INVASIVE SPECIES ALERT
Be on the lookout for these invasive species!
Harmful Algal Blooms
HAND PULLING WATER CHESTNUTS
Water Chestnuts (T. natans) are a non-native invasive species which originated from Europe, Asia and Africa. Released into the Northeast United States in the mid to late 1800s; water chestnuts are thought to have first been introduced in Massachusetts. By the 1950s the plant had made its way into the Great Lakes Basin. The Water Chestnut grows in slow moving water bodies and in water depths up to 16’. The plants are annuals that can release upwards of 15-20 seeds per year and quickly multiply into a large infestation. Floating seeds will not germinate, but green to greenish brown seeds will sink to the sediment and germinate. The seeds can remain viable for up to 12 years in the sediment which results in the need for repeated annual harvest for 5-12 years to control and eradicate the population. As for biological control, parasites control the population in Europe, Asia, and Africa but a leaf beetle (Galerucella birmanica) had been studied for control in the US by Cornell from 2002-2005. Water chestnuts can cause many problems for boaters, swimmers, and the ecosystem. The dense, thick mats of vegetation create a hazard for boats driving through. The spiny, sharp seeds can wash up on beaches where people may step on them. The mats of vegetation decrease light below water surface for other plants, thus choking out native aquatic plant species and causing a reduction in waterfowl food. At the end of the growing year, the dying water chestnuts fall to the bottom of the water body and decay. This decaying causes decreased oxygen levels for fish. For the summer of 2021, the OCSWCD water chestnut crew removed approximately 45,740 pounds of plants primarily from the Seneca River, along with some from the Oneida and Oswego Rivers, and Onondaga Creek. Additionally, the crew received reports of a patch of water chestnuts on the Jamesville Reservoir, but was unable to immediately remove it due to its proximity to a wetland. The crew then applied for and obtained a permit from the DEC to remove them which will be valid for 5 years. This was the second year of hand pulling utilizing a Jon Boat, which allowed for more efficient navigating of the river, loading, and unloading. The crew filled recycling bins with plants, and dumped them into the bed of the truck where we would scatter them on local farm fields. This year, a brand new conveyer belt attachment for the bed of the truck made dumping much faster and easier. The crew revisited patches that we had previously pulled, and unfortunately in many cases the patches had returned to almost full size. This may be due to high water levels in the beginning of the season obstructing full removal of each plant, allowing for resprouting. The OCSWCD chestnut crew was happy to have the opportunity to participate in a community pull alongside the Eno Point Camper’s Association on Cross Lake. This community pull had a huge turnout of twenty three volunteers, all of whom were extremely hardworking and enthusiastic about the project. We had coordinated with a local farmer to scatter the excess plants on his recently harvested wheat field. Beneficially reusing the plants on a farm ensures that the nutrients in the water chestnuts are recycled and reused in a productive manner rather than being wasted in a landfill. Soil samples have been taken to find a quantitative value on nutrient levels gained from the chestnuts. We had two OCSWCD trucks transporting loads of chestnuts to the farm, and volunteers worked so efficiently that we had trouble keeping up. In total, fourteen truckloads, each weighing 1,000 to 2,000 pounds were pulled from the river and brought to the field. The OCSWCD is incredibly grateful for the hard work put in from the volunteers at Eno Point. They were some of the most hardworking and enthusiastic groups of volunteers that the District has ever worked with. It was calculated that volunteers contributed $4,851 worth of in-kind labor that day! It is also important to note that the crew returned to Eno Point a few days after the pull for a press release where County Executive Ryan McMahon announced that he will be allocating 50,000 dollars in addition to the current funding to address the water chestnut issue. This will primarily go towards labor hours, new equipment, and mechanical harvesting. Another noticeable experience was the ability to work with the harvesters of CNY Aquatic Harvesting. This company is contracted by the OCSWCD, working tirelessly to remove the chestnuts from the waterways. The two-man crew worked to remove thousands of pounds of water chestnuts every day. When the hand pulling crew teamed up with the aquatic harvesters, they were able to hand pull near the shores where it was too shallow for the machine, and dump directly onto the boat. This benefited both the hand pulling crew rendering us more efficient picking up to 110 bins per day, and the mechanical harvesters as we could get plants that were out of reach of the harvester. This season proved to be extra difficult due to adverse weather conditions. Frequent rain and thunderstorms caused safety hazards such as lightning and stronger than normal currents. The hand pulling crew found safety in working along the slow moving eddies in the river, however the mechanical harvester was unable to work in some cases as the current was moving faster than the boat. Overall, the crew is happy with the amount of chestnuts that they were able to remove despite the storms and high currents. The mechanical harvesting crew is still currently working seven days a week to remove chestnuts. They continue to overcome obstacles such as Cooper’s Marina boat launch being shut down due to currents caused by a 200-year storm event in August. We would like to thank all landowners and marinas who allowed us to launch from their property. We would also like to thank all parties involved for the many contributions that they made to the success of this program! 
2021 Chestnut Crew
Thanks to the efforts of this amazing crew, 30,000lbs of Water chestnuts were harvested by hand from 20 miles of river in 2021! HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGID
 White clusters of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid cover this hemlock tree.
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) has been in NYS since 1985. Its origin in the eastern US are likely from Japan. Hemlock Woolly Adelgid attacks eastern hemlock in NYS. The Adelgid uses long mouth parts to extract sap and nutrients from hemlock foliage. This prevents continued growth causing needles to discolor (from deep green to grayish green), then to drop prematurely. The loss of new shoots and needles causes decline and death of affected trees within 4 to 10 years. Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is unusual in that all individuals are female with asexual reproduction. The Adelgid completes two generations a year. The winter generation produces up to 300 eggs and the spring generation produces up to 75 eggs. Hemlock Woolly Adelgid enters a period of dormancy during hot summer months. The biggest concern for the Skaneateles Lake Watershed is that hemlock provides protection of streambeds/banks from erosion. Hemlocks are also highly valued for lumber and ornamentals such as Christmas trees. And, they provide food and shelter for wildlife, especially deer. The good news is that HWA is still “A Pest We CAN Manage!” To learn more, please go to the insect section and find Hemlock Woolly Adelgid at www.nyis.info. HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGID WORK 2021 OCSWCD treated 616 trees across Cayuga, Cortland, Onondaga, and Oswego counties in 2021. In total, 7,359 DBH inches of trees were treated with a basal bark spray treatment to protect the trees from hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). Most sites were treated with both dinotefuran and imidacloprid by spraying the bark from 4.5’ off the ground to just above the soil line. Treatment must occur at least 24 hours from a rain event which proved difficult towards the end of the summer and into the fall. Majority of the treatment was paid for by a USFS GLRI grant to treat and scout in the Skaneateles and Otisco Lake watersheds. OCSWCD treated at Beaver Lake Nature Center using Part C funding to offset the cost to the nature center. 
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EMERALD ASH BORERPROJECT
In response to the presence of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), Onondaga County has partnered with the District to implement the Onondaga County Ash Tree Management Strategy. In 2021, the District removed 2,490 ash trees from County rights-of-ways, parks, and other properties and 70 stumps have been ground. These cut locations included the Town of Pompey, Highland Forest, and Onondaga Lake Park. To date, a total of 18,792 ash trees have been removed that were a risk to public safety.
High-function and high-value ash trees throughout the County are treated with systemic insecticides for Onondaga County and the Town of DeWitt. Trees are on a 2-3 year treatment cycle with a total of 655 trees (7,043 inches) treated in total. 206 County trees and 145 Town of DeWitt trees were treated in 2021. The District replants non-ash, non-host trees in County parks to replace ash trees removed due to EAB. With assistance from state and federal grants, the District has planted 2,522 trees to date under the County’s ash tree program. This year trees were planted by District staff and Onondaga Earth Corps at Pratt’s Falls County Parks. A total of 67 trees were planted utilizing County funding. A community tree planting event was held in October where 31 volunteers planted a total of 50 trees at Pratt’s Falls. The District was awarded a USFS GLRI grant titled “Mitigating the Impacts of EAB in Onondaga County” where the District will plant 200 1”-2” caliper trees on Park property and 100 trees throughout the Town of Cicero, Town of Clay, and Town of Marcellus from 2022-2023. Another funding source for tree planting was secured from the Arbor Day Foundation to plant 11.5 acres of seedlings across the county to mitigate the impacts of urbanization and invasive species. Lastly, the District fielded 15 technical assistance requests relating to EAB in 2021. If you have an ash tree on your property there is a chance it is infested with EAB or will be soon. Even if the tree appears to be alive, it can take several years for a tree to show signs of the infestation. You may begin to see tree crowns become smaller, less dense, and branching density move towards the trunk of the tree. It is safer to be proactive with your options (removal or preservation) than to let the tree die naturally. As the tree dies, it becomes weak which can pose a safety concern for the landowner, public, and the tree removal contractor. Contact an ISA Arborist or NYS certified pesticide applicator in your area to go over options for your tree(s). 
Look how it has grown! This is a picture of a redbud tree planted at Pratt's Falls in 2020.
EMERALD ASH BORER ON YOUR FARM
The Emerald Ash Borer was confirmed in Onondaga County on July 22, 2013. This is not surprising, as the insect has been detected in 13 counties in New York State, 19 states in the United States, and two additional provinces in Canada.
This non-native boring insect from Asia attacks all ash trees. In May the insect emerges from the bark of ash trees through “D”-shaped exit holes that they created by eating their way out of the tree. In June the adult ash borers feed on leaves of the ash trees. In July the Borers mate; a single female can lay 90 to 200 eggs in the cracks of ash tree bark, which will hatch in approximately three weeks. The larvae then eat their way into the cambium layer of the tree (just under the bark) where they spend one to two years consuming the nutrients that are being translocated between the inner bark and the woody stem of the tree. Upon emergence of the beetle, the entire life cycle of borers starts over. The constant eating on the ash trees will weaken and kill the trees within three to five years. Contacts in mid-western States such as Michigan tell us that a wind speed of 30 mph, which is a very common occurrence here in central NY, will cause these ash trees to break apart and rain down dangerously sized pieces of tree that can hit targets. These targets can be: farm employees in the field or lawn, farm machinery, and barns and outbuildings. It is also possible for pieces of ash trees to have fallen and be hidden in the crops that are being harvested, potentially damaging machinery. Currently, there are only two methods of treatment for ash trees include 1) cutting to completely remove the threat of hazard or 2) inoculation of the ash trees with pesticides. Please take a look at the trees in your hedgerows, around your farmstead, and your access roads. If you have a question about the species of trees growing on your property, or would like more information about EAB, please contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District, USDA NRCS, and/or Cornell Cooperative Extension office. | ||||
