipment of trees grown in Washing- ton or Oregon is bound for Hawaii. Upon port inspection in Hawaii, if so much as one roundback slug is found, the shipment has to either be returned or thoroughly cleaned. Both options are expensive, and in either case the grower pays the price.

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VCTGA News Journal ‒ Winter 2019 VCTGA News Journal – Winter 2019

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Understanding Elongate Hemlock Scale

Scale can travel several different ways -- wind and birds can carry them to other locations. They can also spread through nursery plants and other vegetation, as well as through the export of Christmas trees. And therein lies the problem for growers. “Fir and hemlock don’t suffer much damage,” Sidebottom said. “But a study in the 1970s said that scales will kill plants. So even though we don’t see that they cause much of a prob- lem, to some states, in their opinion that’s just us talking. We had to prove it wasn’t a problem.” Sidebottom and her team worked with 17 different tree species, including conifer trees native to Florida, to first infest them with scales and then to track how quickly the scales could re- produce. Her study went on for a year, which allowed for the scales to repro- duce through three life cycles.

ers have collected slugs at seven Ore- gon tree farms and three in Washing- ton. The researchers are also collecting slugs at shipping yards, but only during the peak tree shipping times of Novem- ber and December. Those traps get checked every two weeks. Once the number of slugs and their spe- cies are determined, researchers can then make and test recommendations for managing slugs. That will likely in- clude testing a variety of pesticides, McDonnell said. It might also mean making recommendations for how to maintain shipping yards, since too much surface debris in the shipping yard or around the edges can make for a friendly slug habitat. Chastagner mentioned two potential treatments for slug-infested trees: Hot water treatments after trees have been bailed or dipping trees in essential oils. Hot water treatments have shown to be effective against slugs without harming trees while essential oils can be effec- tive against slugs but leave trees dam- aged, Chastagner said. McDonnell said knowing which species of slug is prevalent at which time and which location is the key to figuring out effective management strategies. After all, he said, some species peak at differ- ent times of year, some lay eggs in spring, and some lay eggs in fall. “Once we have a better idea of the spe- cies, we’ll come up with better manage- ment strategies,” McDonnell said.

Plants in the greenhouse when they were first infested with EHS. The infested shoots of Fraser fir are attached to each plant They’re tiny, they’re armored, they’re not native to the North America, and growers can’t fully eradicate them, they can only hope to keep the num- bers low. It’s not that these bugs, Elongate Hemlock Scale, do great damage to real Christmas trees. It’s the unknown of what the scales could do if and when they’re introduced to a particu- lar region that moves a state like Flor- ida to stop tree shipments from a state like North Carolina. Jill Sidebottom with North Carolina State Extension is working to fill in the knowledge gaps about the scales, to help educate well-meaning state authorities on exactly what it is scales will do. “There hasn’t been a lot of research done in this area because they’re not that bad of a pest,” Sidebottom said. Sidebottom explained that Elongate Hemlock Scale first showed up in North America more than 100 years ago. Elongated hemlock scale origi- nated in Asia. Pennsylvania was the first state where the scale started im- pacting Christmas tree growers, in the 1980s. Since then, elongated hemlock scale has moved into 14 different states; as far south as Georgia, as far west as Michigan, and as far north as Maine, Sidebottom said. Elongated hemlock scale has spread much more quickly in recent years, she added.

Dr. Adam Dale and Paige Patterson, Watauga County extension agent, examine the plants fro scale and study them under the microscope to determine if they are alive. Because Florida didn’t want elon- gated hemlock scale in the state, even for research purposes, Sidebottom said she and her team members had to conduct the experiment in North Car-

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“We’ve had positive results,” Side- bottom said. “I think we have a very good study.” Controlling cones in Fraser fir plantations Putting workers on ladders 10 feet off the ground to pull hundreds of cones from Fraser fir is time consuming, ex- pensive and raises some major safety issues.

olina and try to recreate Florida con- ditions as best they could. The 16 dif- ferent tree species were kept in a greenhouse that didn’t go below 55 degrees Fahrenheit until spring, when they were moved to a shady place in the mountains that is generally favor- able for Fraser fir as well as hemlock. “One of the issues with the study is that we couldn’t create an environ- ment where everyone was happy,” Sidebottom said. But despite those is- sues, she said the knowledge gained about Elongate Hemlock Scale will be valuable for growers across the na- tion. Scales on the trees native to Florida showed little to no reproduction while Fraser and hemlock predictably saw a great deal of reproduction. Sidebot- tom said she observed males moving to the Florida trees, but the ability for females to develop and produce young was limited. There are several control methods for elongated hemlock scale, including a parasitic wasp, which is smaller than a gnat, that lays its eggs inside the scale. There are other cultural control options for scales, like reducing the use of nitrogen in fertilizer and not planting new trees near scale-infested trees. And there are several chemical options as well, but Sidebottom said scales can’t be completely eradicated from an infested area. “There is no way to send a 100 per- cent scale-free plant anywhere,” she said. Sidebottom listed other areas that may turn down tree shipments because of scale -- namely, southern states that don’t have them yet and as well as Caribbean nations that import trees. Sidebottom said she is hopeful that more research about elongated hem- lock scale will help the entire Christ- mas tree industry regardless of whether this scale has reached a par- ticular state or not.

Heavy coning, 100% control and cone kill – Representation of the significant coverage of cones on untreated trees, as compared to treated trees. “In Michigan they can count on cones every year,” said Jeff Owen, forestry specialist at North Carolina State. “In North Carolina, it’s not as predictable, so the idea of growers needing to treat everything just in case is a little harder sell down here.” Owen used CTPB research funds for a sprayer that is designed for research rather than production. For instance, the sprayer Owen bought drains better than a commercial sprayer, which is designed to prevent chemicals from one trial mixing with chemicals from the next trial. “It’s been a bit of a tricky process, but a good sprayer has been instrumental in doing that research,” Owen said. That research has included testing dif- ferent herbicides on emerging cones to see which will be the most effec- tive. Bert Cregg, the Michigan State University researcher, said that or- ganic herbicides are primarily fatty acids that, with the right rate and tim- ing, have shown an ability to kill cones without damaging foliage.

Cone removal presents significant labor, time, and potential worker safety issues. The best way to handle cones can vary from region to region. For instance, Fraser fir grown in Michigan can pro- duce a high number of cones every year – from hundreds up to a 1,000 on larger trees. North Carolina has the same problem, but the severity varies year to year. Michigan researchers are approach- ing the problem from two angles; a proactive approach that seeks to stop cones from appearing in the first place, and a reactive approach to con- trol cones after they’re growing. North Carolina State University for- estry specialist Jeff Owen is focusing on the reactive approach.

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