Author: William Fountain
Major Program: Commercial Horticulture - Landscape Ecosystems
Bluegrass-Buckeye Yard and Garden LiveGreen industry professionals have meet annually for 20 years in the greater Lexington area to learn about the challenges and opportunities of managing trees and other landscape plants in central Kentucky. The emphasis in 2017 was on horse farms. Forty professionals from the greater Cincinnati and Lexington Areas met at Ashford Stud to learn about the interaction of arborists with the equine industry. Specialists from The University of Kentucky and Ohio State
National Weather Service Revisions to the EF ScaleThe National Weather Service (NWS) in the US and NWS Canada rate tornado intensity using the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale. Doppler radar is highly accurate in determining likely geographic locations for touchdowns but less accurate for determining actual touchdowns or wind speed at ground level. Ground-truthing by a team of meteorologists and engineers routinely occurs post-event. There are 28 Damage Indicators (DI) each with multiple D
Lewis County Courthouse Tree AssessmentA site-visit to Lewis County, Kentucky was requested by the county CES ANR Agent for 29 August 2017. The purpose of the visit was to assess the potential for failure for trees surrounding the courthouse. The County Judge Executive was concerned about the stability of the trees and the potential for failure. His suggestion, based on local practices was to either top the trees or remove them. An assessment was done and it was determined that the trees present
Author: Kristin Hildabrand
Insect pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds are responsible for one out of every three mouthfuls of food. In the United States, honeybee pollination and other insect pollinators contributed to over $29 billion of crops. A recent study in North America by the National Academy of Sciences found that the status of honeybee and wild pollinator populations are on the decline. Some of that decline is due to habitat loss, degradation, disease, and insect parasites.The Warren County B
Arboricultural Assessment and Report WritingIn January 2018 I received a request for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KTC) resulting from a 1-day training program I did at Quicksand for KTC employees. A sub-contractor, hired by KTC had pruned a large, mature bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) to remove branches overhanging KY Hwy 17 in Pendleton Co. The owner of the property claimed that the tree had been needlessly disfigured, was unstable, and threatened to sue the Commonwealth for the
The Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) is a professional credential developed and managed by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). This 2-day course and half day exam instructs the professional arborist in how to predict the likelihood of failure, likelihood of a hazard striking a target, and the consequences of a target being struck. This allows the arborist to provide the client with a risk rating and mitigation options that will provide a lower residual risk. This
Author: Michele Stanton
When residents walk through our doors for the first time, I sometimes hear things like, ‘Wow! This is great! I didn’t know you guys existed.’ Residents appreciate what we do in Extension Horticulture: classes, programs, soil testing, plant disease ID, free vegetable seeds, publications, individualized information, and more. If I can get someone to attend that first class or other event, I feel they come back. Getting them here the first time that
Author: Bethany Wilson
The Pulaski County Detention Center houses approximately 350 inmates. About 9 years ago, the Pulaski County Horticulture Agent had worked with an officer at the jail to assist them in growing their own vegetables. Extension has a mission to try to serve those underserved audiences so another contact was made with the Programs Director at the detention center. After being a part of another prison program in McCreary Co and talking to anothe
Author: Raul Villanueva
Ambrosia beetles are destructive pests of a large number of woody plants including ornamentals and fruit trees. Nursery crop growers, and garden center and home owners endure the economic losses due to the attack of very aggressive invasive ambrosia beetle species that cause poor plant growth and death. We identified the composition of ambrosia beetle species in Western Kentucky. Seven invasive species were found associated with nursery crops and fruit orchards. We now know abundance and the sea
