APHIS confirms wood wasps in Michigan
USDA's APHIS has confirmed that 2 female wood wasps found last July in Sanilac County, Mich., were Sirex noctilio. Both were found in traps on private property. The traps were set as part of a multi-state survey that's concentrated in high-risk areas in several states. Sirex noctilio is a wood-boring wasp capable of killing healthy pine trees.

All growers can help Georgia's green industry
The drought in Georgia has shaken state and local officials. Sherry Loudermilk, exec. dir. of Ga. Green Industry Assoc., and many others have been lobbying on several fronts to salvage spring sales. Their campaigning led to the watering ban being lifted at the state level in February. However, the public is still reluctant to garden. GGIA decided a publicity campaign is needed to teach homeowners that gardening is safe and can actually help with drought, if done responsibly. For that, funds are needed. Here's Loudermilk's letter to GGIA members and supporters. A link to the donation form is included.

Skinners buys 2 Pike locations
Skinner Nurseries acquired 2 new branches in the metro Atlanta market. The centers are former Pike Wholesale Nurseries in Alpharetta and Buford. The new locations officially opened as Skinner Nurseries on March 10.

Make money with 'instant forests'
An article in The New York Times insists that there is money to be made in "instant forests." Writer Gerri Hirshey found people willing to pay $500,000 for an overnight insta-landscape. The reason? Wealthy homeowners want landscapes that look like they've been there for centuries. These rich residents may only live in a home for a few years, but they're willing to pay top dollars for trees.

Botanical garden names Great Plant Picks
Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden in Seattle announced its 2008 Great Plant Picks in February. Selections are particularly suited for Washington, Oregon and British Columbia, Canada. Plants are chosen based on ornamental value, ease of care and pest and disease resistance. Here are some of this year's winners: Aesculus parviflora (bottlebrush buckeye), Betula nigra (river birch), Spiraea Magic Carpet and Kalmia latifolia 'Elf' and 'Sarah.' (mountain laurel).

NYC decides to clone 'historical' trees
A 100-year-old European beech on Central Park's Cherry Hill was chosen by city officials as the first of 25 historical trees to be cloned as part of a plan to add a million new trees to streets, parks and public spaces over the next decade. If all goes well, the genetic-match saplings will be back in 2 years, to be replanted as part of the Million Trees NYC project. The target trees, 5 in each of New York's 5 boroughs, include 9 species. All were selected by borough foresters as historical for having existed for at least a century — either as fixtures of the urban landscape or as having special significance to local communities. Among those are what may be the city's oldest tree, the St. Nicholas elm — also known as "the dinosaur" — in upper Manhattan, which George Washington is said to have walked under during the American Revolution.

U.S. plant screening doesn't stack up
The U.S. government's approach to invasive plant screening is less effective than systems set up in Australia and New Zealand, according to a study released in February by the Nature Conservancy and Univ. of Florida. Researchers looked at the regulatory weed risk assessment (WRA) system in Australia and New Zealand. "The WRA system can be used to test all new plants proposed for import and determine whether or not a plant should be allowed entry into a country in under 24 hours," said Doria Gordon, assoc. dir. of science for the Nature Conservancy's Florida chapter and lead author of the research paper. "Under the current U.S. law, few species are tested and the process can take up to 8 weeks."

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