11
January/February 2020
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THE DAVEY BULLETIN
Michael Dye, district manager, South St. Paul office,
needed to call in a favor. While serving a client in the City
of Shorewood, Quinton Risley, foreman, determined the
cracking tree his crew was working on had become a hazard
and could not be safely climbed. Without an office crane,
Dye called Travis McDonald, district manager, South
Minneapolis office, and asked for help.
"It's actually not uncommon for our offices to work together,"
Dye said. "From training to equipment, we're in this together
here in the Twin Cities. We're not competitors so we work
as a team to get the job done safely. Many hands make the
work easy."
TWIN CITIES COLLABORATION
Davey Resource Group (DRG) is working with the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA)- Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Services (APHIS), in cooperation with
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
(VSACS), to stop the spread of spotted lanternfly in Frederick
County, Virginia. The key to stopping the spread of this
invasive pest is its favorite snack, the Tree of Heaven.
Treatments are being conducted along railroad right-of-ways,
commercial properties and private residences where the
Tree of Heaven is present. They are creating what are
known as "trap trees."
"Any trees that are smaller than 6 inches around, we are
terminating with an herbicide," said Jeffrey Tessner, project
manager, DRG. "With the larger trees, we are using an in-
secticide. When the insects feed on the trees, the goal is for
them to be attracted to the larger trees with the insecticide,
ingest it and hopefully die."
Train tracks are high priority areas because spotted lanternfly
egg masses can be laid on train cars, and the pests have an
ability to travel on trains vast distances.
"They can lay their eggs on any flat surface, like train cars
or car windows," he said. "This will carry the egg masses
outside the quarantine zones, which we are trying to
prevent. We can control the areas around the train tracks
and keep them away with the treatments."
CREATING TRAP TREES FOR
THE SPOTTED LANTERNFLY
The tree was only 25 minutes from the South Minneapolis R/C office
and Christian Feichtinger, foreman and crane operator, South
Minneapolis, was able to swing by to help. Ryan Strand, foreman,
South Minneapolis, has collaborated on other crane projects.
Above: The spotted lanternfly is an invasive leaf hopper insect species
native to Asia. In 2014, it was discovered in Pennsylvania. A favorite
tree of this insect is the Tree of Heaven, also known as ailanthus, which
is also an invasive species. At right are the pest's egg masses.
Below: Containing spotted lanternfly is a challenge because they can
travel on cars, semi-trucks and trains. The pests are not the best fliers,
but they are good hitchhikers. Railroad tracks and rest stops are on
the priority list for treatment.
