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Dear Wisconsin nurseries, Christmas tree growers, and gardeners:
There are only a few days remaining to renew your nursery license without paying a late fee, so don't delay!
Take a moment to read through a few updates and season summaries from the DATCP nursery and Christmas tree programs. Please send any feedback, questions, or ideas for future e-news updates to datcpnursery@wisconsin.gov.
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 Red Star Rust on crabapple found during a nursery inspection | DATCP M. Wensing
The Nursery Program licensed 610 nursery growers and 1,237 retailers in 2022, with staff inspecting 488 (57%) growing field locations and 617 (25%) retail locations statewide. Nursery inspections typically begin in mid-April and continue through September. Annual inspections are prioritized for out-of-state shippers and those holding a Plant Health Certificate (PHC). 116 PHCs were issued for the out-of-state movement of Wisconsin nursery stock.
In 2022, nursery inspectors were finally able to abandon triplicate paper forms and transition to the digital, GIS-based, Survey123 app. Inspection reports were typically emailed to license holders within 24 hours of the inspection being submitted and both inspectors and licensees are happy with the adoption of this new technology. The top 10 concerns found on nursery stock during inspections are in the table below.
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To increase awareness and educate other states on Wisconsin plant regulations, staff sent out 15 Rejection Notices to 7 states for unwanted invasive plants, viruses and scale insects. Nursery inspectors continue to educate and enforce the Department of Natural Resources’ Invasive Species Rule (NR 40) in nurseries. 84 incidents of NR 40 plants were found being offered for sale, or in the landscape, at 56 unique nursery locations—up from 37 incidents at 29 locations in 2021. Inspectors issued orders for the invasive plants to be either removed from sale and destroyed or returned to the supplier. 66 Compliance documents were issued by inspectors for NR 40 issues, licensing violations or other regulatory pest/disease problems.
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Over the winter months, we are diving into the different compliance agreements you may need depending on your nursery operation. A compliance agreement is a written agreement between a person engaged in growing, handling, or moving regulated articles (plants and plant parts) and a governmental agency to facilitate the movement of such articles. Compliance agreements outline what requirements must be met dependent on the origin of the articles and the destination. Federally regulated plant pests and diseases require a compliance agreement with USDA-APHIS, all other agreements are with WDATCP. Compliance agreements are valid for one year and must be renewed annually, as needed. There is no fee to enter into a compliance agreement.
Review Japanese Beetle compliance agreements in the December WGO.
Review Spongy Moth compliance agreements in the January WGO.
Black Stem Rust/Barberry Compliance Agreements
If you ship barberry (Berberis sp.) plants out of the state of WI, you are likely required to have a black stem rust (BSR) compliance agreement that ensures you meet the requirements of the federal Black Stem Rust Quarantine under 7 CFR 301.38.
Black stem rust (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici) used to be one of the most feared diseases of wheat and other cereal crops in the world. The disease requires two plants to complete its lifecycle: in North America those are wheat (or barley) and barberry (including Mahonia or Mahoberberis).
In the past, barberry was commonly planted as a hedge near cereal production fields, which led to disease epidemics. Since the 1950’s, BSR has not been as damaging due to the development of disease-resistant cultivars. However, due to the possibility of genetic recombination and the development of new pathogen races the threat of disease outbreaks still looms.
If left unregulated, we could see disease outbreaks that severely damage the nation’s wheat crops. If susceptible barberry varieties (also Mahonia and Mahoberberis plants) are moved around as nursery stock, the disease could spread long distances and infect cereal production fields in the area.
A BSR compliance agreement ensures that you are only buying and shipping disease-resistant varieties of barberry out of WI, and that all barberry nursery stock is labeled with the correct species and horticulture variety. Each year it is important that you check your barberry inventory and production to make sure you only have rust-resistant cultivars.
You can check USDA’s list of rust-resistant varieties (updated regularly as new varieties are developed) on our website. If you think you need a BSR/barberry compliance agreement, please contact USDA APHIS PPQ- WI staff.
-Contributing author Ellen Natzke, USDA-APHIS-PPQ
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TREE (Tree Research and Education Endowment) Fund offers a series of free webinars to those interested in tree care issues. TREE Fund webinars bring you the latest in tree research, directly from the scientists themselves. The webinars are usually offered every other month but the schedule for 2023 has not been released yet.
TREE Fund’s one-hour webinars are free and offer 1.0 CEU (only for live broadcast) from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), the Society of American Foresters (SAF), the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) and sometimes the Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System (LACES). See webinar descriptions for specifics. Space is limited and pre-registration is highly recommended. Registrants will receive an email reminder the day before the broadcast.
-Contributing author Jeff Edgar, Silver Creek Nurseries
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Christmas tree inspections began September 1st. In addition to Christmas trees, staff inspect fence rows and wood lots adjacent to fields for evidence of Spongy Moth (Lymantria dispar) egg masses. Christmas tree growers that plan to ship trees interstate and/or request a Plant Health Certificate are the focus of high priority inspections. This past fall, 196 growers and 519 fields were inspected. Of the 519 fields inspected, 23 fields had spongy moth egg masses in or around Christmas tree stock. (Left image shows a Spongy Moth egg mass on a Fraser Fir Christmas tree)
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Table 1. above shows the top 10 issues found during Christmas tree inspections.
Christmas tree lot inspections are conducted from mid-November till Christmas, after field inspections. Inspectors survey for pests and diseases, ensure trees are free from regulated pests and Christmas tree growers selling trees have the appropriate license with DATCP. In 2022, 67 lots were inspected. Four unlicensed growers were identified; three of the four got a license, one was under the minimum threshold and not required to obtain a license. Elongate Hemlock Scale (EHS) was detected at 8 locations. Pest Abatement Orders were issued at four locations after lab samples confirmed live EHS life stages were present. Release orders were issued at four locations after lab samples determined live scales were not present.
In 2022, the program continued to utilize mobile apps when completing inspection reports. This has greatly reduced time between completing the inspection report and growers receiving their results. If you would like to receive an inspection report via email, include an email address on the license renewal or let your inspector know.
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Nursery and Christmas tree licenses for this growing season (LY2023) will expire on February 20, 2023. Expiration notices to renew your license for the next growing season (LY2024) were emailed out to current license holders the week of November 7th. Paper notices were mailed out at the end of November. Please let us know of any email, or address changes since your last renewal. License renewals can be completed online by using MyDATCP portal. If you need assistance getting into your account, you can email us at datcpnursery@wisconsin.gov or call us at (608) 224-4574.
Please let us know if you are no longer in business so that we may close your license. This avoids any enforcement actions, which will occur for entities who fail to contact us or renew by the February 20, 2023 deadline.
Watch the short video tutorial to walk you through the online renewal process. Or for more information, visit the Nursery and Christmas tree licensing webpage, email DATCPnursery@wi.gov or call (608) 224-4574.
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