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PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS
Minutes- Annual Business Meeting
Minutes - Board Meeting
NCTA Report
WWW.TexasChristmasTrees.com
Cercospora Needle Blight - Leyland Cypress
Nantucket Pine Tip Moth Control Using Confirm 2F and Address 75 SP

PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS

If you missed the convention in Houston, you missed a class act. Region II has every right to be proud of the job they did. The speakers( Mark Schnepf, Paul Bonarrigo, Jim Heater, and P.J. Ellison) were excellent. Dr. Don Renchie even made farm safety sound fun. Thank you, Region II for a wonderful weekend. We all need to thank the vendors who came to Houston. Many of them came a long way to be there. They do a lot for all of us by coming and delivering supplies. They are also a great source of information and advice. Spend as much time with them as you can. I would also like to take this time to say how important all the volunteers are to our association, we always need your help. Volunteering for committees and other projects is a great way to meet other members, learn what the association does for you, and have fun, too. Kathy Enzerink, who has headed the Marketing Committee for several years and done a super job, is stepping down. So, we are going to be doing some Aarm twisting@ and ask someone to take over this very important job. Thank you, Kathy, for a very well done job. As most of you already know, Jim Wilson has asked to be replaced as Executive Secretary/Treasurer. I am pleased to say that Mike Walterscheidt will be taking over that position. We know he will do an excellent job. I would like to remind everyone about the seedling sales. If you have not ordered your seedlings, you need to do this as soon as possible to be assured of getting them. The nurseries have planted more seedlings this year and have said the quality is very good. A little rain sure can make a difference. The seedling pickups will be Friday, January 11 at TFS in Alto and Saturday, January 12 at IP in Bullard. With the 2001 selling season coming up, I hope that the new growers who have not yet started marketing trees will try to spend some time at one or two farms who are selling and volunteer to help out. You can learn a lot from doing this and have a lot of fun, too. Be sure to mark your calendar for the 2002 TCTGA convention to be held in Tyler September 27-29. Region I has already started working on what should be a good time. Whether you are an "old" member or a new one, get to know your board members. They are there to help you, but the do need your input. If you have any question, ideas, suggestions, etc. contact them and let them know. I hope everyone has a great selling season and a wonderful Holiday Season!

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President Dennis Gunia called the meeting to order at 9:05 am.

A quorum was established with 41 farms represented.
An invocation was given by Mr. Ebner.
Minutes: Mr. Posey moved that the minutes of the last annual meeting be accepted as published without reading. Seconded by Mr. Bozeman. Motion carried.

Financial report: Mr. Wilson presented the June 30, 2001 end of the fiscal year report prepared by the CPA and then presented the July through September 2001 year-to-date report. Mrs. Vogel made the motion to accept the financial report as presented. Seconded by Mr. Buscha. Motion carried.

Seedling Committee report: Chairman Rogers was not present. Mr. Merket presented the report. The report stated there are plenty of seedlings at International Paper and Indian Mound Nurseries. The orders are beginning to be received.

Membership report: Mr. Radde presented this report. TCTGA has 157 members. He asked for members to advise him of any growers in their area who are not members of the TCTGA so an effort to reach out to them could be made.

Web site report: Mr. Gunia reported that our partnership with the Texas Department of Agriculture had been discontinued and the budget needed to reflect a full fee for hosting of a Web site. He stressed the importance of keeping member Web sites updated because the public depends on that information. All changes should be emailed to Ann Aldridge.

Marketing Committee report: The report was made by Mrs. Enzerink. Val-Pack direct mail and refrigerator business cards are ideas the committee is studying. New TCTGA hats were presented. She also reported the marketing brochures will be printed in the quantity of 25,000 and will be sent to Texas Department of Transportation centers. A post card mailing to Texas Chambers of Commerce and media is planned. The post card will direct reporters to the TCTGA Web site, therefore, the brochure will not be mailed and will result in a lower mailing cost. The James and Mary Robinson farm will appear in the Texas Coop Power magazine this December.

Christmas Tree Contest report: Mrs. Scott reported the Christmas trees were being displayed near the pool and the judging would be conducted before noon. Then the winners will be announced during lunch. Santa is to present the awards.

Media Awards: Mrs. Gunia presented this report. This year the committee received more articles than ever before. Members have until April 1 each year to send in articles. The winning newspapers are posted on the Web site. It is our hope reporters get story ideas from our Web site. This year's writer's luncheon is on Saturday.

2002 Convention: The 2002 convention will be held in the Sheraton Hotel in Tyler on September 27-29 and the contact will be Mr. Bozeman, president of Region 1.

NCTA report: Mrs. Walterscheidt reported a news release concerning the lead content of artificial trees will be released in November by Foundation Earth. The data shows that artificial trees manufactured 10 years ago and older have dangerous lead content. Earth 911 is a recycling program that has a number where members can report areas for recycling opportunities. Please forward your area recycling center address and phone number to Earth 911 for their national campaign database.

State Fair report: Mr. Posey reported the need for volunteers for 14 days at the State Fair. The booth is very important for the TCTGA and all of our industry. The booth will be in the Agriculture building. Also, the TCTGA will be exhibiting at Six Flags during a corporate day where an unmanned booth will be equipped with marketing materials to promote Texas Christmas trees.

Election of Officers:
Region 1: The officers elected for Region 1 are: Chuck Bozeman as President, Larry Hatch as Vice President, Marshal Kathy as Secretary, Debbie Merket as Treasurer, Claudette McNew as Director, and Mike Posey as Director.
Region 2: The officers elected for Region 2 are: Leia Prause as President, Judy Martin as Vice President, Marge Gunia as Secretary/Treasurer, and Damian Prause, Lanny Dreesen, and Janie Scott as Directors.
Region 3: The officers elected for Region 3 are: Cliff Mayben as President, Marianna Wilson as Vice President, Kathy Patrick as Secretary/Treasurer and Duane Patrick, Bob Childress, and Ed Buscha as Directors.

A vote for the funding by regions to send trees to the Texas Senators and Congressmen in Washington resulted in Region 2 and 3 agreeing to fund the operation and Region 1 voting nay.

Nominating Committee report: Mr. Ebner reported his committee met via email and nominated Mr. Bob Jones as Vice President. Mr. Walterscheidt made the motion that nomination cease and Mr. Jones be elected by acclamation. Seconded by Mr. Reaves. Motion carried electing Mr. Jones as Vice President. Mrs. Walterscheidt made the motion Mr. Radde be elected president-elect by acclamation. Seconded by Mr. Posey. Motion carried. President-elect Jackie Merket will succeed President Gunia for the 2001-2002 year.

New Business: Auction Proceeds were reported to total $3349.50 at the 2001 convention. Ray Roberts was the auctioneer.

Adjourn: Mr. Dreesen made the motion to adjourn at 10:05 am. Seconded by Mr. Buscha. Motion carried.

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President Dennis Gunia called the meeting to order at 9:10 am

Present: Dennis Gunia, Claudette McNew, Lanny Dreesen, Tom Bryan, Beth Walterscheidt, Bert Reaves, Mary Arzola, Ann Aldridge, Kenneth Radde, Burl Hollingsworth, Chuck Bozeman, Kathy Enzerink, Mike Walterscheidt, Janie Scott, Duane Patrick, Betty Posey, Mike Posey, Bob Jones, Edward Buscha, Jackie Merket, Jim Wilson.

An invocation was given by Mr. Dreesen.

Mr. Wilson read the anti-trust statement.

Minutes: Mr. Dreesen moved that the minutes of the May 19 meeting be accepted as published without reading. Seconded by Mrs. McNew. Motion carried.

Financial report: Mr. Wilson presented the June 30, 2001 end of the fiscal year report and the July through September 2001 year-to-date report, which had been prepared by the Association's CPA. (See Exhibits A and B) A question was asked regarding the timing of the payment to NCTA for the Tree Industry Partnership (TIP). Mr. Wilson suggested an official membership count be reported annually at the convention, then a check be dispersed to the NCTA for the Tree Industry Partnership. Mrs. Scott made the motion to accept the financial reports as published. Seconded by Mr. Posey. Motion carried.

Membership report: Mr. Radde reported the TCTGA membership as 157 members as of September 27, 2001. (See Exhibit C)

Seedling Committee report: Chairman Rogers was not present. Mr. Merket presented the report. The report stated there are plenty of seedlings at International Paper and Indian Mound Nurseries. The orders are beginning to be received. Discussion regarding a link on the Web site for the order form and membership form followed.

Convention Committee report: The report was presented by Mr. Jones. The 2001 convention was reported to have 74 pre-paid members in attendance, 20 exhibitors with 32 attendants, and 5 guests. The convention was reported to have 111 in attendance and a projected total of 125 with a factored 10-15% increase with walk-in registrants.

2002 Convention Committee report: Region 1 president, Mr. Bozeman, and Mrs. McNew presented the Tyler Sheraton hotel as the site for the convention. As a bonus, the Tyler Convention and Visitors Bureau will present a check to the TCTGA for $500 to be used toward convention expenses.

Marketing report: The report was made by Mrs. Enzerink. Val-Pack direct mail and refrigerator business cards are ideas the committee is studying. New TCTGA hats were presented. She also reported the marketing brochures will be printed in the quantity of 25,000 and will be sent to Texas Department of Transportation centers. A post card mailing to Texas Chambers of Commerce and media is planned. The brochure will not be mailed and will result in a lower mailing cost. The James and Mary Robinson farm will appear in the Texas Coop Power magazine this December. Mrs. Scott announced the difficulty in getting all of the members into the directory this year by using email because our members do not use email regularly. (See Exhibit D)

State Fair report: This report was presented by Mr. Posey. The budget allotted will be largely used this year because of State Fair and Six Flags opportunities. Mr. and Mrs. Posey put together a display for the Six Flags 40th Anniversary and gave out business cards that promoted the TCTGA Web site. Mr. Charles Hensen of the Texas department of Agriculture offered the TCTGA an opportunity to provide Christmas trees on consignment for sale in the Fort Worth Stockyards during this year's Christmas season. (See Exhibit E)

Media report: President Gunia presented the report. Ms. Huber of the Houston Chronicle won the award this year. (See Exhibit F)

Web site report: This report was presented by Mr. Gunia. The Texas Department of Agriculture is not going to continue the partnership program which paid 50 percent of the cost of our Web site. The state comptroller has a legal reason this program be discontinued. We will therefore need to increase our budget. (See Exhibit G)

Break at 10:30 a.m.

Call to order at 10:55 a.m.

NCTA report: Mrs. Walterscheidt presented this report. Ellis Schmidt spearheaded the NCTA effort to stop the movement by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) banning Christmas trees as combustible vegetation. Revisions were made to the NFPA guidelines by the NCTA to protect the real tree industry. Thank you NCTA! (See Exhibit H)

Research Committee report: Mr. Walterscheidt presented this report. There have been no proposals received by the committee. The seedling improvement program cost of $3,000 was charged against this fund for one year only, as voted by the Board of Directors last meeting. Mrs. Walterscheidt reported that she has been one of two elected vice presidents of the NCTA. The other vice president is Mike Godzyk from New Hampshire. The vice presidents are elected for a two-year term.

Regional Reports:

Region 1: This report was presented by Mr. Bozeman. He thanked Mrs. McNew for typing the report. The region reported it has 51 members and $3208.20 in its account. (See Exhibit I)

Region 2: Bob Jones presented this report. The region focus has been on the convention. Mrs. Scott reported Region 2 will present Kathy Huber a special award. Finances are positive.

Region 3: Mr. Walterscheidt reported the region's grasshoppers are growing and their bank account is also.

Yule Tidings report: This report was presented by Mr. Dreesen. The income from advertising is down but on the way back up, while the cost of production is down.

New Business: President Gunia asked those candidates who had been interviewed by the search committee for Executive Secretary and their families to exit the room at this time. There were four candidates. Mr. Merket reported the committee's findings after interviewing the candidates the night previous. Mr. Dreesen made the motion to accept the search committee's report to retain Mr. Walterscheidt to serve as Executive Director. Seconded by Mr. Reaves. Motion carried. All of the candidates made exceptionally good presentations and the decision was difficult. The candidates were asked to come back in the room and the announcement of the committee's choice was made.

Mr. Dreesen introduced Dr. Tom Byram who is responsible for handling The Forest Service's (TFS) tree improvement program founded in 1979. He reported the TFS was working in College Station to improve the genetics of Christmas trees. Then he explained the process of testing genetics and improving the families of Virginia Pine and announced this winter the TFS was testing 36 out of 134 parents. This process identifies the best characteristics of parent trees and is a benefit to all Virginia Pine growers. This is the research program TCTGA funds annually with $3,000 expenditure.

Nominating Committee report: Mr. Jones was nominated to be Vice President and will be presented to the members at the annual business meeting for vote.

President Gunia presented Service Awards to all of the Board of Directors.

Mr. Dreesen and Mrs. Scott presented a draft document of guidelines and timelines to prepare a convention. (See Exhibit J)

Legislative Committee report: Guidelines for government money available for specialty caps was presented by Mr. Walterscheidt. (See Exhibit K)

The next meeting was scheduled for January 26 at 9 a.m. at Mr. Walterscheidt's house. Lunch will be served.

Mr. Wilson announced Jackie and Debbie Merket will be presenting a Christmas tree for the President at Camp David.

An announcement concerning Mr. Verley Spell: He is in the ICU and the prayers of the members for his recovery were made.

Discussion ensued regarding the Christmas tree delivery to Washington. If sufficient funds are not collected during the designated portion of the auction, each region should vote in their respective meetings Saturday morning to fund this with a $700 one-year donation.

Mr. Dreesen made the motion to adjourn at 12:10 p.m. Seconded by Mrs. McNew. Meeting adjourned.

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NATIONAL NEWS

NCTA President Heater Speaks at Convention

Members attending the 2001 Convention had a great treat in getting to meet and hear Jim Heater, Immediate Past President of the NCTA. In his remarks, Heater lauded the work that Burl Hollingsworth did as Treasurer for the NCTA when he served on the board and thanked Beth Walterscheidt for her dedication and experience in getting the Christmas tree education program out to teachers nationwide at meetings and on the Internet. He reported that there are 32-35 million trees produced and sold domestically each year and another 8 million are exported. We are in a $750 million dollar / year industry that focuses on the number one holiday in all the world and no other agricultural industry does. He quipped that you'll probably never have a wheat farmer in Kansas, who gets a thank you note from some child who just had a bowl of Wheaties. Heater also stated that, "We are the last of the truly independent agricultural producers." We have no subsidies, no allotments and no price supports. Marketing studies he reported that NCTA had commissioned revealed that 1) focus group results showed that 93% of those responding would get real trees if their kids asked them to. (Think the tours are worth it?) 2) 65% thought artificial trees are better for the environment. 3) When asked why those who had used real trees changed to artificial, most said because of the mess and hassle. (See the article following from Rick Dungee on theRecycling in the 21st Century.) Heater also acknowledged the work of Ellis Schidt who has been working with the Fire Marshals to get real trees back in public buildings and has made great progress. Mainly, it was a privilege to listen to the man from Sublimity, Oregon talk about the honor and honesty of producing a crop that contributes to so many American families enjoying the Christmas season.

Recycling in the 21st Century
by Rick Dungey

You don't have to be a tree-hugger to understand that being pro-environment is the right thing to be in mainstream America. The National Christmas Tree Association's (NCTA) own consumer research shows that people who celebrate the Holidays with a Real Tree are concerned about what to do with the trees after Christmas.

NCTA has for years been promoting the recycling of Real Trees. Recycling is the best connector between a product and the environment. Consumers today are perfectly happy to have different colored containers in their kitchens or garages to sort, store and distribute materials that can be recycled. As long as it is convenient to do so, consumers are willing to do the environmentally- friendly thing.

How does this phenomenon affect our industry? For the past several years we have made efforts to convince consumers, through local and national PR efforts, that a Real Tree is better for the environment than an artificial one. We have used recycling messages, as well as messages about tree farms creating oxygen and wildlife habitat, preventing soil erosion, being a renewable resource, etc. noble and worthy effort? Sure. But it hasn't achieved the results we had hoped it would. In the 2000 consumer poll conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide, 75% of artificial tree users reported that using a fake tree was better for the environment than using a Real Tree. Even more discouraging is that 51% of Real Tree users reported that a fake tree was better for the environment! Thats right, even our own customers don't know they are doing the environmentally-friendly thing. The good news is that we can use the best connector between a product and the environment B recycling B as the message that changes the environmental perception of consumers about Christmas Trees. Of the Real Tree buyers in 2000 that did say a Real Tree is better for the environment, 36% said the reason why is it is recyclable. Fake tree users were even more aware of this aspect...46% of the fake tree users who said a Real Tree is better for the environment said it is because it's recyclable. The key to our efforts in the future will be to tie the recycling messages into messages that address the other big inhibitor to Real Tree use -- convenience. Artificial tree is more convenient is the most common (42%) answer given to the question, Why did you not have a Real Tree? Have any of your customers ever uttered the words, AI wish I knew what to do with the tree after Christmas? NCTA has partnered with a quality organization that will help us address this issue and promote to consumers a CONVENIENT way to RECYCLE their Real Tree after the Holidays. Those two words are all in capital letters on purpose because everyone in this industry needs to get used to using them together in sentences. The organization is called EARTHs 911.

They are a public/private partnership company that provides a free public service for the nation, consolidating environmental resources such as local recycling sites and pollution prevention into one user-friendly network helping the public to protect our environment. Consumers can access local recycling information by typing their zip code in at NCTA's website www.realchristmastrees.org or at the EARTHs 911 website www.cleanup.org, or they can call 1-800-CLEANUP. EARTHs 911 is basically, among other services, a clearinghouse@ of recycling information (locations, contacts, dates, etc.) for all kinds of materials from used motor oil to Real Christmas Trees. EARTH=s 911 will have a button/option specifically for recycling Real Christmas Trees on their website for three months beginning at the end of November. In addition, they are providing the same zip code locator for use on NCTA=s website. NCTA=s responsibilities are to encourage Christmas Tree growers and retailers to submit their local tree recycling info to EARTH=s 911 and then to promote the convenient service to the general public. EARTHs 911 has provided an instruction flier, data form and ready-to-copy tree tags for NCTA to put into the Media Kit this Fall. This succeeds in making recycling more convenient which Wirthlin Worldwide recommends we do and promote. EARTHs 911 will also create Public Service Announcements to share with their state agency partners to distribute to television and radio stations throughout the country. Private Sector Partners support Earth's 911 through promotional outreach as well as with their technological and financial resources. The Private Sector Partners include AT&T, British Petroleum, The Home Depot and Microsoft. The National Christmas Tree Association is now one of its Non-profit Partners. Lisa Devoe, Director of Marketing for EARTHs 911, expressed enthusiasm about the new partnership, There are some very exciting things that are happening, including great promotions surrounding the Christmas Tree Recycling Campaigns with all of the Christmas Tree growers and retailers submitting their local tree recycling info, as well as our network of city recycling leaders, we can continue to grow and promote this fantastic resource for consumers to find the most convenient place to recycle their Real Christmas Tree,said Devoe. Lisa reported that the database of local recycling info now has just over 1,600 drop-off points and pick-up programs. It is important to build up this database so that consumers are very likely to find information about where to recycle their Christmas Tree when they do a search.

HOW TO HELP
NCTA's Media Kit will be mailed to all NCTA members, members of all Tree Industry Partnership (TIP) Associations and all contributors to NCTA's RealTree Promotion Program in late September. When you get yours,
1) Fill out the form in the media kit and submit your local Real Tree recycling info to EARTH=s 911.
2) Encourage other members of your local Christmas Tree Association to submit info about their community's tree recycling programs.
3) Become familiar with the zip code search tool at both www.realchristmastrees.org and www.cleanup.org websites so you can tell your customers about it.
4) Look at the tree tags with the recycling info on them that are included in the media kit and either copy the camera-ready tags or order vinyl tags like the sample from LBJ Printing. As a bonus, LBJ Printing will donate 20% of your purchase price back to NCTAs RealTree Promotion Program to help promote Real Christmas Trees.
5) Practice working this convenient new way for consumers to find local recycling information into your talking points during interviews.
6) Remind your customers how convenient it is to recycle their Real Christmas Tree with EARTHs 911.

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Have you ever gone to a store, expecting it to be open and then found out it was closed? Well, it happened last year to a very unhappy Christmas tree customer. He claimed that the activities advertised on the web site were not available at several farms visited and one farm was even closed when he did decide to return and buy his tree. This customer even took the time to send us an email detailing his frustrating experience in getting a real Texas tree. I have no doubts that we lost him to an artificial tree. Obviously, we cannot sell trees if we are out of trees. However, we can let customers know we are "closed for the season" and not when they show up at the gate.

Your TCTGA web site has a message board. If you close early, you can post a "closed for the season" message on the message board for all to see. (Be sure to include your farm name in the message.) How do I post a "closed for the season" message? Just go to the web site and click on message board. After that, it is all a matter of following the very clear and simple instructions. If you do not have a computer with internet access, visit your local library. Most librarians will show you the marvels of the internet and may even help you post this message. If you have problems, please call or send an email jollyelf@texas.net) to Ann Aldridge. I am sure not all who visit our web site will read the message board and we may still get complaints. However, the web site committee can at least sooth the customer by advising that the farm was closed for the season with notice posted in the web site message board. If your farm is the culprit and we do not find a "closed for the season" message, we will forward the complaint to you for your prompt and courteous handling with a very mad customer!

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Cercospora ( same as Cercosporidium and Asperisporium) needle blight on Leyland Cypress causes severe defoliation, beginning at the base of the tree and progressing upward. The disease was first observed on Leylands grown for Christmas trees 3-4 years ago. In Texas it was first reported in the fall of 1998 following heavy rain events. Here is much to be learned about the epidemiology of this disease. Knowing what conditions enhance or trigger disease development will help us devise economical spray schedules for control. Cercospora develops rapidly once symptoms are visible. Quick action is necessary to prevent damage. Preventive fungicide applications are an ideal approach to control, but knowing when to use them most effectively has to be worked out. The fungus does not appear to be active in the spring. Needle loss has been observed most often about late summer or early fall, depending on rainfall. However, the fungus is likely active early in the season and it may be proven that regular, but extended interval applications will prevent losses. Current control recommendations are based on regional observations and our knowledge of how most fungal needle diseases progress. There is no agreement at this tie between states as to a specific approach for control, but as more research is done there will eventually be specific control strategies. Work done in Louisiana and Georgia show chemical control will work. Now we have to determine how to use fungicides most effectively and economically. Questions to answer are: 1) Which fungicides work best? 2) When is the fungus most active? Can we predict an outbreak? And 3) Do cultural practices impact disease development? Two Agood news@ items. First, Cercospora is the only major disease on Leyland grown for Christmas trees, although there are numerous other potential diseases. Secondly, trees can recover from severe damage.

Cultural Practices to Help Control Cercospora Blight

1. Don't crowd trees
2. Maintain good weed control
3. Prune low branches
4. Shear/prune during dry weather
5. Apply a fungicide after shearing -other disease fungi can infect wounds.

Chemical Treatment

1. Concentrate spray solution on the lower 2 of tree.
2. Generate enough pressure and or spray volume to penetrate the canopy. The infection begins internally in the lower canopy.
3. Don=t overuse same product. Refer to resistance management sections on fungicide labels.
4. Use a surfactant if product label suggests one.
5. Fungicide options:
Chemical with Approximate Rate

Copper (Kocide, Nu-Cop)-- 1 lb/100
Chlorothalonil (Daconil)-- 1.5 lb or 3 pts/100 gal
Mancozeb (Dithane DF, Protect)-- 1.5 lb/100 gal
thiophanate methyl (Clearys 3336F)-- 10-20 fl oz/100 gal
Azoxystrobin (Heritage, Quadris)-- Heritage 4 oz/100 gal, Quadris 10 fl oz/100 gal
Trifloxystrobin (Compass)-- 2-4 oz/100 gal
propiconazole (Banner Maxx)-- 8 fl 0z/100g gal
Myclobutanil (Systane, Eagle)-- 4 oz/100 gal
triadimefon (Strike)-- 4 oz/100 gal

Treatment Options and Considerations

1. Spray fungicides all season on 14 day interval B not a practical option.
2. Start treatments in early to mid August - later if dry ( or as early as June).
3. Watch for first symptoms of disease and then start treatment (risky if you have had the problem).
4. Make a few 2-4) applications late spring - early summer then wait until late summer for additional treatments.
5. Apply preventive treatments on trees for sale in current year. Start treatment on younger trees if disease develops.

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This test was funded by Rohm and Haas Company, and was conducted on Virginia pine trees grown for Christmas trees in Gregg Co. Texas. Both Confirm and Address are products of this company. The active ingredient in Confirm is tebufenozide. This product mimics the action of the insects > natural hormones and disrupts the molting process. The active ingredient in Address is acephate.

Methods: Two tests were conducted; one on two year old trees and one on four year old trees. The test in the two year old trees was \replicated four times with 100 trees per treatment. The test in the four year old trees was not replicated and there were approximately 44 trees per treatment. The treatments were Confirm 2F, Address 75 SP and an untreated check plot. Confirm was used at 2 oz, 4 oz and 8 oz per 100 gallons of water. Address was used a 1 ob per 100 gallons of water. Latron B-1956, Rohm and Haas= spreader sticker was used at the rate of 16 oz per 100 gallons with each treatment. The sprays were applied using a hydraulic sprayer and a hand gun. Six sticky traps baited with NPTM pheromone were set up within the treatment or in nearby fields to monitor the tip moth adult populations. Treatments were made based upon the number of tip moths caught in the traps. Trapping was initiated the last week of May. Data was taken by examining 20 tips on five trees in each sub plot for damage.

Results: Table 1 shows the trap catches before and during the test. By the time the test was conducted, a generation of tip moths had already completed a cycle Treatment were applied on June 7, July 13 (Address only), July 19 and August 2. It was decided to treat the Address plot again on July 13 because of the degree of damage shown in Table 2 for that date. The rating on July 13 coincided with the treatment for the current infestation. The damage was from larvae that hatched from the flight in mid June. In retrospect, the treatment of Address on July 13 probably did little good. On July 13, the data in Table 2 shows that all rates of Confirm gave excellent results. The only damage in the Confirm treatment was in the 2 oz rate wit the data showing 1.75% of the tips infested. Address had 18.5% (two year old) and 10% (four year old) o tips infested in the respective tests. The untreated plots had 52% and 38% infested tips in the respective tests. The rating on August 24 (Table 3) showed similar results. Only one damaged tip was found in the 2 oz rate of Confirm. Address showed much better results on this rating date with 2.5% infestation in the two year old test. There was no damage in the four year old test plot treated with Address. The untreated plots were heavily damaged again, with 51% damage in the two year old trees (Table 2) and 13% damage in the four year old trees (Table 3).

Discussion: Confirm 2F shows great promise in controlling the NPTM in pines grown for Christmas trees. It is cost effective when compared to Address or Orthene (Table 4). The benefit of this product is that it has very little effect on beneficial arthropods (insects). Confirm is specific for lepidopterous insects (worms and caterpillars). On the other hand, it will not control the aphids or scale insects.

Table 1. Ave.# NPTM caught in 6 pheromone traps and Treatment dates, Gregg Co. TX, 2000

Table 2. Treatments rates &dates of rating of % NPTM damage to 2 yr.old Va. Pine, Gregg Co.TX,2000. Rating dates and % infested tips

Table 3. Treatments, rates and dates of rating of % NPTM damage to 4 yr.old Va.Pine, Gregg Co.TX,2000. Rating dates&% infested tips.

Table 4.Chemical rates&costs of spraying Christmas trees with varying rates of Confirm 2F and Address 75SP,2000.
Costs of finished spray/tree

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