Forestry Team hosts Tree Injection Workshop
As an accredited arboretum, the Park routinely teaches the forestry community and the general public about ways to maintain the remarkable tree collection. From digitally mapping individual trees to protecting some against disease, our team of certified arborists are leading experts in tree conservation.
In June, Tower Grove Park hosted another Missouri Community Forestry Council Tree Injection Workshop. Our Forestry Supervisor, Andy Berg, showed 20 attendees the Park’s method of injecting the elm tree to prevent devastating Dutch Elm Disease (DED).
“It was a great success and wonderful opportunity to uphold our duty as an arboretum to host educational classes related to tree care,” commented Berg, who has hosted similar workshops in the past.
The beautiful American Elm, known for a massive forest canopy, helps our team research the effects and prevention of DED. Discovered in the 1930s in the United States, DED killed a large percentage of the elm population by 1980. The disease is caused by the sac fungi (Ascomycota) and spreads by elm bark beetles. If not treated, the leaves turn yellow in the summer, branches begin to fall off, and eventually the roots die.
Fortunately, it’s a great opportunity for the Park’s Forestry Team to use best conservation practices to treat the elms, as well as to teach the public about the process. The workshop hosted the Missouri Botanical Garden, Bellefontaine Cemetery, Saint Louis Community College - Meramec, St. Louis County Parks, Great Rivers Greenway, and others. The class offered attendees continued education units (CEUs), which are necessary for arborists to obtain or retain their ISA Certified Arborist credentials.
