Despite the buzz in recent years about other invasive insects that pose an even larger threat to agriculture and trees — such as the spotted lanternfly, the stink bug and the emerald ash borer — Penn State researchers have continued to study another damaging pest, the Asian longhorned beetle.
In an effort to protect the diversity of trees on the University Park campus, the Penn State Office of Physical Plant is asking students, faculty, staff and visitors to refrain from climbing trees or attaching slacklines or hammocks.
Ailanthus, also called tree-of-heaven, is a voracious invasive plant species that is rapidly affecting more and more forests in the United States, according to plant pathologists. These researchers recently found that Ailanthus not only produces lots of viable seeds, but also that the species produces seeds earlier in its lifespan and keeps producing seeds, in some cases, more than a century later. Recognizing the invasive potential of Ailanthus may help forestry experts control it.
Matt Hurteau spends a lot of time climbing trees. The assistant professor in the Department of Ecosystems Science and Management, joined Penn State in July 2011, filling an earth systems ecologist position jointly funded by Penn State Institute of Energy and the Environment and the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
The disease known as Elm yellows threatens the health of over 200 majestic American elms on the Penn State campus. Elm yellows is just one of many tree diseases that contribute to the decline and death of trees in the United States. What are the main causes of American tree diseases and have we made progress in preventing and treating them?
Pennsylvania’s fruit orchards remain free of the Plum Pox virus. That’s the good news relayed by State Agriculture Secretary George Greig, reporting on the results of a survey conducted last summer in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin and York counties.
Thousands stroll the long, tree-covered sidewalks of University Park every day. Campus walking maps developed by the Office of Physical Plant showcase some of the buildings, gardens and trees that make campus one of the nation's most beautiful.
