Purdue University - Extension - Forestry and Natural Resources
Got Nature? Blog
Article shared in NASF May 15, 2015, E-Newsletter
Lloyd Alter, Managing Editor
TreeHugger.com
As we continue to burn through our nonrenewable resources at an alarming rate, it is important that we never underestimate what we can do with our resources that can be replenished. One of these, wood, is an extremely valuable material but has been underutilized in construction for one big reason: fires. Every so often, a wood structure like the 188-unit apartment complex in Richmond, BC, burned down in 2010 goes up in a blaze and hinders the support of timber construction in a big way. While this is a valid concern, there are several things to consider before abandoning hope. Most of the big building fires covered by the news have been on uncompleted buildings still under construction. This means that fire suppression systems haven’t been installed yet, and oftentimes incomplete floors lacking fire-retardant drywall, or walls of any kind, give the fire huge ventilated areas to spread. This is hardly fair to mark these fires as a failure of wooden construction. In completed buildings, close to 80 percent of fires are contained to the rooms they are started in.
Furthermore, fire damage isn’t limited to wooden buildings. Structures made of concrete, steel or other construction materials can still weaken and collapse under the heat of a fire. In fact, heavy timber resists fire very well, burning slowly and creating a layer of char that helps to preserve the structural integrity of the inside wood.A recent advancement in timber technology to note is Cross-Laminate Timber, or CLT. CLT is made from stacks of industrially dried and fully glue-coated lumber. It is exceptionally strong, multi-purpose and lightweight. Construction using CLT is quick because it is easy to prefabricate and transport. Like heavy timber, CLT produces a layer of char when burned, and when used in construction, engineers factor in this layer and use enough wood to allow charring to form while still maintaining enough internal wood to be structurally sound. Also cosmetically, CLT looks pleasing and can be left exposed, reducing building cost. CLT has been considered the future of wood-based construction and for good reason.
So with some of the negative stigma of wooden construction debunked and the values of timber buildings explained, this leaves the biggest value of it all to think about: renewability. Timber is the only 100% renewable material for building construction. One billion cubic meters of logs are produced each year in North America and Europe alone, creating 200 million cubic meters of engineered timber and done in a careful way so that forests maintain their size. This is enough material to build 150,000 offices a year. Timber also locks up carbon that was absorbed by the tree during its growth, reducing pollution. As we look to the future, we should look to the trees. It’s time for timber construction.
Resources
NASF May 15, 2015 E-Newsletter, National Association of State Foresters
Making the Case for Wood Construction, Treehugger
Timber Offices: The Time Has Come, ARUP
The Education Store, Purdue Extension Resource Center (search “timber”)
What is Cross Laminated Timber? American Wood Council
2014 Indiana Forest Products Price Report and Trend Analysis, Indiana Department of Natural Resources
National Association of State Foresters
Indiana Department of Natural Resources (INDNR) recently received an inquiry asking what to do with an abandoned animal. The INDNR web resource titled Orphaned and Injured Animals has steps to follow as you decide if the animal is truly abandoned.
Got Nature? Orphaned Animals author Brian MacGowan, extension wildlife specialist, Purdue University, says, “In most cases, the young animal is simply ‘spreading its wings’ and exploring or mom simply left it to get something to eat. Fawn deer are programmed to hide and remain motionless while mom is away. The fact is wildlife rarely abandons their young. They may leave briefly only to return.
Remember that you should never handle wild animals unless absolutely necessary. Any animal can bite you, and many harbor diseases and pests that can be transmitted to people.
In Indiana, wildlife rehabilitators have necessary state and federal permits to house and care for sick or injured wild animals. If you think you have found a sick or injured animal, you can find a list of licensed Wild Animal Rehabilitators in your area on the DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife’s website.”
Resources
Mammals of Indiana, J.O. Whitker and R.E. Mumford
Common Indiana Mammals, R.N. Chapman and R.N. Williams, publication number FNR-413-W
Indiana DNR Orphaned and Injured Animals
The Education Store (search keywords to find the resources you need)
As we turn back time and take a look at the first eight years of this 100 year project, we can then help the existence and growth of Indiana trees and wildlife in the future. This new publication, The Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment: Indiana Forestry and Wildlife, shares imperative information to aid in the growth of tree species that are producing no seedlings.
Many of Indiana’s forests, especially in the southern part of the state, have been dominated by oak and hickory trees for thousands of years. In recent decades, forest researchers and managers in the east-central United States have recognized that these tree species are not replacing themselves with new seedlings. Recognizing this issue, many stakeholders concerned with the status of Indiana’s forests convened in the late 1990s to determine the best approach to understanding this transition and to develop strategies for maintaining our oak-hickory ecosystems. As a result of the meetings of this working group, the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE) was initiated in 2006. The HEE is intended to last for 100 years because many of the changes that occur in these forests happen over decades. In fact, many of the strongest effects of the transition from oak and hickory forests may not even be observable until we near the end of the project. This is an analysis of the first eight years of the project.
Resources
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment
Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center (HTIRC)
The Education Store, Purdue Extension Resource Center
Question: I just finished cutting down the last of my backyard oaks due to oak wilt. I have also lost several redbuds due to verticillium wilt. I would like to replant a tree in the spot where the oaks and redbuds were, but I would like some advice on the most resistant tree I can find. I live in Crown Point, IN, primarily clay, on a slope, with heavy brush on my property lines. I know most people would say NEVER plant again once wilt has been detected, but I thought I might ask before giving up (and moving all my shade plants). Do you have information/research on an appropriate and sturdy replacement shade tree?
Response: In general, replanting of oaks in an old oak wilt disease center does not result in disease occurrence in the replanted trees. Root grafts are not thought to form with the dead, diseased oaks. It does not appear that the fungus is transmitted outside the primary phases of transmission: vector-borne via insects (e.g., Nitidulidae) and xylem-limited disease spread via live root grafts of infected trees (MacDonald et al., 2009). This does not mean, of course, that the young oak trees as they grow and age over time are immune to oak wilt; rather, it simply means that oak wilt is not sitting dormant in the soil waiting to attack newly planted or germinated oak seedlings.
Thus, it is only through insect spread from active oak wilt centers in the vicinity that disease would occur in replanted oaks. Healthy oak trees are not susceptible to oak wilt in an infected area. Bur oak, white oak and other members of the white oak family are resistant to the fungus and can be planted in oak wilt centers. For additional prevention measures, plant tree species other than Oaks to guarantee no infection from the disease.
Resources
Diseases in Hardwood Tree Plantings, The Education Store
Tree Installation: Process and Practices, The Education Store
Forest Health Problems Impacting Indiana Forest Resources, Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Lindsey Purcell, Urban Forestry Specialist
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
If you’re walking in the woods or maybe even traveling along a road this spring in Indiana, you may come across some trees that look like the one in the photos. Clearly, something unusual is going on here. What made the bark change color so quickly, and why are there holes in the bark?
The answer to both of those questions for ash trees around the state is Emerald Ash Borer and woodpeckers. As Emerald Ash Borer spreads across Indiana, the population of Emerald Ash Borer larvae overwintering under the bark of ash trees can quickly increase. These grubs provide a tasty treat and important winter and early spring nutrition to hungry woodpeckers.
Woodpeckers of several species are experts at detecting and extracting these grubs by pounding holes in tree bark. Ash bark is generally gray on the surface, but the inner bark is a light corky tan color. Once the woodpeckers find the EAB larvae, their excavation activities flake off the outer bark to expose the lighter colored inner bark. This is actually one of the best indicators of the presence of Emerald Ash Borer in a tree. The woodpecker activity often starts in the upper main stem and branches of ash trees, but as the population of EAB larvae in the trees increase, the woodpecker activity spreads down the trunk of the tree. Trees with this much inner bark exposed indicate an advanced infestation of EAB and signal ash tree mortality in the next year or two.
If you would like to learn more about ash trees and the Emerald Ash Borer, visit the Purdue Emerald Ash Borer website.
Resources
Arrest That Pest! – Emerald Ash Borer in Indiana, Purdue Extension
Purdue Extension – Forestry & Natural Resources website with search bar, place “Invasive Insect”
Emerald Ash Borer, Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)
Emerald Ash Borer in Indiana, Purdue Extension
New Hope for Fighting Ash Borer, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources Got Nature? blog
Lenny Farlee, Extension Forester
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
When you rush to the closet to grab your favorite shorts and T-shirt, remember that you are not the only creature looking forward to the warmer weather. It is important to check yourself or have a buddy check you for passengers when you get back from the field to lessen the likelihood of bringing ticks home with you.
Indiana has 15 tick species, but the three listed below are the most prevalent.
American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis): Found primarily along trails, walkways or in fields, American Dog ticks are rarely found in forests. Despite their name, these ticks feed on a multitude of hosts in addition to the family pet and can transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, a potentially fatal disease contracted by 32 people in Indiana last year. The American Dog Tick also carries Tularemia, a rare but dangerous disease that is often misdiagnosed for the flu.
American Dog ticks can survive for two years at any stage in life until a suitable host is found. Male ticks mate with the female while she is feeding as after she is sated, she drops off of the host and lays 4,000+ eggs before dying. Larval ticks only feed for three to four days from a host before molting into nymphs. The nymph feeds on a variety of small/medium-sized hosts before dropping to the leaf litter and molting into adults. Interestingly, these ticks are least likely to bite humans.
Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum): Found primarily in dense underbrush and forested areas. As with the American Dog Tick, these ticks are capable of transmitting Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in addition to Monocytic Ehrlichiosis, another tickborne disease that presents with symptoms similar to the flu but was confirmed in 49 Indiana cases in 2013. ‘Stari’ (Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness) Borreliosis is a tick-vectored disease that presents with a large round or elliptical rash and flu symptoms transmitted by the Lone Star Tick.
Voracious eaters, adult Lone Star ticks often take human hosts or other large mammals. After a week, the female is capable of laying 3,000+ eggs. The larval Lone Star ticks only feed for four days before detaching, burying themselves in leaf litter and molting into nymphs. Able to quickly ascend up pant legs, these nymphs can be firmly attached to a host in < 10 minutes. After five days, the nymphs detach and molt into adults.
Black-legged or Deer Tick (Ixodes scapularis): Found primarily in deciduous forests, these ticks predominantly use white-tailed deer or other large mammals as hosts. Unlike the relatively accelerated life cycles of the American Dog and Lone Star ticks, the Deer Tick life cycle takes nearly two years to complete.
Deer ticks are most notorious for spreading Lyme disease, a dangerous disease that causes flu-like symptoms that, if left untreated, can spread to joints and compromise the nervous system. More than 100 cases of Lyme disease were confirmed in Indiana in 2013. Babesiosis is caused by microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells, and Anaplasmosis is caused by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Both of these diseases are transmitted through the bite of an infected Deer Tick.
Only the female Deer Tick feeds, and once completely engorged, they lay an egg mass of 1,900+ eggs before dying in late-May. Deer Tick larvae and nymphs remain in the moist leaf litter within forested areas and prefer smaller hosts. After feeding for three days in each developmental stage, they burrow into the litter to molt. Larvae emerge as nymphs in spring, and nymphs emerge as adults in fall.
The table here illustrates the months of activity for the larval, nymph, male and female tick life cycle stages which gives you a quick reference for Indiana. This information was gathered from the resources listed in this post.
Indiana ticks can carry several diseases, but the three most common are Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme Disease and Ehrlichiosis. Symptoms of all three diseases range from spreading rashes, headaches, fatigue, fevers and muscle aches. Likelihood of infection is rare; however, instances of each disease are increasing in Indiana.
Be careful and try not to pick up eight-legged hitchhikers. If you suspect that you have been bitten by a tick or develop a rash along with flu symptoms, contact your local health department for a disease screening.
Resources
Ticks, Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Ticks, Medical Entomology, Purdue University
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Tularemia, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Lyme Disease, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Ehrlichiosis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Parasites – Babesiosis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Anaplasmosis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
‘Stari’ Borreliosis, Columbia University Medical Center
tickencounter.org, Tick Encounter Resource Center, University of Rhode Island
Shaneka Lawson, Adjunct Assistant Professor
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
In the first study of its kind, scientists David Nowak and Eric Greenfield of the U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station have calculated just how beneficial trees are to human health. As well as providing oxygen, shade and beautification, trees help to remove air pollution by catching harmful airborne particles on the leaves and branches and by absorbing gases like nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). Nowak and Greenfield concluded that trees save over 850 human lives a year and prevent over 670,000 cases of acute respiratory symptoms from diseases like asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD).
While trees in suburban areas remove a higher amount of pollution due to their large quantity, urban trees have a greater direct effect on human health and monetary savings due to their closer proximity to people. Altogether, trees improved air quality in the continental U.S. by less than 1% in 2010, according to computer simulations iTree and BenMAP. This might not sound like much, but this means that trees removed 17.4 million tons of air pollution and saved the country over $6.8 billion in medical expenses. This really goes to show how much of a difference trees can add to the quality of our lives, especially in urban areas.
Resources
Tree and Forest Effects on Air Quality and Human Health in the United States, Science Direct
Urban Trees Help Us Breathe, National Association of State Foresters
Value of Urban Forests, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
iTree, U.S. Forest Service
BenMAP, United States Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station
Tree disease and insect outbreaks are a lot like fires and floods – they make the news headlines and can lead to some anxiety on the part of landowners. They may also bring out those who use the crisis to make some fast money by taking advantage of that anxiety. I was recently contacted by a landowner who had been advised by a person wanting to buy some timber from him that he should sell some walnut trees “before they are all killed by Thousand Cankers Disease.” There certainly are times when we should consider harvesting trees before they are destroyed by a pest as part of a timber management program (Emerald Ash Borer, for instance), but the evidence we have related to Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD) would suggest that selling your trees immediately to avoid mortality and loss is not necessary. Thousand Cankers Disease has two components: a small twig beetle that carries a canker-forming fungus into the inner bark of walnuts. Black walnut trees in several states have been killed by this disease complex, but so far, although the fungus was found on some weevils in Brown County and the beetle was recently detected at a sawmill in Franklin County, no walnut trees in Indiana have been confirmed as killed by TCD. For additional information on TCD, you can visit the following websites: Thousand Cankers Disease and Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) TCD.
There is currently no strong evidence suggesting a need to rush to harvest walnut for fear of a massive die-off caused by TCD. In fact, some trees infected with TCD in Tennessee have shown some recovery from disease symptoms that has coincided with improved growing conditions at those sites. This would suggest doing management that keeps walnut healthy and vigorous like thinning, vine control and elimination of invasive plant species may help your trees resist damage from TCD and other diseases or environmental extremes. This story also demonstrates the importance of getting professional, science-based advice with your forest management decisions. Consult a professional forester when making decisions about the sale of trees. You can find foresters in your area at Indiana Forestry & Woodland Owners Association’s (IFWOA) Directory of Professional Foresters. You can learn more about considerations when selling timber at Call Before You Cut and the extension publications Tips on How to Get the Most From Your Timber Harvest and Marketing Timber.
Landowners, timber buyers and foresters form an important team to manage and utilize the amazing renewable resource that is our hardwood forest in Indiana. There are many reputable firms across the state that purchase timber, providing a great marketplace and economic value to landowners. Your professional forester can help you choose the right buyers, loggers and market outlets to provide a fair price for the products and good work in the woods. Get their help and do your homework before making that decision.
Resources
Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) TCD
Directory of Professional Foresters, Indiana Forestry & Woodland Owners Association (IFWOA)
Call Before You Cut
Tips on How to Get the Most From Your Timber Harvest, The Education Store, Purdue Agriculture Resource Center
Marketing Timber, The Education Store, Purdue Agriculture Resource Center
Lenny Farlee, Hardwood Ecosystem Extension Specialist
Department of Forestry & Natural Resources, Purdue University
If a bad haircut was fatal, you would be very choosy about your hairstyle. But each year, hundreds of homeowners have their trees pruned by topping, a horticultural “bad haircut” that shortens the life of the tree and leads to greater expense later.Tree care professionals and university experts caution tree owners that topping a tree is the kiss of death in many instances. This damaging pruning practice can shorten the life span of trees significantly, and the damage is long-term; in some instances, the beheaded tree will die within a few years, if not less.
Many people don’t realize topping is a poor practice because trees can be remarkably effective in overcoming the damage in the short term – some can take years to die, a few can even withstand multiple toppings. So the real damage is not easily noticed by the tree owners until the trees can no longer survive such a drastic removal of canopy.
People see trees leaf out year after year and give little thought to the actual effect of the topping. The most immediate effect is a reduced leaf mass, or crown. This smaller number of leaves reduces the amount of energy the tree manufactures to sustain itself. Less energy causes the roots to die back as well. This creates a tree that is less able to supports itself or withstand heavy winds.
The haircut analogy breaks down when you look at what happens after the tree topping occurs. Whereas hair just continues to grow out from the same follicle, branches do not continue to grow out from the same growing point. Tree limbs sprout from previously dormant buds just below the internodal pruning cut. This causes an unhealthy flush of growth near the end of the poorly pruned branch that is typically thin and weakly attached to the tree’s main growth stems.
These weak limbs are easily ripped from the tree in storms, causing damage and creating a liability for property owners. It has been long known that tree topping is harmful to trees, yet the practice of tree topping continues. Reputable arborists will work with a tree’s natural growth habit when pruning and understand the importance of pruning and tree health. Proper pruning can extend the life of a tree and reduce ongoing homeowner expense; however, once a tree is topped, it will require much more frequent pruning to prevent branch failure, costing the owner more money.
The best advice is to hire reputable tree care companies that have recognized qualifications and insurance. Ask the company for credentials from professional organizations such as the International Society of Arboriculture and the Tree Care Industry Association to prove their knowledge and abilities. Also ask for references of where they have pruned trees at other properties to see what their work looks like after the project. A homeowner wouldn’t hire a plumber or carpenter without references, so why shouldn’t an important asset to your property like trees not receive the same consideration?
Trees are a valuable resource and asset to your property that helps make our environment cleaner, healthier and a more beautiful place to live. Those trees deserve better than a life-shortening bad haircut.
Resources
What’s Wrong with Topping Trees? The Education Store
Trees and Storms: Understanding Damage, Risk and Recovery – Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – FNR
First Aid for Trees, Indiana Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
Prune Your Trees, Indiana Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
Lindsey Purcell, Urban Forestry Specialist
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University
For many different reasons, more and more people in larger cities want to reuse urban trees scheduled for removal. People who are part of the “green movement” want to turn urban trees into something more valuable than firewood, mulch or just trash for the local landfill. This publication describes the pros and cons of using urban trees for lumber, the types of lumber that are economical to produce from urban trees and how you might find a sawyer who can turn your tree into usable lumber.
Resources
Mechanical Damage to Trees: Mowing and Maintenance Equipment, The Education Store
The Education Store, Purdue Extension Resource Center (Find apps, publications, videos and much more)
Lindsey Purcell, Urban Forestry Specialist
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University
Daniel Cassens, Professor of Wood Products
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University
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