Bark

I'm just itching to start pruning our evergreens, but my arborist self knows it’s a bit soon. I will wait until we have a hard freeze, to ensure my pruning cuts won’t attract any bark beetles. When a tree is pruned, we actually are wounding it.

Winter sun and drying winds can damage not only our skin, but the bark of trees and shrubs. It seems obvious that plants might get sunburned in the summer, but less intuitive that it also happens in the winter when it is called winter sunscald.

A 29-year-old Carson City man and a 25-year-old Carson City man were arrested for multiple felonies including burglary, possession of a stolen fire arm, possession of burglary tools, and more.

Two Carson City residents were arrested in the 1100 block of Fremont Street for alleged cultivation of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance for sale, trafficking marijuana, and cultivation of concentrated marijuana, all felony charges.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — If you thought you were seeing many more butterflies around Lake Tahoe than normal, you would be correct. The entire Lake Tahoe Basin is in the midst of a massive swarm of the winged beauties, especially in the Angora Fire burn area and along the east shore.

Our big birch has finally given up after decades of bronze birch borer and sapsucker damage. Rows of regular horizontal holes about a quarter-inch in diameter cover the trunk from bottom to top. These are caused by sapsucker woodpeckers drilling for sap in the tree. Initally, borer damage reduced the flow of water and food within the tree, causing limbs to die each year. The sapsucker feeding finally finished the tree off.

Hello fellow anglers, what great time of year. The rivers have opened in California. Which, depending on the new regulation that is being decided on, may not close on November 15th.

As well as Alpine county, the lakes in Inyo and Mono Counties have opened and have been producing some beautiful fish, which I will share later in this report. It's hard to believe how fast the time goes.

What the heck is hugelkultur? That’s what I asked my friend Will after he said he was going to try it. He had just finished cutting down a tree and had a load of branches and bark to get rid of. According to centuries’ old Eastern European and German tradition, it starts with no-dig raised beds made out of logs, branches, leaves, grass clippings, straw, cardboard, petroleum-free newspaper, manure, compost and/or other organic matter. Top this raised mound with soil and then it’s ready to plant.

Big trees inspire me. In part, it’s their age, but it’s also their size. I was in Agate Bay at Lake Tahoe recently staying with a friend. Outside the back door is one of the biggest Jeffrey pines I have seen. It’s massive and regal.

We are pruning pine, incense cedar and spruce trees now. Some have branches hanging in the way of the driveway or gates. Others have dead or dying branches. We had delayed pruning until after a hard freeze to reduce the possibility for beetle attacks.

We cut down a large Siberian elm tree yesterday. Although these trees are renowned for elm leaf beetle infestations, in the early years of its life, it didn’t have elm leaf beetles. However, as it aged, the beetles and their larvae became prevalent.

With dense vegetation spanning over 300 acres, the iconic Spooner Lake portion of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park is increasingly susceptible to environmental disturbances threatening the health of the Tahoe Basin. State officials from forestry, parks and lands announced Thursday the closure of the Spooner Lake portion of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park from Sept. 12 to Nov. 16 to address forest health issues.

I’m finding pretty white moths sitting on our patio. They are about one inch long with black and white-striped legs and a black spot on their heads. I wondered if I was seeing the invasive White Satin Moth, Leucoma salicis.

CARSON CITY — The US Forest Service projects as many as 26 million trees will die this year from drought or beetles, and that estimate is down from 27 million in 2017 and a peak of more than 60 million in 2016. Average global temperatures are rising, and some models show as much as a 7 degree increase in average annual temperature in the Sierra Nevada mountains by the end of the century.

Soon it will be time to thin excess fruit on fruit trees according to my fruit tree guru, Michael Janik.

He writes “Thinning is an essential step in producing larger, tastier fruit and will also help prevent damage from insects.”

I’m sad. I just had an old birch tree removed.

After babying the sickly thing for years, I finally gave in and had it cut down.

The tree was here when we moved in 30 years ago and it didn’t look great then. It never really grew.

Why did it die? Bronze birch borers had infested the tree and it never recovered.

I recently pruned my apple and crabapple trees. It’s easier to prune with no blossoms or leaves. You can see the direction of the branches and buds, and the location of the water sprouts.

Earth Day at Lake Tahoe has a special meaning. Working together through the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, more than 50 local, state, federal, nonprofit, and private sector partners are implementing projects and programs to conserve the Tahoe Basin’s environment and fix past environmental harms.

When the average American hears the word ‘Hypnosis,’ they probably believe that they will be made to silly things like bark like a dog, quack like duck or something much more serious, like rob a bank, or say or do things against their will.

CARSON CITY – The Nevada Division of Forestry conducted trapping and aerial surveys this season, focusing on the white satin moth outbreak at Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. The survey revealed 226 acres of infestation, ranging from minimal to heavy defoliation.

The Nevada Division of Forestry has issued a Forest Pest Alert for the white satin moth. The non-native insect is causing medium to heavy defoliation in the North Canyon and Marlette Lake areas at Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park.

Free Dog Training Classes at the Carson Plaza
Want a well-behaved dog? We are here to help.

Separation Anxiety
Aug 12th - 2:30pm
- Tips for crate training
- Train dog not to bark or whine when alone
- How to reduce anxiety and engage a dog in a small space

Bring your dogs favorite treat or toy. All dogs must be on a leash.
CALL TO LEARN MORE -- RSVP REQUIRED. 775-883-1221

My friend Paul recently asked me to tell him about Milky Spore. I knew nothing about it, so decided to look it up.

Milky spore is a bacterial disease used as an alternative to chemical insecticides to reduce Japanese beetle populations. This microbial or biological insecticide was one of the first registered in the United States in 1948.

The doorbell rings. Dogs bark. Cats scramble to hide. Or maybe they run to greet your visitor. Either way, something big is happening. You answer the door to find the Fed Ex guy with a giant cardboard box. It’s like Christmas, Halloween and a birthday all rolled into one — for the cats.

There's a fresh nugget of wisdom found at 1804 E. William Street, site of the giant golden rock that had once marked the location of a pawn shop for years.

A new firearms retailer opened at the space in September, bringing with it a wealth of knowledge and experience that owners Randall and Jennifer Brooks of Carson City hope to impart to area gun owners, as well as to the gun-curious.

I’m often asked when the best time to prune fruit trees is. I pruned my crabapple and apple trees last week. I chose this time of year to prune them, not because it was optimum season for pruning, but because I couldn’t stand looking at all the ugly water sprouts (vertically growing small branches) sticking up haphazardly throughout the framework of the main branches. I see these trees from my kitchen window every day.

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a little impatient. In just a few days’ time, a feast of family, friends, gratitude, and turkey will be served up. While we’re waiting, go check out the vendors at the Carson Mall and get a jump on some of your holiday shopping. The art exhibits around town are always a nice way to spend a few hours. Monday Night Football sees the Raiders battle the Texans; grab some friends and place your bets. Learn a few tricks in the kitchen with the Healthy Communities Coalition: their free monthly cooking class is open to everyone.

MONDAY:

The apple harvest is almost over. We have picked so many red delicious apples at our house, we don’t care there are still some on the tree. I had thought a freeze in late May had destroyed all the flowers. Surprise! The recent winds have blown down many of the apples remaining on the tree.

I just returned from a trip to the Black Hills in South Dakota. While Mt Rushmore was impressive, the amount of dead trees in the otherwise beautiful forests was depressing. They were everywhere. In addition, there were huge slash piles stacked in the forest. It was ugly and sad to see the extent of the damage.

We now begin the process to decide if we want more of the same or to change the actions of our elected officals by giving them the ax. Perhaps a rhyme that even children can understand will add some entertainment value to an otherwise solemn duty for every voter. We now recite and dedicate 'Lizzies Ax' for posterity and your amusement to aid our recall on November 8th at the ballot box.