Fall 2009
Issue #32
Conifers for the Great Plains Community
H
Contents:
Comments from
the State Forester... 2
Tree Farmer
of the Year............... 2
Tree Profile.............. 3
Fall Tree Sales......... 5
District Highlight.... 6
Fire Management
Program Dollars..... 8
Clyde Arboretum.... 9
Arbor Day
Poster Contest......... 9
Fall Field Day........10
Thousand Cankers
Disease.................. 11
Calendar
of Events................ 12
ere is the million dollar question:
‘What conifers should we be
planting in communities in the
Great Plains?’ Some say none, with the
exception of the eastern red cedar. Some
still might say ‘none,’ because of the
spreading problem of that very plant.
Notice I stopped short of
the word invasive because
I honestly believe that the
eastern red cedar issue is a
management issue, similar to
weed issues. It is something
that can be dealt with. Some
would say that trees do not
belong in the prairie of the
Great Plains. But, trees and
conifers do belong in the
communities of the Great
Plains.
Kansas communities; as long as we tune
into the type of environment that exists
in a landscape situation through proper
selection and planting. I would venture to
say that some of the landscape situations
we place conifers in are unsuitable sites
to begin with. If we did a better job with
site and plant selection, we
could cut our losses immensely.
Those losses alone further
contribute to the stigma that
conifers are not suitable. Over
the last two years I would
say that the number one tree
removed in communities
are pines due to various
environmental, insect, and
disease issues.
Let’s talk about site selection.
Where do conifers grow
Lacebark pine.
Throughout the Great Plains,
naturally? Conifers usually
there are native conifers.
grow in our poorest sites from
In the Northern Plains states there are
both a nutritional and moisture type
ponderosa pine and Black Hills spruce.
basis. Yet we will often place conifers in a
In the southern Plains states there is the
close grouping in an over-irrigated, overloblolly pine. So there are conifers native
stimulated lawn area and expect them to
to the Great Plains, just not Kansas. Kansas
thrive. I have yet to see a good looking
is the only state in the lower 48
conifer when placed in that type
states that does not have a native
of site. The plants in that site will
pine tree. That statement reveals
suffer from needle diseases, root
much about our environment,
dieback and overall poor plant
smack dab in the middle of the
health.
United States.
Conifers do not require frequent
Our environment is the largest
irrigation; they do prefer dry
factor in this equation and usually
land sites and may only require
plays a roll in the insect and
irrigation in drought periods.
disease problems. So why do we
Conifers also do not require
choose to fight this struggle with
large amounts of nutrition, and
Arizona cypress.
conifers despite all the current
yet we place them in the middle
setbacks with disease, insect, and
of a fescue lawn that we are
environmental issues? We need them for
maintaining with a five step lawn program.
winter landscape interest, for windbreaks,
When I was growing up in Northern
for privacy screening, for increased
Illinois we used to plant pine plantations
diversity, and for wildlife habitat. I think
or Christmas tree farms on the blow sand
we can successfully grow conifers in our
continued on page 4
Comments from the State Forester
Reflections
A
s I write I am approaching my first
anniversary as State Forester, Kansas
Forest Service. What a joy the past
year has been. The agency is gifted with
many talented and dedicated employees
and we have the honor of working with
persons of equal talent and dedication
toward the state’s forest, tree, wildlife, and
water resources. Particularly rewarding
for me is the spirit of cooperation found
throughout the staff. All are willing to
assume new responsibilities and to backstop
each other.
Larry Biles, State
Forester, Kansas Forest
Service.
Newsletter
Publication
Information:
Kansas Canopy:
Newsletter of the Kansas
Forest Service
State Forester: Larry Biles
Contact Information:
Kansas Forest Service
2610 Claflin Rd.
Manhattan, KS
66502-2798
(785) 532-3300
[email protected]
www.kansasforests.org
Contributors: Kansas
Forest Service Staff
To receive the Adobe
Acrobat version of this
newsletter instead of
a paper copy, please
contact the Kansas Forest
Service by mail, phone, or
e-mail.
To discontinue receiving
this newsletter, please
contact the Kansas Forest
Service by mail, phone, or
e-mail.
2
Some of the highlights that I have learned
about and witnessed over the last year are:
• The agency, over the years, fostered the
establishment and subsequently serves,
through volunteer fire fighter training and
excess military equipment, approximately
550 rural fire districts. These districts
are the exclusive source of wildland and
structural fire protection for 40 percent of
the state’s population.
• One-hundred seventeen of the state’s
towns and cities qualified for Tree City
USA recognition. Through the efforts
of 599 Tree Board members, 169
departments, and 1,354 volunteers,
these communities planted 19,386 trees,
pruned 90,959 trees, and removed 14,616
dead, dying, and storm-damaged trees.
• Twenty–five hundred people bought and
planted nearly 400,000 tree seedlings.
Approximately one-half of these plants
were used for home, field, and livestock
windbreaks. Other common uses were
riparian, woodlot, and Christmas tree
plantings.
• Two-hundred ninety four private
forest landowners installed woodland
improvement practices on approximately
5,000 acres. Another 2,800 participated
in one or more of the agency’s 17
Woodland Management Workshops.
In addition to these specific activities,
agency personnel routinely interact with
the state’s 38 primary wood processing
industries and 41 Christmas tree growers.
Moreover, the staff routinely interacts with
youth through the Kansas Association of
Conservation and Environmental Education,
a variety of classroom presentations, and the
state’s Arbor Day poster contest.
Lastly, I am pleased to note that many of
the staff are active in their professional
societies. One currently serves as the chair
of the Great Plains Chapter of the Society of
American Foresters, another is on the board
of the Midwest Chapter of the International
Society of Arboriculture, a third provides
leadership for the Walnut Council, and
a fourth is chair of the Rocky Mountain
Area Fire Coordinating Group. In all cases,
these persons are admirably assisted by the
agency’s support staff.
Budgetary challenges aside, I am pleased to
be looking at the rising sun of year number
two. The Kansas Forest Service is a “can-do”
agency. Our glass is half full. We fully
expect to increase the fullness level through
increased engagement in riparian forestry,
wood energy, and forest health challenges
and opportunities.
Larry Biles, State Forester, oversees all operations
of the Kansas Forest Service.
2009 Forest Stewardship Tree Farmer of the Year
C
ongratulations to Wilford
to promote good forestry and to
Sinclair, the 2009 Forest
encourage other forestland owners
Stewardship Tree Farmer of
to follow suit. Wilford will receive
the Year. Wilford does an exceptional
a $350 gift certificate from STIHL,
job protecting and managing the
a Forest Stewardship Tree Farmer
forest and associated resources on
of the Year sign, and a Forest
his tree farm near Osawatomie.
Stewardship Tree Farmer of the
Wilford has improved the health of
Year plaque. The State Forester will
46 acres of forestland by thinning
present the award to Wilford at the
and releasing desirable trees. He
Fall Forestry Field Day in Valley Falls.
Wilford Sinclair.
also has planted 10 acres to oak
Bob Atchison, Rural Forestry
and black walnut. Wilford has
Coordinator, coordinates rural forestry activities
hosted numerous workshops and field days
for the Kansas Forest Service.
Kansas Canopy: Newsletter of the Kansas Forest Service
Paw Paw
Asimina triloba
Family: Annonaceae (Custard - Apple Family,
mainly tropical)
Native Range: Indigenous to 35 counties
mainly in the eastern third of Kansas.
Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas are the
western edge of its range. Found in most
states east of the plains with the exception
of extreme southeast and northeast United
States.
Mature Height: 15 to 20 feet (35 to 40 feet
in best conditions)
Spread: 10 to 15 feet.
Form: Irregular multi- or single-stemmed.
Pyramidal or round-topped head.
Growth Rate: Slow to medium.
Foliage: Alternate, simple, opposite,
deciduous, obovate-oblong, with entire leaf
margin, 6 to 12 inches long. Tip is abruptly
pointed. Leaves are green and shiny at
maturity turning yellow in the fall.
Flowers: Deep purple and leathery (1 to
2 inches in diameter) and bloom in late
April/May. Six petals in sets of three
(hence triloba), not showy, but interesting.
Monecious.
Fruit: Edible, greenish-yellow turning
brownish black, 2 to 5 inches long. Ripens
August through September. Elongated or
rounded. A taste similar to banana with a
custard-like texture. Some enjoy the fruit,
while a few people may experience allergic
reactions. Contains two to three large brown
flat seeds.
Bark, Twigs, Stems, and Buds: Bark is dark
brown with gray areas on young stems.
Rough and slightly scaly when mature. Bark
is tough and fibrous and was formerly used
for making cloth and cord. Twigs and stems
are glabrous brown at maturity with fetid
odor when broken. Homogenous pith. Buds
are unique, dark brown, pubescent, onionlike. Soft and naked.
Site Description: Occurs naturally in rich
soils in thickets as an understory tree.
Hardiness zones 5 - 8.
Insect and Disease Problems: No serious
problems. Usually pest-free.
Fall 2009 • Issue #32
Limitations: Hard to transplant
from the wild. Weak-wooded
(consider planting in sheltered
areas). May sucker sprout.
Sensitive to salt, drought, and
compacted soil.
Suggested Applications: A good
urban tree for shade dominated
areas that are sheltered and
“out-of-way” with decent soils.
Also does well in full sun, which
is helpful if fruit production
Though not conspicuous, the
is important. A wonderful
leathery, deep purple flower of paw
understory tree in the rural
paw is beautiful.
landscape.
Cultivars: There are more than
50 cultivars from Allegheny to
Zimmerman focused mainly on
the fruiting aspect. The Mary
Foos Johnson cultivar was
collected in Kansas. ‘Prolific’
may be found in some Kansas
nurseries. Paw paw is not a
popular tree in the industry.
Wildlife Benefits: Fairly low
wildlife value, although small
mammals like racoons love the
fruit.
Comments: Way down yonder
in the paw paw patch you’ll
find numerous folk-tales of
the uses of the fruit. Native
peoples used the wood for
fishing nets. It is monecious,
and pollination is difficult since
the stigma ripens before male
flowering and is generally not
receptive when pollen is shed.
Some growers hand pollinate.
There are numerous paw paw
organizations and a plethora of
information on the Web.
The edible green, brown-blotched
paw paw fruit ripens in October with
sweet yellow insides and a custardlike texture.
Paw Paw usually occurs in
open thickets in rich soil as an
“understory” tree.
References
Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, Michael
Dirr; Know It and Grow It, Carl Whitcomb;
Silvics of North Amercia, Volume 2,
Hardwoods, Agricultural Handbook 654.
Bob Atchison, Rural Forestry Coordinator,
coordinates rural forestry activities for the Kansas
Forest Service.
3
Conifers, continued from page 1
hills that would not grow crops. I do not
think it is our winter temperatures that are
hard on the conifers, but our summer heat.
We also know that in Kansas we have a
varied climate from east to west and north
to south. We can grow Norway spruce in
the northeast and southeast, but not very
well further west. We can actually grow
Colorado blue spruce better in some areas
of northwest Kansas than we can in south
central Kansas. This is due to elevation
differences and the fact that it
cools a little more at night, which
offers the plant some recovery.
Conifer trial.
Atlantic White cedar
What are we doing about
conifers? First, Jason Griffin,
K-State Research and Extension
Woody Plant Specialist, and I
are working on a Kansas conifer
publication that will display
various conifer recommendations
and the care/site requirements
for conifers. Secondly, the
Kansas Forest Service and the John C. Pair
Horticulture Center started a Kansas Conifer
Trial in the spring of 2006. For years, I tried
to get a professor interested in
doing such a study and when
Griffin came to the John C. Pair
Horticulture Center, he agreed to
participate. While this is a young
trial, we are seeing a few positive
results so far. Since the trial has
been planted, we have seen early
fall freezes, late spring freezes,
hot dry summers, dry winters and
even wet summers.
Thirdly, we will continue to look
at different provenances, as I feel this is even
more important in conifers. At this time the
trial is only at the John C. Pair Horticulture
Center, but if we see progress we may
begin trials throughout the state. I believe
that Dr. Griffin along with the Christmas
Tree Growers Association is attempting to
fund a grant through the Specialty Crops
Grant Fund with the Kansas Department
of Agriculture. This grant may allow the
expansion of the conifer tree trial.
Lastly, years ago Charlie Barden, K-State
Research and Extension Forester set out
many plots of a loblolly-pitch pine cross
from Virginia Tech. The pitch pine portion
was to give the plant more cold hardiness. I
have seen the plot at the Pecan Experiment
Station in Chetopa and my planting in Belle
Plaine and I am encouraged by the results.
From the conifer trial, a few surprises have
started to surface and deserve a closer look.
They are:
• Atlantic white cedar, Chamaecyparis
thyoides
• Western white pine, Pinus monticola
• Arizona cypress ‘Cooks Peak’, Cupressus
arizonica ‘Cooks Peak’
• Lacebark pine, Pinus bungeana
With all the above stated maybe we need to
look to our south for conifers that are more
tolerant of the heat but also will have good
cold hardiness. I do believe that we can
grow loblolly pine on the southern border
of Kansas in southeast and south central
Kansas. But we cannot guarantee any pine
against pine wilt. Maybe we need to look
to the arid parts of the United States to
find the drought tolerant conifers. Limber
pine is native to the Kimball, Nebraska area
and it only receives 15 inches of rainfall
per year. Yet when we bring this drought
tolerant conifer to south central Kansas, it
will succumb to needle blights. The Pinyon
pines in my own yard suffered from the 50
plus inches of rainfall last summer. Again,
this is where seed source can play a huge
role in survivability. For years, I have highly
recommended the southwestern white pine
because of its native range in the warmer
climates and its cold tolerance. But, I cannot
guarantee it against pine wilt.
Why do we continue to beat our head
against the wall? Because we need conifer
alternatives for future windbreaks, for
community diversity, winter landscape
interest, for privacy and for wildlife habitat.
As you can tell, there are numerous
variables and conditions that go against
conifers in Kansas.
What I would suggest is to pay closer
attention to where you are siting a conifer.
This alone will not solve all our conifer issues
but may reduce our losses.
Tim McDonnell, Community Forestry
Coordinator/District Community Forester,
coordinates community forestry activities and
provides educational and technical services for
communities and green industries in southeast
and south central Kansas
4
Kansas Canopy: Newsletter of the Kansas Forest Service
Fall Tree Seedling Sales Begin
A
lthough springtime is the most
popular time to plant conservation
tree seedlings, fall offers a great
opportunity to plant seedlings if the soil
moisture is adequate. A fall planting allows
plants to become well established before
winter; therefore, when spring arrives, plants
can begin growing early and take advantage
of optimum growing conditions.
in plug. The seedling roots and soil remain
undisturbed when planted, assuring that
growth will be nearly uninterrupted. This
helps for better survival and establishment
as the plants are actively growing when
the landowner receives them and plants
them properly. There is also flexibility in
scheduling tree planting around soil and
weather conditions and work schedule since
the plants are delivered in their original
The Kansas Forest Service Conservation
container. Container plants are easy to take
Tree Planting Program offers containerized
care of from the time the customer receives
tree seedlings for fall distribution. This
them until they are planted. The seedlings
program encourages landowners to plant
simply need
trees and shrubs
to be stored
for conservation
upright out of
purposes.
the wind and
Approved
watered until
uses of these
planted. As
September 1 – October 9, 2009
plants include:
always, it is
home, field
best to plant
and livestock
Online: www.kansasforests.org
the seedlings as
windbreaks,
soon as possible
woodlots,
or (888) 740-8733
to give them a
riparian
better chance in
plantings,
the ground.
wildlife habitat,
Christmas trees
When planting
and establishing other related conservation
the seedling, dig the planting hole slightly
practices. Organizations considering
deeper than the root plug so when planted,
planting seedlings for educational benefits
the root plug will be covered with ½ to 1
are also encouraged to order. Orders will be
inch of soil. Remove the plants from the
taken from the first Tuesday in September
container before planting. Place soil around
through the second Friday in October.
the root plug and firm it to remove air
pockets from around the roots. Water the
This fall there will be a good selection of
seedlings after planting. Stake the plants, if
different species being offered. As always,
needed, to hold them upright.
there will be a good supply of evergreens
for sale to include eastern red cedar,
If a conservation tree planting is on
Southwestern white pine, Austrian pine
your mind, or you just need to plant
and Ponderosa pine. The Conservation
replacements from a previous tree planting,
Tree Planting Program has expanded the
fall provides an excellent time to accomplish
deciduous species available, but they are
this. Additional information and assistance
in limited supply. The deciduous species
in establishing conservation tree plantings
being offered this fall include redbud, black
are available from Kansas Forest Service,
walnut, fragrant sumac, bur oak, English
local K-State Research and Extension offices,
oak, pecan, sawtooth oak, lacebark elm and
Natural Resource Conservation offices,
swamp white oak. Prices for the seedlings
County Conservation District offices and
will be $50 for 25 seedlings, which is the
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
minimum amount that can be ordered.
Mark Haller, Conservation Forester, manages the
Order Conservation Trees
There are some benefits to using
containerized plants for a successful
planting. When the seedlings are removed
from the container, the roots hold the soil
Conservation Tree Planting Program and related
activities for the Kansas Forest Service.
5
Fall 2009 • Issue #32
District Highlight: South Central Dennis Carlson
I
n late September, the 12th annual Walk
in the Woods will be held at the Riggs
Arboretum in Waterloo, Kansas. The Walk
in the Woods was started in October of
1998 at the Riggs Arboretum.
Cheyenne
Rawlins
Norton
Decatur
Phillips
Smith
Republic
Jewell
The Riggs Arboretum is owned by John
Riggs and was originally a test site for many
plant species dating back to the late 1800s.
More than 10,000 different plant species
were tested by John’s
grandfather, John W. Riggs.
NE
Some species were not
NC
suited for the area, but
many species survived.
Washington
Marshall
Nemaha
Brown
DO
Cloud
Sherman
Sheridan
Thomas
NW
Wallace
Graham
Rooks
Osborne
Trego
Ellis
Russell
Mitchell
Gove
Dickinson
Saline
Ellsworth
Greeley
Wichita
Scott
Lane
Ness
SW
Hamilton
Kearny
Rush
Hodgeman
Finney
Pawnee
Morton
Shawnee
Stafford
Haskell
Kiowa
Seward
Clark
Comanche
Pratt
Barber
Douglas
Johnson
Franklin
Miami
Osage
Lyon
Edwards
Meade
Stevens
Wabaunsee
Morris
Barton
Ford
Grant
WY
Geary
Coffey
Gray
Stanton
Pottawatomie Jackson
Jefferson LV
Ottawa
Lincoln
Logan
Atchison
Riley
Clay
The plants and trees
surviving the harsh Kansas
environment are now
part of the arboretum.
The Riggs Arboretum
resembles more of a forest
as opposed to a traditional
arboretum. The understory
SC
is dense with vegetation
and the mature trees
have closed the overhead
canopy. Wood chipped
trails meander through the site. Since the
arboretum resembles a forest, it has been an
excellent place for the Walk in the Woods.
SE
Woodson
Allen
Wilson
Neosho
Bourbon
Montgomery Labette
McPherson
Students on historic tree expedition.
Anderson Linn
Crawford
Cherokee
Marion
Chase
Rice
Reno
Harvey
Butler
Greenwood
Sedgwick
Kingman
Elk
Sumner
Harper
Cowley
Chautauqua
Great Plains SAF member Stephanie Carlson (far
right) teaching students about tree growth.
Since 1998, more than 2,600 students
have attended the Walk in the Woods.
The students attending are primarily from
Kingman and Harper Counties along with
students from the cities of Cheney and
Pretty Prairie. The field day consists of many
learning stations heavily weighted toward
forestry and forest management. Wildlife,
soils and stream behavior stations are also
done at the Walk in the Woods.
Since the start of the Walk in the Woods,
it has gone through many changes. For
about six years, the event was held on a
single day. About 120 students attended
the first Walk in the Woods. The number of
students grew to nearly 260 by the fourth
year. Therefore, more education stations
were added along with expanding the
event into two days. With added stations,
more employees of the Kansas Forest
Service along with other sponsors and
volunteers helped with the event.
6
John Riggs, Owner of Riggs Arboretum talking to
students about a specimen in the Arboretum.
It is always interesting to watch the students
react to the arboretum. Many students have
a general knowledge about forests and trees
based on what they have heard on the news
or from television. I always find it interesting
when I ask the students a general question
continued on page 7
Kansas Canopy: Newsletter of the Kansas Forest Service
District Highlights continued from page 6
about how forestland
is lost. I often get
answers like logging,
insects, disease fire or
other natural events
cause the destruction.
I try to press them to
think in long terms.
A fire can destroy
the mature trees,
but, in most cases,
there is seed waiting
for a fire to create
Northwest Area Forester Jim Strine showing
the conditions to
students how trees grow.
germinate, grow and
replace what was
lost. In long terms, the
forest was not lost but
is replaced by another
generation. After much
discussion, I finally
get the answer on
how forestland is lost.
Yes, it is parking lots,
shopping malls, and
other development.
Over the years, several
principals from the
schools have attended
the field day to see
Northeast Area Forester David Bruton showing a
what was taking
milled board.
place. They were very
appreciative (along
with the teachers)
because many schools
have limited outdoor
educational events.
Since the Walk in
the Woods is heavily
weighted toward
forestry education,
this provides a unique
opportunity for
students.
The reason students
like the sawmill is they
can see how logs are
cut into lumber. Many
of the logs we mill
often contain insects
or rot. We found it
better to use these
logs because it can
help teach students
about how insects
burrow into the trees
and see the galleries
they leave behind.
One of my favorite
experiences was
milling through an old
cedar log. One of the
cuts passed directly
through the center
of a carpenter bee
gallery. The students
were able to see the
juvenile bees within
the tree. Some jumped
back being surprised
to see the bees while
most of the others had
to take a closer look.
The Walk in the
Woods is sponsored
by the Kansas Forest
Service, Great Plains
SAF (Society of
American Foresters),
Sunflower RC&D,
Kingman County
NRCS, Kingman
County K-State
Research and
Extension, Kansas
Department of
Wildlife and Parks,
McDonald’s, Waterloo
Arboretum Committee
and John Riggs, owner
of the Arboretum.
Some of the favorite
stops for students
Roger Masenthin, Sunflower RC&D talking to
include the wildlife
students about trees.
Dennis Carlson, District
station where they can
Forester, provides direct technical assistance to
see and touch different pelts of animals and
Kansans in 15 south central Kansas counties for
the sawmill station.
the Kansas Forest Service.
7
Fall 2009 • Issue #32
What are your Kansas Forest Service Fire Dollars Doing?
E
ach program at the Kansas Forest
Service has been asked to put together
some facts and figures to demonstrate
the cost/benefit ratio of the services we
provide. Thanks to the staff, I feel we have
some fairly impressive dollar values for the
Fire Management Program.
There are approximately 550 fire
departments in the state that qualify
for assistance from the Kansas Forest
Service. To qualify, the department must
serve communities of fewer than 10,000
population. Based on the 2000 Census,
40 percent of the
Kansas population is
protected by these
rural departments.
While some may have
a few paid or paidon-call personnel,
most are operated
by volunteers in the
purest sense.
The Equipment Donation Program, a result
of a change in the Tort Claim Law, allows
Kansas Forest Service to receive and
distribute used equipment, while relieving
the donating department of any liability.
Each year, we distribute about $250,000
worth of equipment to departments that
suffer from tight budgets.
In 2008, training sagged, but still we
provided 338 firefighters with 715 days of
instruction. Had the training been provided
by a private contractor, the NWCG classes
would have cost approximately $250 per
student per day, for
total of $130,000.
Kansas Forest Service
provided all classes
for as little as $500
per class, regardless
of the number of
students attending.
For a class of 10
students, this cost
drops to $50 per day
and a total cost last
year of $35,750.
Each year, thousands
of dollars of grant
money passes
through the Kansas
Insurance premium
FEPP trucks being prepared for distribution.
Forest Service to
savings can offset
these rural fire
much of the cost
departments with no dollars being used for
of a equipping a station with the basic
administration. The 2009 grants amounted
equipment. A small department with one
to $294,000. All of the grants must have
FEPP truck, a 300-gallon tank and pump
a 50 percent match from the benefiting
and six volunteers can reduce the insurance
department and be used to purchase
rates of all the noncommercial property
suppression, communication, and personal
within five road miles of the station by about
protective equipment.
19 percent annually. Using this conservative
estimate, rural departments save Kansans
Kansas Forest Service administers the
$4.7 million annually in insurance premiums.
Federal Excess Personal Property (FEPP)
program for the USDA-Forest Service.
These are the major Fire Management
This program is the use of excess military
Program support areas of the Kansas
equipment and has been a mainstay of
Forest Service. When one adds the cost
the fire program for 40 years. Currently,
savings and the customary purchase prices
we have about 400 excess trucks on loan.
that are being avoided, the Kansas Forest
These trucks are loaned and converted to
Service has saved Kansans approximately
suppression and support apparatus by the
$16 million in equipment, materials, and
fire departments. If a department were
supplies. More importantly the Kansas
to purchase that truck new to serve the
Forest Service annually saves rural residents
same purpose, the cost would be in the
approximately $5 million in insurance
$100,000 range. Even a used all-wheel drive
premiums. The value of that level of
of comparable size would be out of the
premium savings over a 20-year period
financial reach of many rural departments.
exceeds $75 million.
This fleet constitutes $15.6 million in
Ross Hauck Fire Management Coordinator,
acquisition value, truly pennies on the dollar
directs fire management activities for the Kansas
investment.
Forest Service.
8
continued on page 8
Kansas Canopy: Newsletter of the Kansas Forest Service
Community Highlight: Clyde Arboretum
O
ne of the pleasures of field work is
driving through new and familiar
towns and seeing the community
culture, architecture and of course, trees!
Rolling into the town of Clyde from the east,
on Highway 9, it would be easy to miss the
town’s arboriculture wonder,
Clyde Arboretum, but don’t. It is
home to more than 50 species
of trees, many not common
in Kansas and eastern Cloud
County. The first trees in the
arboretum were planted more
than 15 years ago.
not fared well because of the difficult
location. Some of the pines have not
escaped the ravages of pine wilt, but
to the tree board’s credit, one pine this
last spring was removed two hours after
official confirmation of the problem.
Many of the trees in the
arboretum are memorial
and honorary trees. Some
have been planted to see if
they could be successfully
introduced into the city.
All are planted, pruned,
watered, mulched, and
labeled by tree board
members. Purchasing trees
is a social event, with tree
board members loading up
into a renovated delivery
truck and spending a day
visiting garden centers
and hauling home various
species and unique finds.
This post oak is one of
many trees trialed in the
The arboretum was established
arboretum.
on what used to be a creek
channel through the city.
The soil can be poor and
compacted in many places,
especially where an old car
Baldcypress thrives in a low
wash used to stand or where
area along the arboretum’s
machinery formed the dike
stream.
when Elk Creek was redirected.
The arboretum planting design was initially
The city of Clyde and its visitors benefit
drawn by a landscape designer, but over
from this ongoing and dedicated effort
the years, the tree board has determined
to showcase many species of trees.
design and placement and through their
The tree board has worked diligently in
nurture and care, many evergreen and
Clyde the past 30 years and it shows not
deciduous trees exist, such as Bosnian pine,
only in the arboretum, but throughout
various species and cultivars of spruce,
the town.
An established Bosnian pine
ginkgo, baldcypress, hedge maple, Kentucky
in a difficult site.
Kim Bomberger, District Community
coffeetree, limber pine, and many species of
Forester, provides technical assistance, education,
oak, just to name a few. As is common with
and training to Kansas communities in northeast
large outdoor plantings, some trees have
and north central Kansas.
been damaged by wildlife or some have
Kansas Arbor Day Poster Contest
T
he National Arbor Day Foundation and
the Kansas Forest Service announce
the 2010 theme for the Arbor Day
National Poster Contest - Trees are Terrific …
and Energy Wise! The contest is an artistic
competition open to fifth-graders across
the state. Free lesson plans are available
focusing on the importance of properly
selecting and planting trees to conserve
energy and how trees produce food energy
for people and wildlife. The contest is
open to any fifth-grade public, private, and
home-school student, with lesson plan
activities correlating with many national and
Kansas educational standards. Additional
contest information may be found at www.
kansasforests.org/community/arborday/
postercontest.shtml.
Fall 2009 • Issue #32
The Kansas contest is sponsored
by the Kansas Forest Service
and partnering companies and
organizations. Educator lesson
plans for the 2010 contest will
be available September 1, 2009.
For more information, to request
a lesson plan, or for assistance in
getting involved in the contest,
contact your district or community
forester (www.kansasforests.org/
staff/community/index.shtml), or
Kim Bomberger at 785-532-3315,
[email protected].
Kim Bomberger, District Community
Forester, provides technical assistance,
education, and training to Kansas
communities in Northeast and North
Central Kansas.
9
Fall Forestry Field Day and the Delaware River Watershed
T
he Kansas Forest Service is teaming up
with landowners and natural resource
professionals in the Delaware River
watershed to identify water quality and
quantity issues within the 740,772-acre area
that drains into Lake Perry.
variety of outdoor educational sessions to
promote the protection and management
of forests and other natural resources with a
focus on water quality benefits.
Danny Barrow, Danny Barrow Trading
Company, will host the event on his 1,280
Watershed Restoration
acre ranch. Barrow has
and Protection Strategy
more than 20 years of
(WRAPS) (www.kswraps.
experience buying, selling,
org) is made up of
and harvesting timber and
landowners and other
furs in Kansas. He and his
stakeholders in the
family have accomplished
Delaware River watershed
a variety of conservation
who have
practices on the property
One of the Barrow lakes, site of
developed
such as spring development
a session on farm pond fisheries
a strategy
and improving the health
management.
to protect
and productivity of
and restore the watershed to
grasslands. Danny also has two watershed
“proper functioning condition”
lakes, which will serve as the site for a
considering social and economic
session on fish pond management, by Kirk
factors.
Tjelmeland, Kansas Department of Wildlife
and Parks, fisheries biologist. Kirk will use his
Sedimentation of Lake Perry
shock boat to inventory the fish populations
has been identified by the
and help landowners understand what
Delaware WRAPS as the greatest
they can do to manage farm ponds. Danny
water quality concern. This is
Barrow, his son Charlie and Dave Bruton,
understandable since the lake
Kansas Forest Service District Forester, will
is a public water source and
provide a logging and milling demonstration,
sedimentation has significantly
by discussing the value of a standing
reduced its storage capacity.
walnut tree. The tree will then be felled and
Reservoirs like Perry serve as the
processed on a portable sawmill. Charles
source of municipal and industrial
Barden, K-State Research and Extension
Danny Barrow explains the value of
water for more than two-thirds of
a black walnut tree in the beautiful
Forester, will lead discussions about proper
the state’s population. Reduced
riparian forest located on his
harvesting techniques within riparian areas
storage capacity as a result of
property.
to maintain water quality.
sedimentation and increasing
demands for water combined with a few
Forest health, good wildlife habitat, and
years of drought may make water shortages
water quality can all be improved by
a reality for some Kansans in the near future.
limiting or excluding livestock’s access to
forestland and riparian areas. Will Boyer,
The Kansas Forest Service is providing
K-State Research and Extension, Watershed
assistance based on needs described by the
Specialist, will lead a session on developing
Delaware WRAPS stakeholder leadership
alternative watering sites, an excellent tool
team, their plan and with funding support
for getting cows out of the creeks and the
from Kansas Department of Health and
woods.
the Environment. Examples include an
assessment of the functioning condition
An estimated 35 percent of the Delaware
of riparian forestland within the Delaware,
River watershed is in cropland with another
sharing research on the effectiveness of
51 percent in grassland. Riparian forests
riparian forests to reduce sediment loads,
snake through these areas creating abrupt
and providing the tools necessary to protect
edges between land uses. These “edges”
and establish riparian forests.
offer important food and cover to many
wildlife species. However, wildlife habitat
With all this activity in the Delaware River
can be greatly improved by “feathering”
watershed, it only seems appropriate to
the transition between forestland and field.
locate the 15th annual Fall Forestry Field
Randy Whiteaker, KDWP, wildlife biologist,
Day there. On October 15, from 9 a.m. to
will suggest how landowners can create
3:30 p.m., the Kansas Forest Service will join
10
forces with a host of partners to provide a
continued on page 11
Kansas Canopy: Newsletter of the Kansas Forest Service
Black Walnut at Risk!
B
lack walnut is the most commercially
important tree species in Kansas. Its
harvest supports the livelihood of many
Kansas timber buyers and loggers. Walnut ranks
fourth in sawlog production among Kansas
trees at 4.1 million board feet. The 2007 Forest
Inventory and Analysis annual report estimates
406 million board feet of Kansas black walnut in
standing timber. That equates to enough lumber
to build 33,833 homes. But black walnut is also
prized for its nuts, wildlife benefits, and the
ecological values it provides to our state.
Kansas foresters are taking a new threat to
the species quite seriously. In 2008, thousand
cankers disease was discovered and named
by former K-State Plant Pathologist, Ned
Tisserat. The fungus (Geosmithia) is carried
to walnut trees by a tiny bark beetle native to
the southwestern United States (Pityophthorus
juglandis) where it colonizes and kills a small
area of the bark surrounding the beetle galleries.
The cankers and beetle galleries expand
throughout the tree (hence the name thousand
cankers) interrupting the flow of nutrients and
the trees generally die within two to three years.
Within the last decade, there has been an
unusual decline of black walnut in several
western states, and in the last five years the
Colorado towns of Boulder, Colorado Springs,
and several others in the Denver metro area
have experienced widespread loss of black
walnut to the disease.
This summer the disease was found as far east
as Rocky Ford, Colorado by experts who are
mapping the eastern range of the pathogen.
People in southwestern and western Kansas
should be on the lookout for the disease. Early
symptoms include yellowing of leaves and
thinning of upper crowns. As the
disease progresses larger limbs
will die and eventually large
canker areas develop on the
trunk.
Thousand cankers could enter
Kansas through the products
created by woodworkers using
infected trees or on firewood
or logs from any of the infested
states, which include all
The first sign of thousand cankers
states west of Kansas with the
exception of Nevada, Wyoming, disease may be dieback in the top of
black walnut.
and Montana. Other experts
believe river systems may serve
as a transport for the disease.
Anyone recognizing thousand
cankers symptoms in black
walnut or seeking additional
information should contact the
Kansas Forest Service at (785)
532-3300 or their local K-State
Research and Extension Office.
A fact sheet may be found on
the Web at www.ext.colostate.
edu/pubs/insect/0812_alert.pdf.
The bark beetle that carries the
pathogen for thousand cankers
disease is smaller than a grain of rice.
Bob Atchison, Rural Forestry
Coordinator, coordinates rural
forestry activities for the Kansas Forest Service.
Field Day, continued from page 10
more gradual transitions by introducing
shrubs, forbs, and other techniques.
Most forestland in Kansas is artificially
established with tree seedlings, however,
another option is planting nuts or seeds,
sometimes described as “direct seeding”.
Danny Barrow is planning a direct seeding
project this fall which will provide a
demonstration opportunity for the field day.
Bob Atchison, Kansas Forest Service Rural
Forestry Coordinator, will describe proper
seed collection, storage, seed stratification,
planting, and weed and grass control
techniques.
The Delaware WRAPS (www.
delawareriverwatershed.org/) is one of more
than 50 WRAPS organizations in Kansas
and one of the most successful. Marlene
Bosworth, Delaware WRAPS Coordinator,
Fall 2009 • Issue #32
will provide a presentation about activities
in the watershed and opportunities for
landowners to participate. Jeff Neel, a
GIS specialist with Blue Earth/KAWS,
will present the results of a riparian forest
assessment on the Delaware River. A stream
trailer, which models hydrologic behavior,
will be used to teach how different factors
effect streambank stabilization.
Refreshments and lunch are included with
the registration fee. Registration information
is available at the Kansas Forest Service
Web site at www.kansasforests.org by
clicking on Calendar of Events or by calling
(785) 532-3300. In case of rain, the event
will be at the Jefferson County Fair building
in Valley Falls.
Bob Atchison, Rural Forestry Coordinator,
coordinates rural forestry activities for the Kansas
Forest Service.
11
Kansas Canopy
Kansas Forest Service
2610 Claflin Road
Manhattan, KS 66502–2798
Calendar of Events
Notice of nondiscrimination
K‑State Research and Extension is
an equal opportunity provider and
employer. Issued in furtherance of
Cooperative Extension Work, Acts
of May 8 and June 30, 1914, as
amended. Kansas State University,
County Extension Councils,
Extension Districts, and United
States Department of Agriculture
Cooperating, Fred A. Cholick
Director.
Links of Interest:
Kansas Forest Service
www.kansasforests.org
K‑State Research
and Extension
www.oznet.ksu.edu
State of Kansas
www.accesskansas.org
Kansas Department
of Wildlife and Parks
www.kdwp.state.ks.us/
Natural Resources
Conservation Service–
Kansas
www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov/
Farm Service Agency–
Kansas
www.fsa.usda.gov/ks/
12
September 23-25 — 2009 Forestry Utilization
Conference & Expo., Western Hills Guest Ranch,
Wagoner, OK. Contact Ouachita Mountains
RC&D, (918) 423-2479 or www.omrcd.org for more
information
We Need Your Help
September 23 — Kansas Prescribed Fire Council,
Russell, KS. Contact Jason Hartman, (785) 532-3316
for more information.
In an effort to reduce printing and
mailing costs, the Kansas Forest
Service would like subscribers who
are willing to receive the newsletter
electronically to send their e-mail
address to [email protected] or call us
at (785) 532-3300.
October 4 – 10 — Fire Prevention Week. Kansas
Forest Service Fire Prevention activities in
cooperation with K-State Safety will be on the
Manhattan and Salina campuses. Contact Jason
Hartman, (785) 532-3316 for more information.
October 5 – 9 — Kansas Arborist Association Training
Course, Manhattan. For more information contact
Tim McDonnell, (316) 788-0492.
October 15 — Fall Forestry Field Day, Danny Barrow
Ranch, Valley Falls, KS. In case of rain, the event
will be held at the Jefferson County Fair building in
Valley Falls. Contact Bob Atchison at (785) 532-3310
or [email protected] or www.kansasforests.org/
calendar/index.shtml for more information.
Your e-mail address will not be given to
any other organizations.
If you have any questions please do not
hesitate to let us know.
For a current listing of events, check our Web site: www.kansasforests.org/calendar
Kansas Canopy: Newsletter of the Kansas Forest Service