Really....RRV was never used as a control method nor was it introduced from anywhere. It has been around the U.S. since at least the 1940s. Was it likely spread by the use of multiflora as fences and such? Sure. But being mad about that would make as much sense as being mad 20 years from now if we discover that something we can't currently detect that is found on say Knock Outs, causes all other roses to die. Multiflora as a fence was a conservation idea and it works quite well if the person who uses it is willing to maintane it. Have there been things introduced that back fired? Sure. But the list of invasive and devasting ecosystem criters that have come here on their own is a far longer list: Japanese Beetles Fire Ants Raspberry Ants Africanized Bees Cactus Moths Asian Citrus Psylid Mistle toe Water Hyacinth Snake Heads Armored Catfish Formosen Termites etc etc etc. Do Chemicals have a place? Yes. Should they be used exclusively or all the time-probably not but that is your decision. The above linked article was an uninformed paper from 2000 and I haven't been able to find any evidence that people ever used RRV as a control method. He was writing as it showed promise as a possible control method. In case you don't realize how this works currently, they test it extensively in controlled situations prior to using it as a commercial control. They have been testing a parasitic wasp to control fire ants for over a decade and still haven't released them.

To repeat what has been said a number of times before, there are Red Maples (Acer rubrum) in varying cultivars and then there are other cultivars of maples whose leaves turn red in the fall. There are also maples, mostly Japanese maples but other species as well, whose leaves come in red or reddish, some of whose leaves stay red and some turn green. The TRUE Red Maple is the A. rubrum, so called, as far as I know, because the flowers, which are very early before the leaves, are very red, as are the early stages of the samaras. Any other tree, if of another variety of maple (Norway, silver, etc.) MAY have the word red somewhere in its name, or have red leaves all summer or in the fall, but it will NOT BE a Red Maple, although it may be a red-colored maple, for example, the above mentioned Crimson King Norway Maple. Sorry for the lecture, but it's a pet peeve, and so you got the rant....

OK well here....LOL I like that when people say "here" ;-) In this case, here would be CT = Connecticut = here (for searching purposes,eh) The word according to UCONN - seems the local aggie (CAES) does NOT have a Master Gardener (MG) program. Kind of disappointing. (Quote) Thank you for your interest in the UCONN Cooperative Extension System Master Gardener Program. Students enrolled in this program receive training in botany, plant pathology, soils, entomology, pesticide safety, integrated pest management (IPM), woody ornamentals, herbaceous ornamentals, vegetables, tree and small fruits, turf grass, invasive plants, water quality, environmental factors affecting plant growth, and diagnostic techniques for the home gardener. Becoming a Certified Cooperative Extension Master Gardener requires a completion of:  145 hours  85 hours of formal classroom training & 60 hours of supervised in-service training.  At least 30 in-service hours (mentioned above) to be conducted in one of the nine teaching locations during weekday business hours, answering gardening inquiries; the remaining 30 hours through approved educational outreach activities.  16 classes are held from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, one full day per week from January through April.  A written, open book exam, given before beginning the in-service phase of the program.  All office and outreach hours completed by September 30, 2007.  Tree/Shrub/Vine identification collection due by August 31, 2007.  Attendance of at least one summer diagnostic session.  A final practicum exam at the conclusion of the in-service training. The charge for the program is $350.00, plus a $50.00 manual fee for each participant. Scholarships are available based on financial need. Enrollment is limited and competitive, so please be complete in filling out the application. We need the requested information to evaluate your talents and volunteer commitment. We may telephone or conduct personal interviews to elicit more information. (/Quote)

Ditto ladyslpper's comments. One of the attractions of natives is that they are not supposed to need a lot of chemical pampering and some would be harmed by such methods. What you have to watch out for is weed competition and sometimes rabbits and deer. If your natives are planted in conditions to which they are adapted they should have a reasonable chance of success. Some are harder to transplant than others. Research is always useful. The first year or two are the most crucial for chances of long-term survival. That is when you do want to consider mulching and supplemental watering if needed and lots of weeding out of invasives. Few plantings have 100% success so don't be discouraged if a few plants don't survive. My Joe Pye Weeds aren't yet doing anything much here in the suburbs of NYC. I planted winterberry in a soggy, wooded area with fairly good sun a year or two ago and they are still o.k. Checking PH is a good idea but I confess I have never done it and have gotten away with it for the most part. Two good books by the late Sara Stein (who did her native gardening in Westchester County, NY) are "Noah's Garden" (some theory, some inspiration and some "how to") and "Planting Noah's Garden" (much more "how to" info).