Emerald Ash Borer Update for the New Year

Kicking off the new year with an update on a not so new invasive species, the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) (EAB). 

 

EAB was first detected in summer of 2002 in Michigan, near Detroit, and in winter of 2003 in Ohio, outside of Toledo. It has since spread through the buckeye state and has made its home in 36 states. As indicated on the map, some states have felt the wrath of EAB from north to south and east to west, while some have what we would call 'isolated infestations' - at least for now. 

 

While the EAB map that is updated on a...

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Authors
Amy Stone

Invasive Buckthorns

Common buckthorn (European buckthorn), Rhamnus cathartica, and Glossy buckthorn, Frangula alnus (previously named Rhamnus frangula), are large shrubs or small trees (10-25’ in height) that are non-native invasive species. Both can form dense thickets displacing native tree and shrub species. Common buckthorn prefers drier sites while glossy buckthorn favors wetter habits including river and stream banks and pond edges. Plants of both species can establish themselves in fence rows, open fields, roadsides, open woods, and woodland edges. Common buckthorn is the alternate host for crown rust of...
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Authors
Ann Chanon

OSU Green Industry Short Course and Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Conference Goes Virtual Next Week

Once again, the OSU Green Industry Short Course and the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Conference are partnering up to bring you two outstanding educational events combined into one program. This year the program is - yes you guessed it - going virtual.

 

You can join us for this historic virtual event that offers over 60 hours of education!  The on-demand sessions are available now if you want to begin learning today!  Credits will be offered for many of the live sessions being...

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Authors
Amy Stone

Plant Introductions: Meet Invasive Species Common Barberry and Japanese Barberry

Common barberry or European barberry, Berberis vulgaris, is a non-native invasive woody shrub.  Intentionally brought to North America by early settlers in the 1600s, it has escaped cultivation and is widely distributed in the northern U.S.  Common barberry is also an alternative host for the disease, black stem rust, a severe pest of grains.  As a result, large scale eradication efforts began in the 1900's to remove this reservoir of disease.  However, populations still exist in the Great Lakes states, including Ohio, and the northeastern United...

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Authors
Ashley Kulhanek