Carol Kwan
Author's posts
Sep 08
June 2013 Pest of the Month
Acacia Psyllid – Psylla uncatoides Hosts: Acacia koa, Acacia koaia Distribution: Originates in southeast Australia. Also found in New Zealand, California, and Hawaii. Damage: Feeds primarily on the young terminal growth. Heavy infestations can severely defoliate and kill twigs and branches. Control: A biological control, Harmonia conformis, was successfully established in Hawaii in the 1970s. …
Sep 08
May 2013 Pest of the Month
Gliocladium blight – Pink Rot of Palms Pathogen: Gliocladium vermoeseni (fungus) (recently renamed Nalanthamala vermoeseni). Hosts: Chamaedorea spp, Dypsis spp. (Areca palms, etc.), date palm, queen palm, Mexican fan palm, others. Symptoms: Invasive rot of buds, petioles, leaf blades, and trunks/stems, dark brown necrotic areas near the base of the stem, gummy exudates, premature death …
Sep 05
April 2013 Pest of the Month
Boron Deficiency Hosts: Palms Symptoms Twists or bends in the stems, failure of apical meristems to fully open and expand, and leaf wrinkling or crumpling known as “accordion leaf”. There may be chlorosis in young leaves, shortening of terminal internodes, or “scorched” leaf tips. Fruits may abort prematurely due to functional failure of pollen tubes. In certain …
Aug 27
Park Tree Vandalism
The City and County of Honolulu recently removed a monkeypod tree from Kipapa Park in Mililani. It had died due to vandalism. This is just one of many trees that have been vandalized recently. For TV coverage about the vandalism, click here. For more news about the vandalism, click here.
Aug 10
Jamilee Kempton finishes in top 10 at ITCC
Congratulations to Jamilee Kempton on her fine performance at the Internation Tree Climbing Championship. She finished 10th out of 20 competitors. Not bad for her first year competing! For detailed results, click here.
Jul 17
Landscapers’ Conference to be held on Kauai
The University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) and Kauai Community College’s Office of Continuing Education and Training (KCC OCET) will be holding a Landscapers’ Conference on August 6, 2013, at Kauai Community College. Participants can earn Pesticide Applicator CETs and LICT and Arborist CEUs. For more information and for the …
Jun 19
Jamilee Kempton wins the Women’s Division, WC TCC 2013
Jamilee Kempton, secretary of Aloha Arborist Association, won the Western Chapter International Society of Arboriculture (WCISA) Tree Climbing Championship Women’s Division which was held in Los Angeles, California the weekend of June 15-16, 2013. This was her first year competing. Jamilee will be representing WCISA at the International Tree Climbing Championship in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, …
Jun 07
HLICA to hold LICT (CLT) training on Oahu beginning June 2013
The Hawaii Landscape & Irrigation Contractors Association (HLICA) will be holding Landscape Industry Certified Technician (LICT) [previously known as CLT] training classes at the Urban Garden Center in Pearl City beginning in June 2013. For more information and for the registration form, click here.
May 24
KLIC plans Certified Tree Worker exam prep classes
Kauai Landscape Industry Council (KLIC), in cooperation with the Garden Island Resource Conservation & Development, Inc. and Kauai Community College, will be offering a series of classes in August 2013 designed to help students prepare for and pass their Certified Tree Worker exam. For more information, click here for the flyer
Apr 25
What Kills Tree Care DIY-ers?
A summary of 2012 fatal accidents to homeowners performing tree care. The Tree Care Industry Association reviewed 47 tree care accidents involving civilians reported in the media in 2012. Of these, 25 were fatal. The average age of the “tree care do-it-yourselfer (DIY-er)” victim was 58. In the fatal accidents, the average age was even …