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Davey Bulletin January-February 2020

The Davey Tree Expert Company provides residential and commercial tree service and landscape service throughout North America. Read our Flipbooks for helpful tips and information on proper tree and lawn care.

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11 January/February 2020 | 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.

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