The WEST GEORGIA GREEN ASSOCIATION is dedicated to

promoting the professional and ethical business practices of our members; developing public awareness of the value of the professional landscape industries and the environment; and education and networking.

Crapemyrtle Bark Scale
... a relatively new insect on crapemyrtles (Lagerstroemia) across the Southeast. The insect, which is from Asia, was first noticed in a north Dallas, Texas, suburb in 2004. By 2019, the insect had been reported in 14 states.

There is now a website with lots more info and a way to report sightings - https://stopcmbs.com/.

There are several videos here

informative article from Ball Publishing here

Check these out!

from
Center for Urban Agriculturete

Getting the Best of Pests webinars
Schedule and archives here

YouTube channel here

NEW UGA PUBLICATION
(June, 2021)

Pruning Trees: Anatomical, Biological & Structural Foundations -
Dr. Kim Coder, author
Newly Revised Manual from Warnell School at University of Georgia
free download here: https://www.warnell.uga.edu/outreach/publications/individual/pruning-trees-anatomical-biological-structural-foundations

Boxwood Blight
(Cylindrocladium buxicola = Cylindrocladium pseudonaviculatum)

HRI (AmericanHort Foundation)
has just released (April, 2020) new BMP's for boxwood in the landscape - available here

New info from their 2020 workshop is available here

Georgia Forestry Commission recently held three workshops in Gainesville, Marietta and Mansfield to help communities develop a personalized Community Forest Storm Mitigation Plan that focuses specifically on trees and ways to avoid or mitigate the damage they cause during a storm or other catastrophic event. Community Forest Storm Mitigation plans serve as a guide for assessing current storm readiness, for creating a summary of your community's current forest management program and as a storm mitigation checklist. Presentations from the workshops are available and Georgia Forestry Commission staff are available to assist your community.

A Community Forest Storm Mitigation PlanningWorkbook and Template are available here

PowerPoint presentations are available here.

eLearn Urban Forestry
The Office of the Southern Regional Extension Forester, the USDA FS Region 8--Urban and Community Forestry Program along with the Southern Group of State Foresters have partnered to design, develop and implement a state-of-the-art online, distance-learning program geared specifically toward beginning urban foresters and those allied professionals working in and around urban and urbanizing landscapes

To access the modules for International Society of Arboriculture and Society of American Foresters credit, please visit cfegroup.org.
To access the modules for free, please visit elearn.sref.info.
To access the modules for volunteer credit or a certificate of completion, visit campus.extension.org and look for the eLearn Urban Forestry--Citizen Forester course.
For more specific information, please contact Sarah Ashton, Educational Program Coordinator, Southern Regional Extension Forestry at sashton@sref.info.

WGGA MEETING
TBA

***********************************************

Please contact any Board member or send us an e-mail with your suggestions for the association or this website

<<<<<<<>>>>>>>

is sponsoring various webinars/in-person events

ISA TRAQ Full Course: Tree Risk Assessment Qualification
April 12-14, in-person Acworth

info and registration here

i-Tree Open Academy
1 hour webinars, starting 14 March

full info and registration here

(don't forget to check out their YT vids here

April 22

EARTH DAY
<><><><><><><><>

COVID-19 INFO

(Please note things can change faster than this website can be updated. Always double-check and confirm.)

All Georgians 6 months and older are now eligible for free vaccinations and boosters.

CDC science-based Covid-19 and vaccine info here
Get the facts, not the nonsense!
****************

Need help finding a COVID-19 vaccine provider near you?
Need info about anything covid? Vaccines? Tests?
By county? By state?
Visit covid.gov or call 1-800-232-0233 for assistance.

Get the facts, not the nonsense!

************************************

FREE
Covid tests are STILL available here
delivered right to your door!

****EXPIRATION DATES OF AT-HOME KITS
HAVE BEEN EXTENDED****
CHECK HERE

************************************
Know when you should take more precautions-
Covid levels (from CDC) down to county-level here .
************************************
***************************
Douglas County FREE Covid test site
at Deer Lick Park is open
more info https://douglasvillecovid.com/
(4 March 2023 - still available)

M-F 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

All you need is an ID and insurance card if you have one.
Test results usually come back within 48 hours.
**********************************

BMPs for Non-Chemical Weed Control
free .pdf download from Cailfornia Invasive Plant Council

This manual provides comprehensive descriptions of 21 commonly used non-chemical weed control techniques and of biological control agents for 18 weed species/species groups that will help you as a practitioner treat weeds more effectively.

Authors of each chapter have compiled research and on-the-ground knowledge of subject experts on tools and methods of application, as well as on efficacy of techniques under various environmental conditions and across different classes of invasive plants. Environmental, cultural, and human safety risks are also highlighted to help support safe and effective use of techniques. This manual is designed to be a go-to resource for practitioners that are either complementing their weed control work with non-chemical techniques or are exclusively restricted to not using herbicides.

Download here

Weed Control in Liriope & Mondo

Controlling Poison Ivy in the Landscape

Winter Protection of Ornamental Plants
(what not to do late Summer/early Fall)

Uso de Herbicidas de Preemergencia para Digitaria y Otras Malezas Anuales de Verano

Control de Poa annua en Céspedes Comerciales no Residenciales de Georgia

Soil Preparation and Planting Procedures for Ornamental Plants in the Landscape
available here

UGA publications offer a wide variety of professionally targeted, as well as homeowner interest, publications. Some are free, some have a small cost. All are written by UGA Cooperative Extension and CAES or FCS research faculty and all are full of the latest scientific info on many topics of interest to green pros. More info is right here.

no longer being published, but the archives are available
2018 issue here

2017 Issue here

2016 issue available here

2015 issue available here

Urban Forests
Improve the Quality of Life

NEW UGA REPORT
Economic Contribution of Turfgrass Production,
Ornamental Horticulture, Landscape Services, and
Related Industry in the Georgia Economy, 2010
read it here

Proud WGGA Sponsor

WGGA is a proud member of the Douglas County Chamber of Commerce

Keep Douglasville Beautiful is proud to introduce the Douglasville Military Honor Garden. Created as a place to celebrate the honor and courage that members of the Douglasville community have made in the service of our country, the Military Honor Garden will welcome visitors to a place of beauty and who wish to pay tribute to the brave military men, women, and families who sacrifice for our freedoms.

The garden has been conceived as a beautiful public space, built with the support of citizens, service organizations, and businesses in our community for the benefit of the community. Memorial trees, garden spaces, markers, and benches will be placed throughout the garden to create a vibrant, social space to enjoy and inspire.

More info here

Thank you to the following WGGA Members for your help on
the 2011 Freedom Island project!
McPlants, Douglasville Ace Hardware, Alternative Environments, Wynn's Intensive Lawn Care, Black Rock Landscaping, Keen Edge Lawn Care, Douglas County Extension Office, Accent Nursery & Landscaping, Chip's Lawn Care, Hydro Irrigation, John Deere Landscapes, NGTurf, Triple Creek Flower Farm, Well Done Lawn & Landscaping, Mood Swings

WGGA on YouTube!
Freedom Island Renovation
courtesy DouglasvilleCITITV

Get the landscape plan right here

Your donation of professional time, equipment, and material is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your support!
Craig McManus-Chan Weeks-Kevin Livingston

Wanna be famous?

Write an article for the WGGA website!
Preferably something educational - how you solved a problem that might be seen by another member, or something unusual you tried and what happened (failures are as educational as successes!) - or hints for homeowners (how to prune, different turfgrasses, what's a weed) - or something interesting - or something intriguing - or funny - or -

You and your company will be given full credit and we'll show your logo and phone number very large.
Right here on the first page!

Please e-mail them here.
Photos are good.
(Please identify any people and give a date and city location.)

Please note all will be reviewed before publication and may be edited.