Pest identification resources
Every grower of Christmas trees in Michigan has had to deal with pest damage. The following publications are resources every Christmas tree grower should have on their shelf.
These
publications will help you with identification, biology of the pest,
and management strategies of the many insects, weeds and disease
affecting Christmas trees.
Christmas Tree Pest Manual (E-2676)
This publication is an important resource for anyone who manages conifer trees, including Christmas tree growers, landscapers and foresters. This 143-page manual includes over 250 color photos of damage caused by insects, diseases, animals and environmental causes. The chapters are divided according to types of injury – needle discoloration or distortion, needle feeding, shoot/branch injury, shoot/branch galls and dead tree or stem/root injury. They then are broken down by injury from insects, fungi and nematodes, birds and mammals, and environmental factors. The manual is available on the web at: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/misc/xmastree/ or copies can be purchase from your local Extension office for $20.00.
Christmas Tree Diseases, Insects and Disorders in the Pacific Northwest - MISC0186
Christmas tree growers and landscape specialists working with conifers
will want this full color reference manual on hand. Authors have
compiled descriptions, life cycle, and management information on
diseases, pests and disorders common to Christmas trees grown in the
Pacific Northwest. Less common pests are included for purposes of
identification. Disease and insect sections provide a list of hosts and
damage potential rating. Calendars pinpoint months to watch for pest
activity on conifers. Available from Washington State University, for
$25.00 at http://pubs.wsu.edu/cgi-bin/pubs/index.html
Weeds of the Northeast (E-2666)
Weeds of the Northeast is a practical guide to the identification of common and economically important weeds of the northeastern United States and southern Canada.
It
is also a reference book for those aspects of weed biology and ecology
important to weed management. Relying on vegetative rather than floral
characteristics for identification, this up-to-date manual describes 299
weed species that infest agronomic and horticultural crops, turfgrass
areas, nurseries, gardens, and noncrop areas such as landscapes and
roadsides. Copies can be purchase from your local MSU Extension office for $33.50.
Scouting Fraser Fir Christmas Trees (AG-573)
This publication discusses scouting and control of the common pests of Fraser fir. Information on ordering this publication can be found at http://apps.ces.ncsu.edu/pubs/ or by contacting Publications, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7603, Raleigh, NC 27695-7603, phone 919-513-3112.