Asian longhorned beetle found near Staten Island
An Asian longhorned beetle infestation was discovered in hardwood trees on Prall's Island, N.Y., an 80-acre, uninhabited island between Staten Island, N.Y., and northern New Jersey. Inspectors discovered several heavily infested red maple trees and infested gray birch trees. Several of the trees had the perfectly round ALB exit holes that indicate beetles have emerged from the trees; healed-over exit holes were also present, indicating the infestation is more than a year old. All of the infested trees will be cut down and the wood chipped to destroy beetle larvae. The property is owned by NYC Dept. of Parks and Rec. and maintained as a bird sanctuary.

Regelbrugge: Demographics necessitate immigration reform
Craig Regelbrugge, ANLA sr. dir. of govt. relations, addressed the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce regarding the need for immigration reform. "There are economic concerns, and in the business context, demographic forces are at work that are causing labor shortages that will only worsen. The baby boom population bubble is aging. The next generation is one-third smaller. Birthrates among the native born are falling below replacement level. Americans are achieving the highest education levels in our nation's history. Simply put, we have a dynamic and diverse economy producing more jobs than there are Americans to fill them -- especially for seasonal jobs and lower-skilled jobs," Regelbrugge said.

SNA's new BMP manual arrives this summer
Southern Nursery Assoc. will have the newest version of its BMP guide available at the SNA Forum, Aug. 9-11 in Atlanta. The organization's "Best Management Practices: Guide for Producing Container-Grown Plants," released in 1996, has become the primary guideline for water management at container nurseries nationwide. The updated version is unofficially called BMPs 2.0. The publication has several upgrades: new graphics; irrigation practices for field producers and container growers; nutrient management planning; and a CD. The guide is $75 for SNA members; $100 for nonmembers. Manuals can be reserved by contacting (770) 953-3311 or via e-mail.

Florida growers get new tax breaks
Fla. Dept. of Ag. and Consumer Services announced tax breaks in correlation with a cost-share program designed to help growers implement best management practices. Some state cost-share payments for the program can be excluded from a grower's adjusted gross income for 2006 federal income tax purposes. Container nurseries could be eligible for the cost-share program. According to the Internal Revenue Service Code, cost-share payments made under these programs can be excluded from adjusted gross income if such payments are used for capital expenses and do not substantially increase the income derived from the property for which those payments are made. The IRS defines a "substantial increase" as 10% or $2.50/acre, whichever is greater.

Connecticut landscapes targeted for drought restrictions
A Connecticut state task force is creating a model ordinance for towns when water supplies are low. Currently, the state has 6 levels of action: drought advisory, drought watch, drought warning, and emergency phases I, II and III. During the emergency phases, the state drought task force wants landscape irrigation banned first, before filling pools, washing cars or flushing streets, said Bob Heffernan, CNLA exec. sec. CNLA told the task force to focus on the quantity, timing and method of watering landscapes, instead of just shutting off the water. (203) 445-0110.

Worth a visit
UCal-HIP project manager Terri Kempton talks about the PlantRight invasive plants program. Only on GreenBeam.com.

Safari™ -- new generation, super-systemic insecticide with quick uptake and knockdown, controls a broad spectrum of pests -- including whitefly, mealybug, leafminer, fungus gnat and scale.

Emerald Coast Growers produces superior starter plants in a variety of cell sizes; specializing in ornamental grasses and perennial plants.