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OAK WILT OR ANTHRACNOSE? Anthracnose and oak wilt are the two primary diseases found on oak trees. Because anthracnose has been especially bad this spring, it can be confused with oak wilt. Janette Monear, Oak Wilt/Diseased Tree Hotline Coordinator for the Anoka County Extension Service, reports that the symptoms are different. Anthracnose, a leaf spot disease, will usually be most noticeable at the bottom of the tree. It will produce individual blotches on the leaves, cause the leaves to turn brown and fall. Oak wilt, a vascular disease, will be noticed at the top of the tree with wilting of the leaves and a brown- ing of the leaf edge. Some trees have lost their crown due to drought which may be confused with oak wilt, however, oak wilt will completely kill a tree within 3-14 days. Anthracnose is especially prevalent on bur and white oaks while oak wilt is more specific to the red oak. Anthracnose can be controlled by raking leaves as they fall and if severe enough a fungicide can be applied. Oak wilt is a serious disease. Red oaks, once infected are not known to recover. To control oak wilt, root graft bar- riers must be placed. For more information on oak wilt and a free brochure on barriers contact the Oak Wilt/Diseased Tree Hotline, Anoka County Extension at 755-1280. PINE BARK BEETLE Are the needles on your pine trees fading from green to yellow, or even reddish-brown. If so, they could be under an attack of pine bark beetles. Pine Bark Beetles occur naturally in most pines. Most healthy pines can repel the attack with pine pitch. However, pines that are overcrowded or suffering from the drought are not able to produce sufficient pine pitch to overcome the beetle. The bark beetle larvae are found in clusters. They are white, curved and legless with dark heads. Adult bark beetles are about 3/16 of an inch long and less than 1/16 of an inch wide. They are reddish-brown and black, blunt on both ends and do not have prominent antennae. Some signs to look for when trying to diagnose for pine bark beetle are reddish-brown (and sometimes even a blueish color), sawdush-list material collecting on the bark. They may be difficult to see, but look for small holes approximately 1/16 of an inch in size. Remove a patch of bark to check for bark beetle larvae; they will not burrow any further into the tree than under the bark. Forestry activities that produce breeding material should be confined from September 1 to February 1. Breeding material includes recently cut or killed trees, stressed trees, and freshly pruned or wounded trees. Breeding material pro- duced outside the period of September to February should be removed or destroyed as soon as possible. It can be destroyed by chipping, debarking, burying or piling under an airtight tarp to be recycled as firewood. The best prevention for pine bark beetle is keeping healthy trees. Tree vigor can be maintained by planting the correct species on the site, avoiding overcrowding by thinning and providing adequate moisture. For more information, contact the Anoka County Exten- sion Service at 755-1280. TREES ARE DYING OF THIRST You may not know it but your trees may be dying of thirst! Janette Monear, Oak Wilt/Diseased Tree Hotline Coordinator for the Anoka County Extension, reports the subsoil moisture situations in much of Anoka County is dangerously low. This is especially true on sandy soils. Here are some tips to help you save your trees and keep them from becoming stressed and less resistant to disease and insects. 1. Water your trees: trickle water from an open end hose at least 3 feet from the trunk of the tree, preferably at the dripline. Saturate the soil at least 1 1/2 feet deep. 2. Mulch the roots of your trees using grass clippings, woodchips, straw, decorative bark or compost. Us- ing an organic mulch helps soil retain moisture and will keep soil temperatures from becoming too hot. Organic mulches are much more beneficial than plastic and rock. For more information contact the Anoka County Extension Service at 755-1280. APHIDS ON TREES AND SHRUBS Aphids have been occurring on a variety of trees and shrubs in Anoka County. Ash, elm, poplars, roses, honeysuckle and a variety of other species show high populations of these sap-feeding insects. Janette Monear, Oak Wilt/Diseased Tree Hotline Coordinator for Anoka County Extension Service, ad- vises that these high populations should be controlled by a hard spray of water applied directly to the infested areas. This is especially true for young trees and newly planted nursery stock. Chemical control is not advised as it will also kill the ladybug larvae, an orange and blue/black insect shaped like an alligator, which feeds on aphids. If damage appears severe enough and the homeowner wishes to use a chemical control, call the Anoka County Extension Ser- vice at 755-1280 or your own county extension office for a free fact sheet on aphid control. [, BRUSH CHIPPING PROGRAM TO BE OFFERED IN RAMSEY ALL SUMMER The City of Ramsey, because of the serious threat to the forest population, is developing a decentralized brush chip- ping operation with funding support from the Metro Coun- cil. Brush disposal can be a problem and chipping converts the brush into a usable product, with no disease problems. Ramsey's brush chipping program will offer the following services: · Free brush chipping · Information on tree disease prevention and control · Information on the use of wood chips · Wood chips available for use · Information on the composting of leaves and grass These free services are offered to control the current disease problems and decrease the need for burning per- mits to be issued during the year. These services will be provided on a neighborhood-wide format to encourage the efficient use of the program resources. Who is eligible? All residents with brush or prunings from healthy or diseas- ed trees who prepare the piles correctly, with convenient access. How can you participate? Fill out the questionnaire and return it to Woodchipping Program, Ramsey Municipal Center, 15153 Nowthen Blvd. N.W., Ramsey, Minnesota 55303. NAME ADDRESS PHONE NUMBER I ALREADY HAVE MY BRUSH STACKED ACCORDING TO GUIDELINES _ YES _ NO AND READY TO CHIP. -;::- ,~lJtrl=ltft ___..-~FPTrr&A-: I WOULD LIKE BRUSH CHIPS FOR MY OWN USE YES_NO. I AM INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE VALUE OF _COMPOSTING MULCHING UTILIZATION OF ORGANIC MATERIALS. I WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING ABOUT RECYCLING DISEASE CONTROL AIR/W A TER/SOIL/QUALlTY. i NEED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT: GUIDELINES FOR BRUSH PILES IF YOU ANTICIPATE PARTICIPATING IN THE BRUSH CHIP- PING PROGRAM, THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES WILL APPL Y: · Brush must be stacked with the trunk ends in the same direction. · Brush diameter should be 5 inches or less and length is restricted to 6 - 8 feet. Brush piles may be stacked up to 6 feet in height. · Brush must be neatly stacked where it is readily ac- cessible to the truck and chipper trailer, i.e., alongside driveways. · Only clean brush and limb piles will be accepted; i.e., no rocks, dirt, whole trees, stumps, metal, plastic, cloth, boards, leaves or grass. · Healthy and diseased brush, limbs and prunings will be accepted. The chipping process removes the disease hazards and the chips can be used for mulch, landscaping, weed control and moisture retention. APPLE TREE ALERT Apple trees look out! Fungal diseases are very common on apples this year. Cool wet conditions promote cedar-apple rust, apple scab, frog eye leaf spot, and continued develop- ment of black rot cankers. Janette Monear, Oak Wilt/Diseased Tree Hotline Coordinator for Anoka County Extension Ser- vice, advises that the Home Fruit Spray Guide, AC-Mi-0675, will help you to put together a control program for a healthy more productive fruit tree. To obtain this free brochure, con- tact the Anoka County Extension office at 755-1280 or your own county extension office. PRESERVING TOMATOES AND TOMATO PRODUCTS CLASS Learn many ways to preserve your bountiful tomato crop Tuesday, August 8th, 9:30-11:00 a.m. or 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the Bunker Hills Activities Center, 550 Bunker Lake Blvd., Andover. Cost of the class is $2.00, pressure gauge testing is free of charge. The program is sponsored by the Minnesota Extension Service in Anoka County. Call 755-1280 to register for this class. BUSINESS SCENE By: Ramsey Economic Development Commission Member Jack Ippel WILD WEST COMES TO RAMSEY Cheap Thrills opened in Ramsey just last summer with a go-cart track and bumper boats and is already expanding. Dave and Clare Hauan are adding an 18 hole miniature golf course and concession stand to their amusement center. The miniature golf course and concession stand are be- ing built in an old west style. The concession stand will have booths and video games. The golf course will include 2/3 scale buildings modeled after original structures in Tomb- stone, including a mine, livery stable, stage coach and Boot Hill. Construction of the golf course should be complete by August 1. Rather than make his miniature golf course simple, Dave researched and created a challenging 18 hole course that on the average, should take 1-1/2 hours to play. Cheap Thrills is a family business with Dave and his son, Dave Jr., operating the attractions and Clare, along with daughters Dawn and Mary, handling cashiering and ticket sales. Dave and Clare's long range plans for Cheap Thrills in- clude the addition of a roller rink on the 4.5 acre site. The Hauan's are building their business while Dave holds a 3rd shift machinist position at Strohs Brewery, as well as operating an excavation company. To help finance Cheap Thrills, Dave built and sold 3 homes in Ramsey. The family is currently building a 4th home; this one for themselves. According to Dave, "sometimes there just aren't enough hours in a day!" To get to Cheap Thrills, take Hwy. #10 to Armstrong Blvd. NW. (Cty. Rd. #83); go north on Armstrong to 146th Avenue; go left on 146th and follow the signs. Hours are 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays; 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sun- days; closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Go-cart track at Cheap Thrills. Miniature golf course under construction next to 'bumper boats. / ----------- ST. GERMAIN STYLE After 9 years as a stylist, Dolores St. Germain opened her salon in November of 1988. Located in the River's Bend Plaza at 14101 St. Francis Blvd. NW. (Hwy. #47), the firm's 3 stylists offer a full range of service for male and female customers. You can have hair washed, cut styled, permed, colored and even sun glitzed (a new hair lightening system). You can get your fingernails done, your eyebrows waxed or use the body tanning bed. Additionally, St. Germains offers the Kenra line of profes- sional hair care and beauty products. Dolores and her husband, Norman, have lived in Ramsey for 11 years and have 3 sons and 1 daughter. "The people have been great and I enjoy doing business in Ramsey" says Dolores. Stop in and greet Dolores and her staff; the salon is open Monday through Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. A: . . ~ St. Germain Salon in River's Bend Plaza. ii k~ .:.. e.- "'\ In , Dolores St. Germain and client.