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Show Fatfi1 7 THE SAN JUAN RECORD Wednesday, December 18, 2002 Effort to save pinons will take time (From an article in the Cortez Journal ) Landowners can save some of their pinon pines from the bark beetles devastating area forests, but the effort will take time and money, experts say. Spraying uninfested trees with pesticide and removing infested ones are the keys. e For people who have trees - and a lot do around their homes - they can high-valu- Lifelong dream realized for Blanding hunter. Dr. Jim Redds early years were intrigued by Jack O'Connors stories of Dali sheep hunting in Alaska. Finally, time off and coverage allowed him to successfully claim a trophy ram after a very difficult six day hunt. The ram was killed in the St. Elias mountain range. Courtesy photo IkJ zaar .5-! j ci M 0- Whitehorse Iligli School 10 per table n Contact W HS at spray any of the trees the beetles havent gotten into, said Phil Kemp, forester with the San Juan National Forest. Trees that have been ind vaded by the tiny, dark-colore- beetles Ips confusus, also known as pine engraver beetles) will show very clear signs of infestation. The beetles attack a tree by tunneling through its bark. Generally the tree will respond by exuding sticky pitch, which creates telltale pitch tubes -nickel-sized globs of resin where the beetle bored through. In drought years, trees have less pitch and such tubes may not be readily visible, but there will still be small holes in the bark and sawdust in crevices where a branch meets the truck, or at the trees base. The needles of infested trees soon turn yellow then brown. Once a tree has been colonized by bark beetles, it cannot be saved - so preventing the initial infestation is the only hope for keeping valued trees. The first step landowners can take this winter is to dispose of dead or dying, infested trees. After a good hard freeze or two, its time to start cutting, according to Kevin Mallow, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension agent for La Plata county. Its important to wait until winter because pine beetles are attracted to the scent released when pine wood is cut, said Dan Ochocki, Durango district forester with the Colo- - CALLING ALL LICENSED NUBSES San Juan Health Service District is sponsoring a series of nursing meetings to address the increasing nursing shortage affecting San Juan County. You are invited to attend a meeting seeking your input, ideas, and recommendations regarding recruitment and retention of nursing professionals. Dinner or lunch will be provided. Please select one of the following meetings to attend. The meeting schedule is as follows: rado State Forest Service. I dont want to paint the picture that thats what brought them in, because lots of acreages that didnt cut TVee One had the beetles, but we do know theres a correlation, he said. So when in doubt, avoid cutting from May through October. The insects are not active during the coldest months. Mallow and Ochocki said landowners should concentrate on trees that have a beetle infestation, not those the bugs have already left. The pinon Ips beetles, which life ycle, mate have a six-we- ek and reproduce entirely be- neath the bark. Only when the larvae have matured into beetles do they emerge to fly to new trees. Several generations can be active in a single pinon at the same time. You want to cut the trees that are just yellowing out and dying, because those are where the bugs can be successful in another hatch, Mallow said. If the tree is already losing its bark, its not going to get another successful hatch. But if the bark is still tight and theres a little yellow in the needles, it may have another generation of bugs in it. You want to cut down every- thing thats dying - dont worry so much about the ones that are solid dead. Ideally, landowners should fell and cut up the infested trees, stack them and burn them for firewood, he said. lie even suggested covering the stacks with clear plastic to heat the wood so that the bugs will be tricked into emerging during winter and will freeze. Infested wood can also be treated with insecticides, buried, or hauled to a site at least one mile from any pinon trees. It must be dealt with carefully, Ochocki said - the bugs can inside logs and emerge next spring. The warmer seasons are the time for spraying to prevent infestations in healthy trees. over-wint- er Experts recommend three treatments yearly with insec- e ticides labeled for prevention. Spraying infested trees will do no good, as the beetles wont be affected while they are beneath the bark. bark-beetl- December 19, 2002 at 6:30 pm at the Four Corners Cultural Center, 707 West 500 South in Blanding December 20, 2002 at 11:30 am at the San Juan Hospital Conference Room in Monticello January 7, 2003 at 6:30 pm at the Four Corners Cultural Center, 707 West 500 South in Blanding January 7, 2003 at 11:30 am at the San Juan Hospital Conference Room in Monticello Please RSVP by 12:00 pm December 19 & January 6 6 to Echo Williams or Deana Dalton at 587-211- Plan to have your family or business December Holiday Party in lovely Historic Home 116 South 100 West accomodate groups of up to 50 Can Catering by & Joel Palmer Lois Contact Jean Robinson 435-587-23- 33 for reservations |