tree devastation! HELP

11 years ago

About 10 years ago my husband and I bought a small campground (17 acres) in Indiana, zone 5. Four years later the Emerald Ash Borer hit us and in the last six years we've removed around 400 dead and dying Ash trees. It looks like terrible in comparison to what it was when we bought the place and campers want shade! We planted about 40 trees of different variety, Maple, upright Willows, Pears, etc. About a year ago a fellow from the DNR came to talk to me about a bug called the Asian Longhorn Beetle. GEEZE! Give me a break right? He informed me that they do not just kill one type of trees, but many, including maples, willows. I did some research and he is right. The only tree I can find that they do not kill 100% is the Tree of Heaven. I didn't put any trees out last fall for two reasons. I don't know what kind to plant because of this bug and plus my carpal tunnel was acting up. I need trees on this campground. It is a lot of hard work to plant 10-20 trees at a time and it is costly. I can't afford to put out a bunch of trees only to have them killed in a few years. This bug is in Chicago now, which is about 175 miles from us. I can't afford another disastrous infestation. Anyone have any ideas on what to plant? I'm at my wits in.

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Comments (16)

gardenapprentice
11 years ago
First up you mentioned Pear... what Pear? Bradford or Cleveland? either way most ornamental pear trees are a harm their wood is weak and they are very invasive not to mention the flowers smell awful.. Tree of heaven is good but can also be a bit invasive and they have a heck of a lot of pollen to dump lol.

What I would plant is Redbud, Oaks, Some hybrid willows, maples, and Crape's. Hypbrids are usually disease free. You may also want to know how to control the pests and know if any other trees you plan on planting have any serious diseases.

You should go on the internet and search up trees that are disease ridden, and a word for you is not to go to home depot or lowes, they aren't even worth mentioning lol. Go to a reputable nursery.

These are a few trees I have or had (check them out and see if they can grow in your zone, are reasonably pest/disease resistant, can take full sun)

Crape Myrtle
Dogwood (Cornus Florida)
Kousa Dogwood (c. Kousa)
Silver Maple
American Chestnut
Southern Magnolia
Mimosa
Red Oak
Tulip Poplar
Japanese Maple
Royal Empress( This can grow about a few feet per year!)
Cottonwood
Redwood
Sweet Gum
Black Walnut
Beech
Paper Birch
Cedar
Hybrid Crabapple
American Elm
Hybrid Elm
Conifers
alabamatreehugger 8b SW Alabama
11 years ago
Does White Pine grow in your area? Seems like it would be a perfect choice for a campground.
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Hi Gonzo, I see that you are in Canada, but please tell about your natural light conditions, as they vary widely from place to place. Do you have a window exposure? If so, in what direction does it face? Does it ever provide direct sunlight (how many hours?), or is it always indirect? All summer my phals have only indirect light at a roof-overhung ESE exposure. When the temps drop in Fall, they spike. Because the sun has moved, morning light on the Phals has to be screened to prevent baking of the leaves. I never allow the sun to shine on the spike tip, before or after bloom. (It only takes minutes to cook or wilt these tender parts.) Despite a lot of winter overcast (our rainy season) my phals bloom in the dead of winter (Dec and Jan) with a lot of flowers that last into April and May. I never use lights. Gonzo, I'm questioning whether you need artificial light on your phal at all. Phals are not high light orchids. They grow toward the light, because that's what (most) plants do, but like Icarus, they can perish from the heat/dryness of the light they covet. Even the first spike you mention was probably close enough to the light shade to wither from its drying effect. If the phal were mine--and even if it "needed" artificial light to make it spike--I would gradually move it Well Away from the lights, once the spike was half grown. Then, I would try to be patient, knowing that a spike (from start to finish) can dawdle around for two to four months before finally (!) opening. Sounds to me like your phal clearly "wants" to bloom for you. Woo her tenderly, and, for heaven sakes, turn out the lights! Sweetcicely
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denninmi, I think I've been down some of those streets while visiting your side of the state. In some areas it is very obvious that there have been massive tree die offs. As we travel along the main highways to visit relatives in Ohio and Pennsylvania it is obvious when we reach areas where EAB is rampant. One, if not the first, outbreak in the west side of the state is thought to have started at a shopping center a few miles from our home. From what I've heard, ash trees for landscaping were brought in from a SE Michigan nursery which was not supposed to be shipping any ash trees at the time. And, not surprisingly, they were infected with the borers. The city responded by cutting all ash trees within a certain distance...maybe a mile out, I can't remember the exact distance, but it was a large area. For weeks crews were cutting and chipping trees from yards and parks. And yet it did not look like a clear cut because there are alot of other species in the area. It did not surprise me when other infestations were found soon afterwards in other parts of the city. It seems like cutting and quarantine come too late to stop this critter. Like denninmi mentioned, there are some homeowner control methods that are looking very promising. A business park and a college campus outside the quarantine area took preventive action before any other EAB sites were found. They had key landscape trees identified and began have them treated regularly. Both places still have healthy ashes while most other places have lost some key specimens. Around here there is a group working hard to get up to date info out to homeowners. I got a strange look when I told my husband I was going to be attending a "Save Your Ash" workshop put on by a local environmental group. University researchers told of their latest findings, arborist told of their treatment methods, and city foresters told of options available to homeowners. A final part covered cultural impacts, something I hadn't considered. A Native American who is a renowned basket maker shared how his heritage is threatened by the possible extinction of black ash trees. His family's traditional harvesting swampland is unaffected as yet, but he was extremely concerned about the very likely loss of an age old cultural tradition. Black ash logs can be beaten, and the wood will separate between the growth rings. It is then cut into the weaving strips needed for baskets. No other wood works as well. He had the best business card I've ever seen. A clear label with his business info was applied to a paper thin piece of his basket making black ash splint and cut to card size. I hope his children can have the some card materials 30 years from now, but I'm fearful that will not be possible.
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If you have a county extension agent it would be wise to contact them. If the service is free have them check out your trees and seek advice from them. A change of trees on different root stock can be a cure all, if that is the problem. 6b Steve
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greenthumbzdude
11 years ago
First dont plant any invasive species: bradford pears, tree of heaven, mimosa, or empress tree. You will just end up with a bunch of problems that will cost you in the future.
Plant fast growing native trees:
silver maple
sycamore
Tulip poplar
Red Oak
Cottonwood
American Elm (look for disease resistant cultivars)
Black walnut

* go to a wholesale nursery that will sell you saplings in bulk this is the cheapest way to do it. I would check out https://www.coldstreamfarm.net/
gardenapprentice
11 years ago
greenthumbzdude said it good. Especially the part about sapplings. they are better than larger trees. They dont need stakes, they can sometimes grow faster than a larger tree and they can stand up to wind way better.
wisconsitom
11 years ago
Kat, while you are right to be concerned about Asian longhorned beetle, and while it is true that that pest is capable of attacking many types of trees, realize that so far, this is not a widespread infestation. The worst area, as far as I know, and this is with no research at the moment, is in and near the city of Worcester, MA. Then yes, there was or were a couple outbreaks in a Chicago suburb or two. That's worrisome but at least so far, control efforts have born fruit.

What you do want to do is plant a variety of species within your campground, to lessen your exposure to a catastrophic outbreak of some insect or disease in the future. Most, not all but most, insect pests are at least somewhat selective in their host trees.

Also, you mention the need for shade, so that right there tells me that you want at least reasonably tall-growing "shade trees" for the bulk of your planting. So not fl. crabs, not crape myrtles, but things like full-size maples, oaks and elms (disease-resistant hybrid elms, that is). A few large-growing conifers, things like white pine, Norway spruce, etc. could fill the bill too.

Look into some of these things and then get back to us with more questions. You really can get to where you need to go, primarily by learning the lessen that small is beautiful when tree-planting. Young transplants are inexpensive, easier to plant, and take off quicker in their new locations.

=oM
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
About a year ago a fellow from the DNR came to talk to me about a bug called the Asian Longhorn Beetle. GEEZE! Give me a break right? He informed me that they do not just kill one type of trees, but many, including maples, willows. I did some research and he is right.

==>> well.. i hope he was ...

and what did he recommend.. and i am sure it wasnt tree of heaven ... i would bet your head was spinning by this time.. and you missed his list?????

contact the DNR ... [boy in MI.. thats animals.. more than plants] ... or your COUNTY extension office ..

and ask them what to do.. its your tax dollars that pay them.. use them ...

they ought to have peeps.. and info galore .. you should not really be having to thrash around by your lonesome.. relying on a bunch of us.. out in the ether ...

in MI ... the soil conservation district offers a spring plant sale.. including many such plants that are appropriate for your area.. as well as natives.. etc .. they are small ... but they are the future ...

you might also want to contact the state college that ends in STATE ... as in IO state.. or IL state.. as they are the Ag colleges .. and they all have forestry schools.. and they might have resources for you ... again.. your tax dollars.. blah.. blah .. blah ... [in other words.. e.g. ... google: IL state forestry school .. or some such thing]

also your county Ag office ...

good luck

ken
Hurtle
11 years ago
They found an ALB infestation in my city in 2002. Nothing became of it. Apparently ALB, unlike EAB, is more hype than destruction.
wisconsitom
11 years ago
Oh no Hurtle, mucho destruction-if it shows up near you. It's just mercifully not that well-established yet. If and when it does become so, a large list of tree species will be in peril. For one example-maples. I shudder to think what we would have left if all the maples were attacked. BTW, that's partly because where I live, maples are everywhere. Where are you?

+oM
brandon7 TN_zone7
11 years ago
Here (see link below) is a list of invasive (environmentally destructive) plants of Indiana. I would recommend you either bookmark the webpage, or, print the list out for future reference. I would highly recommend that you avoid planting anything on this list!

Here is a link that might be useful: Official IISC Invasive Plant List
brandon7 TN_zone7
11 years ago
Here (see below) is a link to the Extension Service Office Locator for Indiana. In Indiana, Purdue University is the "land grant" school for the state (not the school that ends in STATE). Services and "customer service" varies from state to state and from office to office for Extension Services, but it is likely that your local office will be of GREAT help and will possibly be your number one resource.

Here is a link that might be useful: County Office Home Pages
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
Purdue University is the "land grant" school for the state (not the school that ends in STATE).

==>> Go figure.. lol ...

see link for cass co plant sale.. at the bottom of the page.. the list of plants there is :

Deciduous Tree Seedlings - Bald Cypress, Tulip Poplar, White Flowering Dogwood, American Mountain Ash, Redbud, Basswood, Magnolia
Fruit & nut Tree Seedlings - Apple, Hardy Apricot, Nanking Cherry, Bartlett Pear, Persimmon, Red Currant, American Hazelnut, Butternut, Chinese Chestnut, Northern Pecan, Black Walnut

bald cypress is fast

ken

ps: so what is indiana states claim to fame.. the school without a basketball team .. lol ...

Here is a link that might be useful: link
gardenapprentice
11 years ago
lol Ken, but you really think a Dogwood could stand up to the harshness of Illinois or wherever katkat is?
brandon7 TN_zone7
11 years ago
"...you really think a Dogwood could stand up to the harshness of Illinois or wherever katkat is?"

Try Indiana... (see rest of thread, above)

And, yes, many dogwood species are native to Indiana (and "harsher" areas)! See maps on lower half of page linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: USDA NRCS PLANTS Profile - Cornus
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
apprentice.. check the link i provided above.. when i asked OP to name her county in IN ...

as an example i linked to cass county IN .. and if the WWW says they will work.. who am i to argue ...

but keep in mind.. ye of the dogwood fame .. lol.. these are not the foo foo dogwoods that most nursery centers carry.. these would be the native dogwood.. the ones you might see in the ditch on the side of the road.. whizzing by at 60 mph ... one might say.. the foo-less variety .. lol

ken
katkat
Original Author
11 years ago
Sorry I didn't make it back here soon, screwed up my ankle, and have been working on taxes and now I have three grandchildren here today and one more coming to go on a shopping trip. BUSY in other words.

Thanks for everyones comments. When the DNR shows up here and is worried about the ALB, it makes me worry too. I live in north eastern Indiana. About 35 miles south west of Fort Wayne Indiana....zone 5. The reason I was so freaked out about what to plant is because the website I saw said that the ALB kills many of the trees that you guys are listing. I know it is still 175 miles away but this is the way it happened with the EAB...which nearly bankrupted me with all that tree removal.I have put in some larger trees, about 20 of them. One died, 2 or 3 looked pretty sad after this dry summer even though I watered them a lot. I think from here on in I will stick to much younger trees because it about killed me paying for and planting the big trees. I am no spring chicken and cannot afford to hire anyone to do it at this time.

Wouldn't planting trees like maples and other trees on the list be a waste of time? I will check out all the trees listed from you guys and the links as well. Thanks so much.
Kat
jinxz5
11 years ago
Kat, Talk to Shawn at Blue River Nursery(google). He has a good selection and must be fairly close to you. Jay

tree devastation! HELP

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gardenapprentice

alabamatreehugger 8b SW Alabama

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