Senator, industry advocate, arrested in airport
Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho — widely seen as the nursery industry's biggest advocate in Congress and a champion of immigration reform — was arrested June 11 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on charges of lewd behavior stemming from an undercover investigation in a men's restroom. Craig pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct, but he denies inappropriate conduct and calls the plea a mistake. Craig's committee leadership posts were taken away from him, and some members of his own party are calling for him to resign from the Senate.
Ohio expands EAB quarantine
Ohio Dept. of Ag. expanded its emerald ash borer quarantine to include all of Auglaize, Hancock and Huron counties. The move is designed to allow easier debris disposal from infested areas. The quarantine allows the movement of ash materials within the 31-county quarantine. A map of the Ohio EAB quarantine is on the department's Web site.
Elm group donates trees, with stipulations
The Elm Research Institute (ERI) in Keene, N.H., gave away Liberty elms this summer as part of its Liberty Tree Memorial program. ERI donated a 10-foot tree to communities that agreed to plant it in a public place, approved by ERI; protect it with a permanent fence; place a bench next to the tree; install a free plaque provided by ERI at the site; commemorate the tree with a ceremony; and arrange for continuing care of the tree. ERI's American Liberty elm is a group of 6 genetically different cultivars. All 6 are resistant to Dutch elm disease and look like classic, old-fashioned American elms, said program director John Hansel.
Canada adds genera to P. ramorum list
Canadian Food Inspection Agency added Garrya spp. (silk tassel) to its list of regulated genera for Phytophthora ramorum. Silk tassel is an evergreen shrub or small tree that's hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 6. The most common cultivated species are G. fremontii and G. elliptica. The Canadian list of regulated genera differs from the U.S. list.
Florida battles bromeliad weevil
Researchers at Univ. of Fla.'s Institute of Food and Ag. Sciences are releasing a parasitic fly that kills the Mexican bromeliad weevil. The "evil weevil," as it's been dubbed by IFAS entomologists, has severely impacted Florida's native bromeliads. Many of the state's bromeliads are threatened or endangered. The flies were released at the end of June, and traps were put out mid-August to check on their progress, said Ron Cave, asst. prof. of entomology. The results will show whether the second generation of flies can find and parasitize the weevils. The weevil, native to Mexico and Guatemala, became established in Florida in 1989 when it arrived in Fort Lauderdale, apparently in a shipment of Mexican bromeliads.
Worth a visit
The nursery business deserves its own action/adventure serial, "The Great Nursery Adventure: A Year in the Life of Greene Family Nursery." This month, the family faces an immigration scare. Only on GreenBeam.com.
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