Issuu

Vol. X No. 6 Vol. XI No. 2

November/December March /April 2016 2017

Serving Soil, Mulch, Compost & Wood Pellet Producers www.SoilandMulchProducerNews.com

NEWS

Attention Readers !

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NC State University

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AgriCoatings – pg 23 Shredders, Grinders, Amerimulch – pg 8Chippers &BASF Screening Systems / Colorbiotics – pg 2 Amadas Industries – pg 20 Milagro – pg 21

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Solving Problems and Creating Opportunities for the Soil and Mulch Industry An overview of the activities and programs happening in the Horticultural Substrates Laboratory (HSL) at NC State University (NCSU)

By Dr. Brian E. Jackson and Dr. Bill Fonteno

Past and Ongoing Endeavors

or more than 35 years, the Horticultural Substrates Laboratory (HSL) at NC State University (NCSU) has worked with the mulch and soil industry, solving problems in manufacturing, quality control, soil formulations, component substitutions, aging and composting in bagged and bulked products. The purpose of our research and teaching program here at NCSU is two-fold: 1) to solve current problems for commercial growers and gardening consumers and 2) to create new opportunities in the mulch and soil industries. This work which started in the 1980’s has addressed specific issues such as bark aging and processing, finished product particle size and bulk density, improvement of air space in bagged and professional mixes while maintaining water holding capacity. We have also helped define the efficient use of new components like coconut and wood fiber, as well as, improve the design of plug trays for plant producers. Other advances have come in the way of developing

systems for soil manufacturers with multiple plant locations and/or co-packers to evaluate consistency of materials and products produced from each location over time. Through all of this we have worked with individual companies to develop programs tailored to their specific needs, focusing on testing initial inputs, formulation/ mixing issues and testing final products. For retail products, members of the HSL have provided research and consultation for over 20 years to the Mulch and Soil Council (MSC), the industry association of manufacturers of mulch and soil products. Over this time progress has been made to help develop testing protocols for a national quality assurance program run by the MSC. This included developing laboratory procedures and plant performance greenhouse testing for the industry. To that end, the HSL staff examines approximately 1,000 bags of finished product each year from around the country. Together with the MSC, national surveys of bagged retail products have been Continued on page 3

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NC State University: Solving Problems and Creating Opportunities Continued from page 1

conducted for 12 years which test the quality, consistency and performance of retail products off the shelf from box stores. Other work has included the consultation and advisement of product manufacturers to help them comply with demands from big-box stores and independent garden centers to lower costs while maintaining product quality and performance. To accomplish these and other tasks, several testing techniques needed to be modified and some new ones created to better analyze and characterize soil and mulch products. This involved improving our fundamental understanding of soil physics, soil chemistry, and soil microbiology to develop lab technologies and quality control procedures. This included tests for wettability, initial hydration, total porosity, air space and water holding capacities, heavy metal contamination (like arsenic, chromium, copper, etc.), phytotoxicity, water percolation and drainage, improved nondestructive methods for pH and soluble salt measurement, and improved non-destructive measurements for assessing and quantifying root growth of plants growing in containers and landscapes, etc. Through the process of modifying existing lab procedures and creating new ones, mathematical models that predict how a material (organic or inorganic) or mix/ substrate will perform in any size container from small plugs to 50 gallon pots was also developed. Solving problems and exploring new ventures and opportunities has taken us into over 40 countries spanning five continents since the year 2000 alone. Those experiences helped us to gain a broad and diverse global understanding of the soil/mulch industry and they helped shape our past, current, and future research objectives as we move forward in the years to come. The problems and the opportunities that currently face our industry are forever changing as is true with any other facet of the fast-paced horticultural world. With the adoption and utilization of new ideas and technologies we strive to continue working towards continued advancement, efficiency, and consistency of soil and mulch products

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various degrees of aging to determine material stability and usability. There are currently no enforceable regional/national/governmental guidelines, regulations, or standards that guide the bark/wood/mulch industry in regards to processing variables, pile/material handling, and product age management. With the breadth of an 18 month study currently underway we hope to quantify the effects of bark processing, handling, and aging in ways that have not been attempted before (and properly documented). A second major effort currently underway is taking aim at better understanding the role of organic material processing and particle characterization and assessment. As modern agriculture endeavors for precision and reproducibility, it is our goal for soils/substrates to be better understood so that we can better design them for specific purposes, crop needs, and longevity requirements. To better quantify the role of organic material particle shape and size, new technologies currently used in the fields of engineering and medicine are being evaluated for their potential use in substrate science. A Computer Particle Analyzer II by W.S. Tyler Group is capable of analyzing a material and providing a quantifiable 2-D characterization of each particle in a substrate. Advances in X-ray technology, software, and commercially available instruments have opened the door for the use of X-ray micro-tomography in substrate research, potentially providing unprecedented 3-D, in situ characterization of substrate particles, pore structure, and root architecture research. Work in these areas continues and will be released soon. Continued on page 4

PUBLICATION STAFF Publisher / Editor Rick Downing Contributing Editors / Writers H. Sterling Burnett • Bonner R. Cohen Dr. Bill Fonteno • Dr. Brian E. Jackson Sandy Woodthorpe Production & Layout Barb Fontanelle • Christine Pavelka Advertising Sales Rick Downing Subscription / Circulation Donna Downing Editorial, Circulation & Advertising Office 6075 Hopkins Road, Mentor, OH 44060 Ph: 440-257-6453 • Fax: 440-257-6459 Email: downassoc2@oh.rr.com Subscription information, call 440-257-6453. Soil & Mulch Producer News is published bimonthly by Downing & Associates. Reproductions or transmission in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher, is prohibited. Annual subscription rate U.S. is $19.95. Outside of the U.S. add $10.00 ($29.95). Contact our main office, or mail-in the subscription form with payment. ©

EQUIPMENT PRODUCT SHOWCASE

Current and Future Endeavors

he variability and extreme diversity of organic materials used across the U.S. in soil and mulch products is immense, and only growing larger. While much is known about the utilization of many traditional organic materials such as peat moss, there remains a great amount of uncertainty about the optimal use of many materials, including pine bark, composts, agricultural wastes, etc. To answer some concerns and product consistency issues about pine bark stability and maturity, the aim of some of our current research is to utilize traditional and novel methods to understand/ characterize pine bark and wood materials at

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NC State University Continued from page 3

Training of industry personnel has been and continues to be one of the key outreach activities of our lab but it is not the only group being schooled in “all things soil and substrates”. Being part of the academic community also involves the training of our future professionals….our students. From undergraduate students in two-year associate degree programs, four-year bachelorette programs, to graduate students in Master of Science degree programs, or PhD programs we embrace the opportunity to share our love and knowledge with any and all individuals who are interested in the technical, basic, or applied aspects of the soil and mulch industry. The training of graduate students has been an integral part of the history of the Horticultural Substrates Science Research Program and it continues to be the most important aspect of our lab. While there are many services that our lab provides to the horticulture industry, none are more important and valuable than the participation, training and collaboration of the excellent graduate students who have left their mark on our program. Substrate Science is an extremely diverse and broad area of horticultural science which allows many potential areas of research (applied and basic), and development. Graduate students in our program will often incorporate facets of (soil) chemistry, (soil) physics, mathematics/modeling, microbiology, nutrition, pathology, and engineering principles into their research projects. It is only through this comprehensive collaboration of many disciplines that substrate science is able to evolve, improve, and remain cutting-edge like all other aspects of the horticultural crop production! It is from the relationship and collaborative partnerships with the industry that we are able to financially support all activities in the lab, most importantly being the funding of our graduate students. Additional information and literature about the research, service, outreach, and teaching programs of the NCSU Hort Substrates Lab can be found on the website: https://projects.ncsu.edu/project/woodsubstrates/.

Plant growth trials of consumer and professional products provide valuable information on product performance, consistency and bag/product claims. This photo illustrates some of the undesirable soil qualities that such trials can expose/highlight providing data to companies to help them improve their products. About the authors: Dr. Brian E. Jackson is an Associate Professor and co-director of the Horticultural Substrates Laboratory in the Department of Horticultural Science at NC State University. Brian can be reached at Brian_Jackson@ncsu.edu. Bill Fonteno is a professor and co-founder/director of the Horticultural Substrates Laboratory at NC State University and can be reached at bill_fonteno@ncsu.edu.

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Turf Management Techniques Affect Soil Carbon, Nitrogen

tudy findings published this year in the Agronomy Journal show important benefits of turfgrass selection and management. Quincy Law and his team of researchers at Purdue University found that the amount of carbon deposited into the soil was affected by the species of grass and how it was mown. Specifically, tall fescue resulted in more soil carbon than Kentucky bluegrass. However, tall fescue required more frequent mowing. Both are common grasses used in lawns in the United States. “Soil is a nonrenewable resource that must be protected, which soil carbon helps to do,” Law wrote. “Soil carbon helps to bind soil particles and build soil structure. It also decreases the risk of runoff and erosion, and improves soil-water relations.” In addition, returning grass clippings increased both soil carbon and nitrogen compared to when clippings were collected. That’s because the decomposition process releases carbon and nitrogen. Law notes it is difficult to make specific recommendations on how to make a significant difference, however. To get more grass clippings, the grass has to be mowed more often, which can cause problems. Lawn mowers, like cars and trucks, produce their own carbon emissions and can offset some of the benefits of increased grass clippings. Improvements in mower efficiency and alternative fuel sources may help offset the mower emissions in the future, Law wrote. “By carefully selecting a grass and properly managing grass clippings, homeowners can increase the carbon sequestered in the soil,” he says. “While this will not single-handedly significantly reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, it is still helpful.” Law’s research shows that the carbon deposited by the grass more than offsets the carbon emitted from managing the lawn and helps to justify those emissions. It can be beneficial in that it allows a way for an individual to reduce his or her net carbon footprint.

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Minnesota Peat Mine Wins Wetlands Case Against Army Corps of Engineers By Bonner R. Cohen A federal judge in Minnesota ruled a peat mining company did not need a wetlands permit from the Army Corps of Engineers or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to expand its operations onto adjacent private property.

n a victory for private landowners, a federal judge in Minnesota ruled a peat mining company did not need a wetlands permit from the Army Corps or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to expand its operations onto adjacent private property. Attorneys for the plaintiff hailed the January 24 decision in the decade-long battle between Grand Forks, North Dakota-based Hawkes Company and the Army Corps as a significant victory for property-rights advocates, affirming the principle of judicial review and restricting the jurisdiction of the Corps over wetlands. “This decision is not reached lightly, as the Court is aware that peat mining can have a significant impact on the environment,” Judge Ann Montgomery of the U.S. District Court of Minnesota wrote in her opinion. The Corps’ determination a “significant nexus” existed between the wetlands in question and the Red River of the North was “arbitrary and capricious,” the judge determined.

Permission Denied

he case, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Company, Inc., et al., originated in rural Marshall County in northwest Minnesota. Family-owned-and-operated Hawkes collects and processes highquality peat for golf course greens and sports fields. Several years ago, to expand its production, Hawkes entered into a contract with two businesses that jointly owned a 150-acre property

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adjoining the Hawkes operation to mine peat. Before Hawkes or the two owners took any steps to develop the parcel, they requested a determination from the Army Corps whether the site would require a wetlands permit under the 1972 Clean Water Act (CWA) to be developed. Following a multiyear administrative process that included consultations with EPA, in 2012 the Army Corps issued a “jurisdictional determination” asserting regulatory authority over the property’s peat wetlands based on their “significant nexus” to the Red River of the North, which is located more than 100 miles away from the land Hawkes wished to mine.

Expensive Process

he Corps’ assertion of CWA jurisdiction over the site meant Hawkes, which had already received state permits for operations, would have to seek a federal permit to develop the property, a process that regularly takes several years and costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, with no assurance the permit would be granted. Hawkes appealed the Corps’ decision to the U.S. District Court of Minnesota, which dismissed the case, arguing the jurisdictional determination was not a final action subject to judicial review. Hawkes appealed the district court’s decision. The Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), which represented Hawkes, successfully argued in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals the Corps’ jurisdictional determination was subject to judicial review in federal court. In a unanimous decision in May 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Eighth Circuit’s decision ruling the case was ripe for judicial consideration and sent the case back to the Minnesota district court for a hearing on Continued on page 11

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Minnesota Peat Mine Wins Wetlands Case Against Army Corps of Engineers Continued from page 8 the merits. “The decision is vindication of the principle that federal agencies cannot be judge and jury of their own actions,” said James Burling, PLF’s director of litigation. “It is critically important that people have the right to go to court for a neutral decision on the legality of federal actions.”

‘Obvious Litigation Strategy’

ith the Supreme Court having e s t ab l i s h e d t h e p r i n c i p l e o f judicial review for Corps actions, Montgomery agreed with Hawkes the Army Corps had failed to present sufficient evidence showing a significant nexus between the wetlands in question and the distant Red River of the North. Montgomery, a Clinton appointee, found the Corps had based its determination on hypothetical surface flow rates while failing to identify any actual flow from the peat land to the river. In a further rebuke to the Army Corps, Montgomery rejected its request to have the case remanded back to the agency for further consideration, calling it a “transparently obvious litigation strategy.” “The [Army] Corps already had two opportunities to establish a significant physical, chemical or biological nexus between the wetlands and the Red River,” Montgomery wrote in her opinion. “Allowing the [Army] Corps a third bite at the apple would force the Plaintiffs back through a ‘never-ending loop.’”

Bonner R. Cohen, Ph.D. (bcohen@nationalcenter. org) is a senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research. This article was reprinted with permission from heartland.org, a product of The Heartland Institute (https://www.heartland. org/news-opinion/news/minnesota-peat-minewins-wetlands-case-against-army-corps-ofengineers).

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‘Abandoned the Rule of Law’

eed Hopper, senior attorney for PLF’s Northwest Center, who argued the case before the Supreme Court, says the final victory has far-reaching implications. “This was a well-earned victory for Hawkes, ending more than 10 years of conflict with heavy-handed federal regulators who abandoned the rule of law to advance their own values,” said Hopper. “Beyond the specific victory for Hawkes, however, the win is a victory for millions of landowners nationwide whose rights to challenge Army Corps wetland Jurisdictional Determinations in a court of law was vindicated and finally established as a matter of law for the first time in the history of the Clean Water Act.” Craig Rucker, executive director of the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, says the timing of the decision is significant. “ T h e r u l i n g c o m e s a s t h e Tr u m p administration appears on the verge of doing away with the Obama administration’s Waters of the United States rule, which, if left in place, would greatly expand federal regulatory authority over private land under the CWA,” said Rucker. “WOTUS would allow federal abuse of regulatory power on a scale even greater than what the peat miner had to endure.”

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Mayor Nixes $10 Million Food Waste Compost Project on the Big Island

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ounty of Hawaii, HI – In a news release published on Hawaii247.com, the Big Island’s Mayor Harry Kim has halted a proposed food waste composting operation deemed too costly and not advantageous to the County of Hawaii. The composting operation is one of a number of government expenditures the mayor has placed on the cutting block, according to HawaiiTribune-Herald.com articles. In late March, council members argued against Kim’s decision, then voted unanimously against a new three-year contract with Hawaiian Earth Recycling to extend the company’s green waste mulching services beyond June 30, when the current contract terminates. The contract with Hawaiian Earth Recycling that Kim terminated went into effect last July under a previous administration. The agreement called for minimum annual payments of $2.8 million to the company for its large-scale green waste composting operations, as well expertise in controlling two invasive species – ohi’a vines and fire ants. That amount would have increased to $4 million after the composting facility is complete, the article reports. Under the agreement, the company would be able to sell the compost while mulch would remain free for residents. The county would be responsible for collecting and distributing food waste, primarily from restaurants and hotels. But terminating the contract may turn out to be expensive, too. A termination clause provides for reimbursement of the company’s investment in the compost project. Hawaiian Earth Recycling’s Executive Director Mark Cummings is quoted in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald saying that he had purchased $1.2 million in equipment and spent a “pretty substantial” amount on development costs. In a letter to the county, the company said it could seek more than $4 million in reimbursements. Opposition to the food waste recycling project also came from residents near the Hilo landfill, close to where the proposed $10.3 million composting facility was to be built. In early April, Hawaii247.com posted a news release reporting that the state Department of Environmental Management (DEM) had pulled its Draft Environmental Assessment for the project. The County is now pursuing new locations and is in the process of renegotiating the composting contract to allow for alternate locations. In the meantime, Hawaiian Earth Recycling will continue to produce compost for East Hawaii and West Hawaii at its present location until June 30, 2017.

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President Proposes Dramatic Cuts to EPA By Bonner R. Cohen

resident Donald Trump is calling for far-reaching cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) budget, including eliminating EPA’s global-warming programs. In keeping with Trump’s campaign pledge to rein in federal regulations, the White House Office of Management & Budget’s (OMB) federal budget blueprint proposes substantial cuts in EPA’s budget. Under the OMB plan put forward in early March, EPA’s budget would decline from $8.2 billion in 2017 to $6.1 billion in 2018, a 26 percent decrease. EPA’s 15,000-person workforce would be trimmed by 20 percent, falling to 12,000, a level not seen since the mid-1980s. The staffing reductions would occur through buyouts and layoffs. The EPA cuts reflect the new administration’s priorities, the blueprint states. “The administration’s 2018 budget blueprint will prioritize rebuilding the military and making critical investments in the nation’s security,” the administration said in the OMB document. “It will also identify the savings and efficiencies needed to keep the nation on a responsible fiscal path.”

‘Tradeoffs and Choices’

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nderscoring the importance of the shift in priorities, the budget blueprint states the proposed funding level for EPA “highlights the tradeoffs and choices inherent in pursuing these goals.” A host of longstanding EPA programs are on the chopping block. The budget targets 38 programs for elimination, including all climate-change initiatives. Continued on next page

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Continued from previous page

Among those programs that would be cut are the Alaska Native Villages Beach and Fish programs, brownfields projects, Energy Star grants, endocrine-disrupter grants under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, environmental justice programs, 14 separate Climate Voluntary Partnership programs, multipurpose radon grants from the Office of Public Engagement and Environmental Education, Star Research grants for small minority-owned businesses, the U.S. Global Change Research program, and regional environmental clean-up and restoration programs focusing on Lake Champlain, Long Island Sound, San Francisco Bay, and South Florida waterways. EPA’s Office of Research and Development would receive a 42 percent cut in its budget. In a move indicating the administration is serious about slashing overall discretionary spending, OMB infor med all heads of departments and agencies if they object to specific cuts the White House is proposing and want to keep certain programs intact, they must find ways to offset the costs of retaining them, including eliminating or paring back other programs. OMB’s blueprint is a proposal, and Congress, through the appropriations process, will ultimately set EPA’s funding levels.

Focusing on Core Mission

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hris Horner, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, says the budget plan would refocus EPA’s efforts on its core mission. “Senior EPA officials insist—in cartoonish, tone-deaf fashion—they need more money, because the agency is so big,” Horner said. “This is an agency that repeatedly misses statutory deadlines it dislikes and spends a fortune on ideological hobbies and axe-grinding. “The first step toward returning EPA to its core mission and respecting the taxpayers who fund it and then are punished by EPA’s selfserving power grabs is rightsizing its budget,” Horner said. Bonner R. Cohen (bcohen@nationalcenter.org) is a senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research. This article was reprinted with permission from heartland.org, a product of The Heartland Institute (https://www.heartland.org/ news-opinion/news/president-proposes-dramaticcuts-to-epa).

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Mild Winter, Buggy Summer? (It Depends!) By Sandy Woodthorpe

ith the exceptionally mild winter temperatures and what appears to be a wet spring throughout much of the United States, outdoors workers could find themselves dealing with certain insect pests earlier than usual and in greater numbers. Or, not. “The ticks are already active,” said Dr. Dave Shetlar, Professor of Urban Landscape Entomology at The Ohio State University in early April. “We are telling people that if the temperatures are up in the 50s to be sure to check clothing and boots before they get too far into the house.” In fact, the blacklegged tick, also known as the deer or bear tick (the one that transmits Lyme Disease) was active in Ohio all winter long, Shetlar said. “Hunters, hikers, workers – anybody trekking through woodland areas will have to get used to these ticks and dog ticks being around all year long when we have mild winters,” he added. Could the continental U.S. be facing a banner bug year? Shetlar says making such predictions with certainty would be incredible. “A bunch of things have to happen,” he said, pointing out that, for example, mosquitoes are entirely related to the amount of ground water present.

16 Soil & Mulch Producer News March / April 2017

Shetlar noted that in early April, fields across Ohio and many other regions of the United States were flooded and wetland habitats were full of water. “Every other day in the Gulf States, they have had a rain or tornado front coming at them,” he said, adding that such conditions indicate that flood plain mosquitoes, the most common species, will be prominent. Still, Shetlar cautioned that there’s no way of positively predicting every one of the factors that determines whether an insect population explodes or doesn’t explode. If this turns out to be a consistently wet year, Shetlar would agree with forecasts of a higher mosquito population. “Some years start out very wet, but by June and July, conditions are dry. That means mosquito populations can increase early, but diminish later in the season,” he said. As for social wasps (such as paper wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets that colonize) and bumble bees, the same “yes, maybe, no” evaluation depends on many factors. These are species that overwinter as fertilized females, usually under tree bark, Shetlar explained. Some types of bees burrow into decomposing wood. The cozy winter retreat protects them and keeps them active over winter, especially if temperatures remain mild. While more queens could survive this year, Shetlar said that doesn’t

guarantee big swarms of yellow jackets, for instance, this coming August. That’s because heavy rains in May and June could take the nests out, leaving fewer to survive. Survival also is a factor with blacklegged ticks, the insects that spread Lyme Disease. When large numbers of tick hosts make it through winter – the mice, squirrels, chipmunks and deer that carry the bacterium that causes the illness – more infected ticks will be around to encounter (and infect) humans in spring and summer. According to Michael Bentley, Ph.D., Staff Entomologist at the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), higher numbers of overwintering insects that survive an unseasonably mild winter can translate to higher insect populations the following spring. Subsequently, warmer spring conditions allow insects to become active sooner than they typically would if conditions were colder, giving insects a jump start on the year. When you combine these weather conditions you can get higher than usual insect populations that become active sooner in the year. Or, a more buggy spring/summer season, he noted. Asked how this April’s sudden temperature dips affects insects, Bentley said, “It all really depends on how low dips in temperature are, and how long they last. Generally speaking, sudden, short-lived drops in temperature may temporarily slow activity and stall development of overwintering insects, but it may not kill them off like many of us would hope. This is because overwintering insects are well equipped to handle lower temperatures. Some of these insects have special proteins in their blood that serve as a type of natural “antifreeze,” preventing their internal fluids from freezing solid. While others may burrow deep underground where the soil protects them from sudden temperature fluctuations.” “Flying pests such as mosquitoes, flies and wasps need warm temperatures to power their flight muscles. So, sudden drops in temperature can have a more noticeable effect on their activity because they are not able to fly around and bother us. Similar conditions may cause crawling pests such as ants and cockroaches to become sluggish, but they may still be able to make their way indoors,” he explained. Will 2017 be a particularly buggy season? Well, some primary indicators are present this spring, but we won’t know for sure until summer is underway. For outdoor workers, who are at particular risk for a variety of insect-caused injuries and illnesses, it’s a good idea to be prepared.

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North Dakota State University Study Shows Another Mulch Benefit

Government Scientists Violated Rules to Influence Climate Negotiations

tudy findings published in HortTechnology show that mulch can help accelerate remediation of soils contaminated with diesel fuel and hydraulic fluid. The researchers found that applying a layer of mulch over remediated soil seeded with ryegrass resulted in new turf in six weeks. According to the researchers, petroleum-based spills on turfgrass can occur during lawn care and maintenance, primarily as a result of equipment failure or improper refueling. When these spills happen, hazardous hydrocarbons can contaminate soil and compromise the chemical balance of the grass and soil. “Damage caused by hydrocarbons to turfgrass can be long lasting and difficult to correct due to slow degradation of most hydrocarbons by microbes in soils,” explained Longyi Yuan, Yang Gao, and Deying Li, authors of the research report. The most effective methods currently used to reclaim soils after petroleum-based spills involve leaching contaminants with detergent water and applying absorbents such as a humic substance and activated charcoal. The scientists investigated how mulching and reseeding could be effective in speeding the reestablishment of turfgrass after petroleum-based spills. In a two-year study in field plots established with ‘Kenblue’ Kentucky bluegrass, the researchers applied diesel and hydraulic fluids at a rate of 15 L·m2 . They then applied two liquid humic amendments (Amendments 1 and 2) and an activated flowable charcoal, with tap water/dishwashing detergent used as a control. Nitrate nitrogen was added to each remediation treatment to facilitate remediation. Next, the spilled areas were seeded with perennial ryegrass and then three mulching treatments (biochar, peat pellets, and paper pellets) were applied at a thickness of 0.375 inch. Analyses showed that all remediation methods resulted in better green density of newly seeded perennial ryegrass than the untreated control. “The combination of peat pellets, mulching, and remediation with humic Amendment 1 resulted in the best turfgrass green density in the reestablished perennial ryegrass,” the authors said. While previous remediation experiments using organic amendments alone found that turfgrass reestablishment took more than four months, the combination of remediation and mulching treatments in this study allowed for reestablishment of perennial ryegrass in just six weeks. The researchers conducted the study using perennial ryegrass only. In a region where cool-season grasses predominate, overseeding with perennial ryegrass immediately after petroleum-based spills to create a grass cover is a practical option, they wrote. Reseeding with a cool-season grass species conforming to the original lawn in a later stage can then be done if needed.

18 Soil & Mulch Producer News March / April 2017

By H. Sterling Burnett whistleblower at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported leading NOAA climate scientist Tom Karl violated the agency’s rules by rushing to publish untested and unconfirmed data. According to the whistleblower, the publication of the data was rushed to influence the outcome of the 2015 Paris climate negotiations. In a second breach of agency protocol, Karl and his co-authors failed to archive and store their datasets properly for testing and public disclosure. As a result, some of the original datasets were lost when the computer used to process the data failed. John Bates, the scientist responsible for establishing and maintaining NOAA’s data-testing and archiving process, disclosed the breach of agency rules in a February 4 article on the Climate Etc. website. Bates won the U.S. Department of Commerce Gold Medal in 2014 for his “visionary work in the acquisition, production, and preservation of climate data records, which accurately describe the Earth’s changing environment.” In June 2015, the journal Science published a paper by Karl and others titled “Possible Artifacts of Data Biases in the Recent Global Surface Warming Hiatus,” which purported to show, contrary to every temperature dataset available at the time, Earth had not experienced an 18-year pause in rising temperatures but rather temperatures had continued to rise at an alarming rate. The paper was published just before the Obama administration issued its commitment to cut carbon-dioxide emissions in advance of the Paris Climate Conference. Prior to Science publishing Karl’s paper, NOAA had adopted a comprehensive process, including new verification software, for reviewing climate datasets and ensuring they were archived for sharing, replication, and testing. In defiance of agency rules, Karl did not run his team’s dataset through the agency’s software and did not archive key datasets to justify the paper’s claim there had been no pause in rising global temperatures.

‘Thumb on the Scale’

ccording to Bates, Karl’s team consistently exaggerated measured warming and minimized data documentation to produce the results they wanted. “So in every aspect of the preparation and release of the datasets leading into [Karl’s paper], we find Tom Karl … pushing for, and often insisting on, decisions that maximize warming and minimize documentation,” wrote Bates in the Climate, Etc. article. “Gradually, in the months after [Karl’s paper] came out, evidence kept mounting that Tom Karl constantly had his ‘thumb on the scale’—in the documentation, scientific choices, and release of datasets—in an effort to discredit the notion of a global warming hiatus and rush to time the publication of the paper to influence national and international deliberations on climate policy.”

Stonewalling Congress

ecause Karl’s pause-busting conclusions were at odds with existing temperature datasets which confirmed a nearly two-decade pause in rising temperatures, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, which oversees federally funded research, requested NOAA turn over for review all documentation, assumptions, datasets, methodologies, and e-mail exchanges for the Science paper. After NOAA refused to comply fully with the request, the Science Committee subpoenaed NOAA’s documentation. NOAA still refuses to turn over all the materials, citing its concerns about confidentiality and the integrity of the scientific process. Arthur Viterito, a professor of geography at the College of Southern Maryland, says NOAA’s refusal to turn over the information is inexcusable and indicates Karl has something to hide. “With regard to Karl’s refusal to comply with the congressional subpoena, I am, in a word, appalled,” said Viterito. “The taxpayers of this country have paid for this information, and any call by Congress to account for what has been done with that data requires a response. “If they had nothing to hide, then there would be no need to withhold information,” Viterito said. “In my opinion, this is an instance where scientists, acting as political advocates, produced bad science in an effort to influence questionable government policies.” In light of Bates’ disclosures of Karl and his co-authors’ breach of agency protocols, on Continued on next page

www.ptchronos.com

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Continued from previous page

February 14, the House Science Committee announced it was reopening its investigation into the 2015 paper.

Unsurprised by Data Concealment

illie Soon, a geo-scientist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, says he shares the public’s concern about Karl’s failure to handle his data properly, though he was not surprised by the disclosure. “I can easily sympathize with the popular sentiment concerning the violation of data-archiving rules imposed by NOAA,” Soon said. “After all, making data available for all is the number-one acid test of science. What I cannot fathom is why Bates’ disclosure should surprise anyone. “Many scientists pointed out Karl’s team had obviously manipulated the data to get their results, as soon as the advance online preprint of the Science paper was released,” Soon said. “Karl’s research still fails to match several accurately measured empirical datasets of tropospheric temperature.” David Legates, a professor of climatology at the University of Delaware, says Bates should have spoken up sooner. “Why do scientists wait until their careers are finished to blow the whistle?” said Legates. “When scientists know all along their peers are breaking the rules and do nothing about it, they are guilty of being an accessory to the wrongdoing. “[Bates] stood idly by while other scientists were persecuted, while legislation was signed that hurt the poor, and while money was wasted on a fraud,” Legates said. “Where were your ethics when it mattered?” H. Sterling Burnett, Ph.D. (hsburnett@heartland.org) is a research fellow at The Heartland Institute. This article was reprinted with permission from heartland.org, a product of The Heartland Institute (https://www.heartland. org/news-opinion/news/government-scientists-violated-rules-to-influenceclimate-negotiations).

20 Soil & Mulch Producer News March / April 2017

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Custom Milling & Consulting, Inc. Adds cGMP Processing

leetwood, PA – Custom Milling & Consulting, Inc. recently constructed a new state-of-the-art class 100,000/ISO 8 cGMP “clean room” which will allow CMC to expand on its current contract manufacturing services. For years CMC has been involved in fine particle size reduction with liquid materials; now they are taking that knowledge and increasing the capabilities that they will be able to offer customers. The new space will be equipped with CMC horizontal media mills and mixers that have been specifically designed for a clean and sterile environment. The equipment is made with stainless steel materials and designed for easy teardown, making the cleaning and sterilization process more effective and efficient. According to CMC, all processes, procedures, and productions will be well documented to ensure cGMP and ISO standards are met and to satisfy the most stringent customer standards. Features of their expansion include: HEPA filtration, a climate controlled environment, 2,560 cubic feet of refrigerated storage space, and the latest in fine media milling equipment and technology. CMC will be concentrating on assisting companies that are looking for a place that they can take their product from conceptualization to production.

For Alabama, It Looks Like a Dry Year – and Pine Bark Beetles

ontgomery, AL – Alabama is bracing for dry conditions after a record-setting drought last fall, and this heightens the potential for a destructive pine bark beetle infestation, according to an AL.com article. Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) crews flying over the state this winter spotted 187 likely beetle infestations affecting 14,262 trees across eight counties. According to the Forestry Commission’s website, approximately 31 percent of Alabama’s timberland is comprised of pine plantations. The state loses 60,000 pine trees a year during a southern pine bark beetle outbreak. That figure translates to approximately $800,000 lost revenue to the $21 billion forestry industry that’s largely composed of private landowners and small businesses. Even without a major drought, the number of pine bark beetle infestations in Alabama has been growing steadily over the past few years. The Southern pine beetle (SPB) infestations rose from 109 in 2013 to 168 in 2014, and from 378 in 2015 to 691 in 2016 according to AFC numbers. Faced with the possibility of even higher losses this year, the Alabama Forestry Commission and the Alabama Forestry Association hosted a joint meeting in March to discuss the large number of trees dying in Alabama’s forests and what can be done about it. Stakeholders attending the conference included the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, the USDA Forest Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, ALFA, and representatives from the state’s forest industry. The groups agreed to coordinate their efforts to report and minimize the damage. Meanwhile, the Forestry Commission has said it will continue to conduct aerial and ground detection surveys to assess beetle activity in all counties. Landowners are advised to monitor their property for signs of damage and contact their local AFC office or a registered forester for management recommendations before taking any action. Three types of bark beetles attack southern pine trees, but the most destructive is Dendroctonus frontalis, the southern pine beetle. The SPB isn’t as particular as the Ips engraver beetle (IEB), and the black turpentine beetle (BTB), which tend to colonize certain pine varieties. And while the IEB and the BTB mainly attack weakened, stressed, or damaged trees, the SPB has an appetite for any southern pines it can sink its teeth into – sick or healthy. Trees in a weakened state do not produce sap, or enough of it, to expel the beetles, so once the SPB has begun finishing off weak trees in a stand, it starts on the healthy ones.

www.buffaloturbine.com

marisa@e-milagro.com

March / April 2017 Soil & Mulch Producer News 21

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Sudden Oak Death Citizen Group Perseveres Funding Cuts and Pessimism

erkeley, CA – As monitoring for sudden oak death continues in California, Oregon, Washington State and other areas, early detection and control of the disease is not keeping pace with its spread, according to SuddenOakDeath.org. Sudden Oak Death is caused by the plant pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum (P. ramorum). First identified on California oak trees in 1995, the fungal disease is now documented to affect well over 100 diverse species of plants, including hardwood and conifer trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants and ferns. Although unattractive, the leaf spots and shoot dieback caused by the fungus often, but don’t always lead to plant fatality. According a U.S. Forest Service report, in March 2004, a large wholesale nursery in southern California, which ships stock to other states, was found to have P. ramorum infected nursery stock. When this was discovered, several southeastern states banned all nursery stock shipping from California, although existing federal compliance agreements were in place with California state nurseries since 2003. The southern bans contributed to an already complicated stew of miscommunication and incomplete information about P. ramorum, the report explained. In the ensuing years, quarantine regulations were established in the 15 California counties and partial area of Oregon with wildland infestations, the California Oak Mortality Task Force was established, and a number of studies on the pathology and management of the disease were undertaken.

The findings of a study conducted by American and British researchers published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2016 indicate continued spread of the disease, with no immediate solutions other than to prioritize infected areas for monitoring and treatment. The study, which used computer modeling, predicted an acceleration of sudden oak death in California after 2020 due to forecasts of wet conditions. The study authors suggested removing host species, which was found to be the most effective way of removing P. ramorum in the landscape. The strategy, which has been used in the United Kingdom, has been attempted in Humboldt County, California and Curry County, Oregon, the authors noted. The California Oak Mortality Task Force coordinates sudden oak death surveys (SOD Blitzes) in California forests and parks. Last fall, the Blitzes documented a substantial increase in SOD that was associated with high rainfall levels. Previously, P. ramorum infestation had been limited to Northern California, but last year marked the first detections of the pathogen south of Monterey County. More than five million trees in California alone have died from P. ramorum, according to the California Oak Mortality Task Force. As for the impact of this winter’s record rainfall in the state, a Task Force spokesperson said that an increase in tree mortality from P. ramorum is expected. The number of trees affected won’t be known until the dieback is visible – and that won’t be for at least two years.

Product/Equipment Profiles Amerimulch® Introduces The ColorTrom® 300

Clutchless Option Now Available For Select Bandit® Hand-Fed Chippers

merimulch® recently released its ColorTrom® 300 coloring system, a low-maintenance machine that is built to consistently color thousands of yards of color-enriched mulch every day, for years, without parts wearing away, shafts jamming, or liners needing replaced. Amerimulch has improved on the ColorTrom performance, enabling the user to increase production. Its no-wear, lowmaintenance system can produce up to 350 cubic, color-enriched yards of mulch, per hour, and the newly designed colorant and waterspray delivery system dramatically reduces water and colorant use rates per yard. The ColorTrom 300 is joined with today’s technology through the use of the Marksman™ system. The Marksman system integrates with the ColorTrom 300 to only activate the colorant pump when fiber is present to eliminate colorant waste in an empty drum. For producers who want a simple, effective, high-volume system for coloring mulches, this is it.

ow available on select Bandit disc and drum style hand-fed chippers, the clutchless drive option replaces a traditional friction plate clutch with a mechanical engagement of the drive belts. The clutchless drive reduces maintenance (including greasing and adjustment) and downtime associated with maintaining friction plate clutches. This design significantly reduces chipper maintenance and downtime by eliminating drive belt adjustments, engine position adjustments, and grease points associated with the clutch. Only the drive belt requires replacement when needed as per standard operation, the clutchless drive will not decrease belt life under normal use. Starting the disc or drum with the clutchless drive is easy to do by moving a lever with the engine at idle. The lever is slowly pushed until the disc or Drum is fully engaged and turning. The tensioner is self-adjusting and does not require any maintenance.

For more information about Amerimulch or other ChromaScape brands, contact a Customer Service Associate at 888-556-3304, or visit us at amerimulch.com and chromascape.com.

For more information, contact your local authorized Bandit dealer, or contact Bandit Industries at 800-952-0178. Visit Bandit online at www.banditchippers.com.

22 Soil & Mulch Producer News March / April 2017

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VOL. XI NO. 2

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PAID

MAR / APR 2017

Inside This Issue NC State University: Solving Problems and Creating Opportunities for the Soil and Mulch Industry PAGE 1

Minnesota Peat Mine Wins Wetlands Case Against Army Corps of Engineers PAGE 8 Mayor Nixes $10 Million Food Waste Compost Project on the Big Island PAGE 12 Mild Winter, Buggy Summer? (It Depends!) PAGE 16 Government Scientists Violated Rules to Influence Climate Negotiations PAGE 18 Sudden Oak Death Citizen Group Perseveres Funding Cuts and Pessimism PAGE 22

“Top-Quality Color, Exceptional Value.” Serving America’s color needs for over 25 years, we combine a one-two punch of premium quality mulch colorants and value pricing. This combination allows our customers to increase their profitablility by providing vibrant and long-lasting colored mulch at a reduced cost.

Give us a call 888.440.4250 or visit us online: www.prism-corporation.com