TREES for Hood River Master Gardeners
2/16/2016
Trees and Tree Problems - What Master
Gardeners Need to Know
Extension Forestry & Natural Resources
Educational Assistance
Finding answers and solving problems by learning
together.
Glenn Ahrens – OSU Extension Forester,
Clackamas, Marion & Hood River Co.
• Help you learn what you need to know - to decide what is
right for you
• Take action – DIY or hired services.
• Improvement – Prevention – Problem-solving
• Depending on your situation and your objectives.
Trees in a Home Landscape can
be dominant, overarching…
TREES for Hood River MG’s
• Introduction – Extension Forestry Perspective
• Trees and Home Landscapes
– Native Trees – Exotic Trees – Tree ID
• Common Problems, Emerging Issues in Forest and
Tree Health
• Key steps and practices in caring for trees
• Advising others about trees
• Resources
Native Trees vs. Exotic Trees
Native species
• Adapted to local environment and extremes.
• Expected to survive and compete “in the wild”
• Trees that will get little care
Exotic species
• Adapted to local environment and extremes?
• Needing water, fertilizer, extra attention to
controlling competing trees and vegetation?
• Needing treatment for insects and disease?
Oregon Conifers – “Softwoods”
Get to know
your trees!
EC 1450 in Color!
available from
OSU Extension
Glenn Ahrens, OSU Extension Forester
Oregon Broadleaf Trees – “Hardwoods”
Douglas-fir
61.4%
Red alder
8.3%
Western hemlock
11.4%
Bigleaf maple
3.4%
Sitka spruce
2.7%
Grand fir
2.4%
Pacific madrone
1.8%
Western redcedar
1.7%
Oregon white oak
1.7%
Incense cedar
0.8%
California black oak
0.7%
White fir
0.6%
Tanoak
0.5%
Ponderosa pine
0.5%
Golden chinkapin
0.5%
Noble fir
0.4%
Port-Orford-cedar
0.2%
California-laurel
0.2%
Sugar pine
0.1%
Oregon ash
0.2%
Lodgepole pine
0.1%
Black cottonwood
0.2%
Redwood
<0.1%
Willow
0.1%
Jeffrey pine
<0.1%
Cherry
0.1%
Western white pine
<0.1%
Knobcone pine
<0.1%
Canyon live oak
0.1%
White alder
<0.1%
1
TREES for Hood River Master Gardeners
2/16/2016
Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
“false hemlock” – not a true fir
• Oregon’s State Tree and our most common tree; it
plays a major role in our forest ecosystems.
• Abundant in western North America from sea level
along the coast 11,000 ft. (3400 m) in the southern
Rockies.
• Big Tree – Diameter 11 feet, Height 330 feet.
Considering Non-native Tree Species
http://prism.nacse.org/
Site /Environment Considerations
•
•
•
•
•
Glenn Ahrens, OSU Extension Forester
Climate
Aspect
Slope
Elevation
Soils
2
TREES for Hood River Master Gardeners
The Extremes:
 Precipitation
2/16/2016
The most fundamental & important
woodland resource...
 Wind
The Soil
 Temperature
 Ice & Snow
 Grows & supports trees & other desirable veg.
Potential impacts on tree & plant:
 Accepts, cleanses, stores & releases water
Growth, stress, damage, insects & disease
 Foundation for roads, buildings, ponds, etc.
 Flooding
 Erosion
 Landslides
Disease/Infestation Triangle
Environment
Drought * stem canker fungus
• A Complex
interaction of
biotic and
abiotic
factors……
Problem
Host
What’s
killing my
trees?
Pest/
Pathogen
– And a little bad
luck.
Drought * stem canker fungus
Drought * roundheaded borer
• Ensure that each tree has adequate growing
space, light, water, nutrients.
• Ensure that each tree has adequate growing
space, light, water, nutrients.
– Weed management
– Spacing and thinning
– Pruning
• Reduce local infection source – removal and
disposal of dead or infected trees or branches.
• Consider alternative tree species
– Weed management
– Spacing and thinning
– Pruning
Drought + roundhead borer
Glenn Ahrens, OSU Extension Forester
• Reduce local infestation source – removal and
disposal of dead or infected trees or branches.
• Consider alternative tree species?
3
TREES for Hood River Master Gardeners
Poor drainage * soil compaction from machines
& horses * root disease.
2/16/2016
Poor drainage * soil compaction from
machines & horses * root disease.
• Eliminate cause of soil compaction – separate
pasture, traffic areas from trees.
• No Douglas-fir.
• Consider pine, cedar, Oregon ash?
• Ameliorate soil conditions?
Douglas-fir beetle
Root disease *
Douglas-fir
beetle
Lightning + flathead fir borers
Douglas-fir beetle
• In the case of weather damage, blowdown don’t leave down trees.
• Salvage, remove and dispose of infested trees.
• Consider MCH hormone treatments to protect
adjacent trees.
Road Constr. * Drought
Stress * Ips beetle
Glenn Ahrens, OSU Extension Forester
Ice damage,
Local outbreak,
Ips beetle,
Turpentine
beetle
4
TREES for Hood River Master Gardeners
Seedling mortality due to poor
planting quality * drought
2/16/2016
White Oak - loopers
Bigleaf maple dieback
Laminated root rot
“Parch blight” – dry, cold wind
In case of root diseases
• Essential to Identify disease species.
• Minimize damage to soil and roots.
• Manage for resistant tree species on infected
ground.
Glenn Ahrens, OSU Extension Forester
Bark Beetle Problems in
in the Hood River area
Glenn Ahrens – OSU Extension Forester,
Clackamas, Marion & Hood River Co.
Todd Murray - WSU Extension, Skamania Co.
Chet Behling – Oregon Dept. of Forestry
Major Bark Beetles
•
•
•
•
•
California fivespined Ips - Pines
Red turpentine beetle - Pines
Mountain pine beetle - Pines
Western pine beetle – Ponderosa pine
Douglas-fir beetle
5
TREES for Hood River Master Gardeners
Bark Beetles
in Pines
Beetles are part of
natural system, populations
rise and fall depending on forest
conditions, climate, fire, storm
damage, etc.
2/16/2016
New to the area?
Ips paraconfusus California
Fivespined Ips
Ips paraconfusus California Fivespined
Ips
Life cycle, ecology, and population dynamics……..
Oregon Dept of Forestry
Adult Flight Periods
Factors affecting beetle outbreak:
Life Cycle
Bluff Fire 2008 Washington
2009 Microwave Fire OR
2011 ice storm damage
Overstocked stands
Seasonal drought
Blue stain aids in killing tree……
Male, females, galleries,
chambers, frass.
2012 Milepost 66 Fire OR
Flowers & Willhite
Oregon Dept of Forestry
Beetle Infested Trees
Pine – California five-spined Ips bark beetle
Breeding place for beetles - threatens healthy trees.
Glenn Ahrens, OSU Extension Forester
Otherwise-healthy trees can be
overcome during “outbreaks”
Ips beetles, Mtn pine beetles
6
TREES for Hood River Master Gardeners
Most Common Sick Tree Issues
2/16/2016
What kind of trees/forest can I grow here?
Hood River area woodlands
Species
• Douglas-fir
• Ponderosa pine
• White oak
• Grand fir
• Noble fir
• Red alder
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Drought * canker fungus
Drought * bark beetle
Wind/ice damage * bark beetle
Drought * roots * bark beetle
Drought * wood borers
Drought (seedling & mortality)
Soil compaction * Drought
Wet soil (spring) * Drought
Tent caterpillars & loopers
“Wrong” tree species
Site-specific conditions of climate, soil, vegetation,
animals + management capability & intensity
Summer Rain
July-September
Forest Types
9
Managing for healthy trees and forests
Plant Associations
8
Estacada
7
Salem
6
In Response to
Temperature and
Moisture Gradients
5
Hood River
4
3
2
1
Prevention – Do no harm.
Assess soil/site & climate conditions and hazards.
Choose species that are well-adapted and resilient.
Maintain tree vigor – adequate growing space.
Monitor tree and forest health.
Remove/Sanitize unhealthy trees or debris
Avoid attracting or introducing pests.
Apply specific treatments, control measures if
available.
2005
2003
2001
1999
1997
1995
1993
1991
1989
0
1987
Franklin and Dyrness 1988
1985
From: Natural Vegetation
of Oregon and Washington
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Prevention – Do no harm
• Avoid “wrong tree in the wrong place” - match species to site
• Matching seedling or sapling stock type to site and care
regime.
• Use proper irrigation practices –occasional deep watering, not
frequent shallow watering
• Proper fertilization practices – low and slow.
• Pruning practices – proper timing and amount.
• Avoid development impacts
• changes in drainage
• Soil compaction – human traffic, animals, machines
• Avoid physical damage to trees from tools and machines.
Glenn Ahrens, OSU Extension Forester
7
TREES for Hood River Master Gardeners
2/16/2016
Habitat for biodiversity
Insectivorous birds and cavity nesting vertebrates.
Many Small = One Large
Manage Growing Space & Tree Vigor
• Ensure that each tree has adequate growing
space, light, water, nutrients.
– Weed management
– Spacing and thinning
– Pruning
Tree Vigor
Minimum Growing Space - Forestry
Trees per acre
Live Crown Ratio - A simple index of tree vigor.
Spacing between trees
(feet)
Tree Dia. Ponderosa Douglas-fir
(in)
pine
Ponderosa
After a tree is wounded,
the cambium begins to
form a new protective
wall.
Douglas-fir
pine
6
496
743
9
8
12
145
244
17
13
18
71
127
25
18
24
43
80
32
23
30
29
56
39
28
36
21
42
46
32
42
16
33
52
37
48
13
26
59
41
Compartmentalization
of decay
The wall is both an
anatomical and a
chemical wall.
This wall separates the
tissue present at the
time of wounding from
tissue that forms after.
Compartmentalization:
Common Causes of Planting Failure
COLOR CODES
Red-Tree response (chemical
protective reactions).
Green-Position of pioneer
microorganisms (can be
bacteria, decay fungi, or
nondecay fungi). Wood in this
area is usually discolored; its
cell contents are altered.
Brown-Position of decayed
wood; cell walls are digested.
Alex Shigo Associates
• Poor site preparation
• Unsuitable or poor
quality planting stock
• Improper storage,
handling, and planting
• Competition for water
and light by surrounding
vegetation
• Animal damage
Glenn Ahrens, OSU Extension Forester
Choosing The Right Species
• Each tree species has its
own set of adaptations
and/or tolerances to
environmental stress, insects
and diseases.
8
TREES for Hood River Master Gardeners
2/16/2016
Selecting planting and
caring for a new tree
https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/ec1438
Container
Seedling Choices
International Society of
Arboriculture
http://www.treesaregood.org/treeowner/treeowner
information.aspx
Portland Landscape
planting species list
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bds/article/71964
Container
2+1
OSU Landscape Plants
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/
Proper Planting Technique
Too
deep
Too
shallow
Air
pockets
“L”
rooted
“J”
rooted
$1 bare-root seedling
Vs.
$50 B&B/Container sapling
???
Plug + 1
2+0
1+1
Integrated Pest Management – IPM
To Plan and Implement:
•
The right treatment at the right level at the right
time.
To Avoid:
Compacted
Roots
Not
Vertical
Too
Loose
Properly
Poor
Planting Planted
Tree
Soil
•blanket” or “calendar” prescriptions,
•unnecessary or excessive use of chemicals,
•pollution or other environmental damage,
•poor plant health/performance
Glenn Ahrens, OSU Extension Forester
9
TREES for Hood River Master Gardeners
Year 6
Douglas-fir height
2/16/2016
Year 6
No Weed
Control
first 2 years
Complete
Weed control
Be aware of these critters
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Deer and elk
Porcupine
Gophers
Mountain beaver
Voles & rabbits
Livestock
Humans
Pruning season
• prune conifers in fall to avoid
excessive sap and insect
hazards .
• Prune deciduous trees in late
winter.
Fuel Reduction Options
• Pruning
• Thinning
Managing debris:
• Cut/scatter
• Piling/burning
• Chipping
Glenn Ahrens, OSU Extension Forester
Managing debris
• Can scatter on site if not too deep
• Cut & scatter method suitable for our region –
decomposes quickly if in contact with ground
• Do not leave in defensible space area
10
TREES for Hood River Master Gardeners
Piling & burning
2/16/2016
Chipping
Burn Permits
• Consult ODF before
piling & burning
• Obtain burn permit
from ODF
• Burn piles after fall
rain begins
Advantages of chips:
• Small pieces
• On the ground
• Will decompose faster
than large branches
• Can be collected & used
for other purposes
• NOT suitable for
defensible space
Permits required for:
• All burning of
logging slash piles
(year-round)
• Any burning during
fire season closure
(summer)
Photo by: Fred Hall
Applying
Fuel Reduction
Principles
Before
Around
the Home
Create a fire plan including:
• Special resources to protect
• Gates
• Road locations & conditions
• Water sources & access
• Locations of fuel breaks
After
Hazard Trees
Advising others about trees
• Tree Care
• Treatments – fertilizer,
sprays, etc.
• Sick Tree Diagnosis
• Hazard tree evaluation?
• Tree Ordinances
• Forest Practices Law
• Who’s responsible for this
tree?
Advising People on Managing for
Healthy Trees
Bring ODF out for a look!
• Education about
principles of hazard
tree evaluation
• Refer to certified
arborists.
Glenn Ahrens, OSU Extension Forester
•
•
•
•
Prevention – Do No Harm.
Observe and monitor tree health.
Identify specific cause of problems.
Rely on research-based information
– University, Agency, other reputable sources.
• Explore actions and remedies
suitable/acceptable for each client.
Diagnosing Forest & Tree Health Problems
1. HOW WAS THE PROBLEM DISCOVERED – WHEN FIRST
NOTICED?
2. TREE SPECIES AFFECTED? Condition of trees adjacent to
affected trees?
3. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? (dead tree, yellow foliage,
reduced growth, strange growth, resin flow, sawdust, etc.)
4. IS THERE DAMAGE TO A PARTICULAR PART OF THE TREE? How
widespread? EXAMINE THE ROOTS! ANY INDICATION THAT
ROOT PROBLEMS ARE THE CAUSE?
11
TREES for Hood River Master Gardeners
Assess tree crowns,
foliage density, color
2/16/2016
Diagnosing Forest & Tree Health Problems
5. WHAT IS THE STAND OR LANDSCAPE PATTERN OF
DAMAGE/TREE PROBLEMS? (widespread, localized, patchy, all
dead at one time? Pattern on the land…wet areas, hill tops, frost
pocket?)
6. ANY OBVIOUS CAUSES, ABIOTIC CONDITIONS? - unusual
weather events, lightning, flooding,, changes in soils,
construction, road drainage, herbicides or fertilizer use, other
cultural practices, fire, animals, etc.)
7. ANY SIGN OF POSSIBLE BIOTIC CAUSAL AGENT? FUNGI,
INSECTS, DWARF MISTLETOE PRESENT?
8. IS IT MERELY ATTRITION OF A FEW VULNERABLE TREES VS. A
VIRULENT PEST OR DISEASE THREAT!!!
Sources of Assistance – Service Providers
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Foresters
Arborists
Landscape Horticulturists
Tree service companies
Loggers
Pesticide Applicators
Friends and Neighbors
Hiring a Professional
• Get multiple bids or estimates.
• Ask the right questions.
• Get references, talk with your fellow
gardeners about prospective service
providers.
http://knowyourforest.org/learning-library/forest-healthcolumbia-gorge
Forest and Tree Protection Laws
• Know your
Jurisdiction – city,
county, Oregon
Dept. of Forestry
• Ordinances, Forest
Protection Law –
Forest Practices
Rules may apply.
"Forestland" means any
woodland, brushland,
timberland, grazing land or
clearing that, during any
time of the year, contains
enough forest growth,
slashing or vegetation to
constitute, in the judgment
of the forester, a fire
hazard, regardless of how
the land is zoned or taxed.
References
• Reference sheet with links to be emailed to you.
Glenn R. Ahrens, OSU Extension Forester
Clackamas, Marion, & Hood River Counties
200 Warner-Milne Road
Oregon City, OR 97045
[email protected]
ph. 503-655-8631
More Q & A…
.
Astoria, OR – Bridge over the Columbia River
Photo: Pat Corcoran
Glenn Ahrens, OSU Extension Forester
12