Got Nature? Blog

Purdue Landscape Report: Tubakia leaf spot, caused by the fungus Tubakia, is the disease we find more commonly on oak than any other. Throughout the world, there are 11 species of Tubakia known to infect oak, with Tubakia dryina (previously known as Actinopelte dryina) being the most commonly encountered species in our landscapes. Apple, ash, black gum, chestnut, elm, maple, and redbud are all reported as hosts of Tubakia species, but oaks are the most frequently and severely affected. Among the oaks, the red oak group, specifically red, pin, and black oaks, are reported to be more susceptible to infection compared to those in the white oak group.

Figure 2: Oak leaf with circular shaped Tubakia leaf spots along with extensive veinal necrosis.

Figure 1: Oak leaf with irregularly shaped Tubakia leaf spots and veinal necrosis.

Figure 3: Marginal blighting due to coalescing spots and veinal necrosis.

Figure 5: Blighting of large leaf area caused by veinal infection by Tubakia.

Figure 4: Typical Tubakia leaf spot symptoms illustrating how the fungus spreads along leaf veins.

Recources
Diseases of Landscape Plants: Leaf Diseases, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Consumer Horticulture: Fertilizing Woody Plants, The Education Store
Tree Disease; Oak Wilt in Indiana, The Education Store
Diseases of Soybean: Frogeye Leaf Spot, The Education Store
Bur Oak, Purdue Arboretum Explorer
Bur Oak, Native Trees of Indiana River Walk, Purdue Fort Wayne
Find an Arborist, TreesAreGood.org

John Bonkowski, Plant Disease Diagnostician
Purdue Department of Botany and Plant Pathology

Tom C Creswell, Clinical Engagement Professor – PPDL
Purdue Department of Botany and Plant Pathology

Join Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee and Dr. Carrie Pike, a forest regeneration specialist with the USDA Forest Service, as they share about conservation tree planting, what species are available to plant, where to get them and more.

If you have any questions regarding trees, forest management, wildlife, wood products or other natural resource topics, feel free to contact us by using our Ask an Expert web page.

Resources
Find An Indiana Forester Website
Reforestation, Nurseries and Genetics Resources Website (RNGR.NET)
A Nursery Guide for the Production of Bareroot Hardwood Seedlings, RNGR.NET
Landowner Information, Hardwood Tree Improvement Regeneration Center (HTIRC)
Ask An Expert, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources Youtube channel
A Woodland Management Moment, Playlist
Ask An Expert: Tree Inspection, Video
Planting Forest Trees and Shrubs in Indiana, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Tree Appraisal and the Value of Trees, The Education Store
Investing in Indiana Woodlands, The Education Store
Forest Improvement Handbook, The Education Store

Lenny Farlee, Sustaining Hardwood Extension Specialist
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resource

You can improve the taste and enjoyment of your wild venison by following a few important tips that our extension specialists and educators shared in the FNR Facebook LIVE session from November 12th.

Many easy step by step resources are available and were shared in the video including How to Score Your White-tailed Deer to Cutting, Grinding & Packaging.  More Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural resources:

Video Series:
Handling Harvested Game: Episode 1, Field Dressing
Handling Harvested Game: Episode 2, Hanging & Skinning
Handling Harvested Game: Episode 3, Deboning
Handling Harvested Game: Episode 4, Cutting, Grinding & Packaging

Feel free to continue to send in your deer questions to the Ask an Expert web page. If you have any other questions regarding trees, forest management, wildlife, wood products or natural resource be sure to submit those questions by utilizing the Ask an Expert.

Publications and More Videos:
White-Tailed Deer Post Harvest Collection, video, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Deer Harvest Data Collection, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension-Forestry & Natural Resources (FNR)
Age Determination in White-tailed Deer, video, The Education Store
How to Build a Plastic Mesh Deer Exclusion Fence, The Education Store
Purchase Your 2020-2021 Hunting License, Now Available Online, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension-FNR
Indiana Hunting & Trapping Season 2020-2021 (pdf), Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Department of Fish & Wildlife
Indiana Hunting & Trapping Guide, IN DNR, Department of Fish & Wildlife

Jarred Brooke, Wildlife Extension Specialist
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

Jonathan Ferris, Wayne County Extension Director
Purdue Extension

Dave Osborne, County Extension Director
Purdue Extension

Rod N Williams, Professor of Wildlife Science
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

Purdue Extension in Lawrence and Washington Counties invites anyone interested in wildlife management to join the Wildlife Food Plot Establishment & Management webinar featuring Jarred Brooke, Wildlife Extension Specialist on Thursday, December 3, 2020, beginning at 11:30 am.

Topics include:

• Seed Selection
• Site Preparation
• Soil Testing
• Planting and Establishment
• Management and Weed Control

To join the webinar and/or to receive the webinar recording, pre-registration is required by Tuesday, December 1, 2020. For questions about the webinar, contact Purdue Extension – Lawrence Co. at odavis@purdue.edu or 812-275-4623 or Purdue Extension – Washington County at dhowellw@purdue.edu or 812-883-4601.

For more information, please view the flyer.

Resources
Soil Sampling Guidelines, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Calibrating a No-Till Drill for Conservation Plantings and Wildlife Food Plots, The Education Store
Native Warm-Season Grasses: Identification, Establishment, and Management for Wildlife and Forage Production in the Mid-South, The Education Store
Pure Live Seed: Calculations and Considerations for Wildlife Food Plots, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
Seed Fillers and Carriers for Planting Native Warm-season Grasses and Forbs, Got Nature? Blog
Tips for Evaluating a First Year Native Grass and Forb Planting, Got Nature? Blog
A Woodland Management Moment, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube Channel
Wildlife Habitat Hint, Playlist
Habitat Help LIVE Q&A – Native Grasses and Forbs for Wildlife, Video

Jarred Brooke, Wildlife Extension Specialist
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

In this first of five prescribed fire ignition technique videos, Purdue Extension wildlife specialist Jarred Brooke describes a backing fire. A backing fire is what we use to start most prescribed fires as it gives a result of a slow moving fire, one with short flame lengths that is easy to control compared to other firing techniques.

If you have any questions regarding wildlife, trees, forest management, wood products, natural resource planning or other natural resource topics, feel free to contact us by using our Ask an Expert web page.

Resources
Wildlife Habitat Hint, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resouces YouTube channel
Wildlife Habitat Hint: Late Growing Season Prescribed Fire, Video
Renovating Native Warm-Season Grass Stands for Wildlife: A Land Manager’s Guide, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Prescribed fire: 6 things to consider before you ignite, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – 4Forestry and Natural Resources

Jarred Brooke, Wildlife Extension Specialist
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

In this special fall color edition of ID That Tree, Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee introduces you to this red beauty, the winged sumac. This species, found in southern Indiana, is recognizable by opposite leaf arrangement, compound leaves with a unique miniature leaf at the end of the stem, as well as drooping clusters of red fruit.

If you have any questions regarding trees, forest management, wildlife, wood products or other natural resource topics, feel free to contact us by using our Ask an Expert web page.

Resources
Winged Sumac, Purdue Arboretum Explorer
Fall Color Pigments, Video,  Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources Youtube Channel
ID That Tree, Playlist
A Woodland Management Moment, Playlist
Investing in Indiana Woodlands, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Forest Improvement Handbook, The Education Store

Lenny Farlee, Sustaining Hardwood Extension Specialist
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resource

Leaning trees can be a risk to neighboring property owners.

Purdue Landscape Report: I hear this complaint or issue more frequently, “what can I do about the neighbor’s tree?” or “my neighbor just butchered my tree!”.  Often, we see issues with a neighboring tree that may threaten safety or appears to be an elevated risk.  For example, from the view of your window, you see your neighbor’s tree dropping dead branches all over your driveway. Or, you can’t see a favorable view at all because of that tree or unruly hedge. Or you are certain that the neighbor’s tree will eventually fall onto your garage.

Before you take any action, establish ownership of the tree, and find out if you have rights to work on the offending vegetation. Otherwise, it can land you into a contentious legal situation.

Some questions to consider include:

When tree limbs or even the trunk of the tree crosses property line, are you within your rights to prune or remove it?

Check with local government websites for property maps which can help identify boundaries.

Boundary laws vary with every state. Often the boundary lines are uncertain or assumed based on local information. However, in contentious situations that may result in major modifications to a tree, it is advised to get a survey to establish exactly who owns the tree.

Rights are determined by who owns the tree. Check with your town, city, county and state municipalities for regulations about trees and property lines. The rights and responsibility for care and maintenance of trees are assigned to its owner, and ownership is determined by the location of the tree’s trunk. If the trunk is located entirely on the neighbor’s land even if its limbs or branches overhang onto your land, the neighbor is the tree’s owner. The neighbor has the sole right to preserve the tree or cut it down. This is true regardless of the neighbor’s motivation or the impact the tree removal would have on your land.

An ISA certified arborist can provide mitigation options that are best for the tree and helpful for the tree owner.

It is always best practice and considerate to first ask your neighbor if you can arrange to have it removed or pruned. They might actually appreciate it.

When tree work is required to remove or prune the tree and neighbor conflict exists, have a qualified tree care provider determine the work specifications on exactly how the tree issue should be mitigated. It is usually a bit more complex than simply stating, “cut limbs back to property line.” The work order must reference the ANSI A300 tree pruning standards to assure the procedures being proposed take into consideration the tree’s future health. Ensure that your tree care provider has a copy of their current liability insurance policy on hand. Check their references as well, not all tree care companies are guaranteed to provide the best results for you or your tree.

The best advice is to hire a tree care professional with the experience, expertise, and equipment to assess and safely prune, remove or otherwise care for your or your neighbors’ trees. Search for a tree care provider in your area. Also, consider hiring an ISA Certified Arborist which can be found here.

According to most attorneys, open-minded communications with the neighbor can result in an acceptable resolution for any situation. This will help to avoid contentious, expensive, time consuming, and unpredictable lawsuits.

Resources
Find Qualified Tree Care, Tree Care Industry Association
Find An Arborist, Trees are Good
Tree Pruning Essentials, video and publication, The Education Store, Purdue Extension Forestry and Natural Resources
Construction and Trees: Guidelines for Protection, The Education Store
Question: Can tree roots cause damage to a home’s foundation?, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural

Lindsey Purcell, Urban Forestry Specialist
Purdue University, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

In this special fall color edition of ID That Tree, Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee introduces you to the range of colors produced by the sugar maple.

If you have any questions regarding trees, forest management, wildlife, wood products or other natural resource topics, feel free to contact us by using our Ask an Expert web page.

Resources
Hard or Sugar Maple, The Education Store, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
Sugar Maple, Purdue Arboretum Explorer
Sugar Maple, Native Trees of Indiana River Walk, Purdue – Fort Wayne
Fall Color Pigments, Video,  Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources Youtube Channel
ID That Tree, Playlist
A Woodland Management Moment, Playlist
Investing in Indiana Woodlands, The Education Store
Forest Improvement Handbook, The Education Store

Lenny Farlee, Sustaining Hardwood Extension Specialist
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resource

Calling all teachers and parents: Do you need some new ideas on how to get students out in nature or teach them science lessons?

We’ve got you covered with our Nature of Teaching program. We’ve created more than 40 sneak peek videos that introduce you to our lesson plans, offering a quick way for teachers and other K-12 leaders to view the lessons as well as the related activities.

Many of the lesson plans meet state specifications for Next Generation Science Standards and/or Core Standards, while also offering informal curriculum items and fun activities for all K-12 leaders.

The Nature of Teaching program offers three areas of formal and informal activity-based curricula centered around getting youth outside: wildlife, health and wellness, and food waste.

Sneak Peeks videos include topics ranging from producers, consumers and natural resources and food waste from farm to fork, to exploring nature with your senses and emotional vocabulary exploration, to trees of the Midwest and healthy water/happy home.

Subscribe to the Nature of Teaching YouTube Channel for more Wildlife, Food Waste, and Health and Wellness information.

Resources
Nature of Teaching Website
Nature of Teaching Youtube Channel
Nature of Teaching Program Receives Environmental Education Award, College of Agriculture, Purdue University
Resourceful Animal Relationships, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
The Nature of Teaching: Food Waste Solutions, The Education Store
Benefits of Connecting with Nature, The Education Store

Rod N Williams, Professor of Wildlife Science
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources