Alabama Forestry Commission warns of fungal disease infecting pine trees
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — A fungal disease is impacting loblolly pine trees this spring, according to the Alabama Forestry Commission.
Alabama's first dog dies; Gov. Kay Ivey reflects on her 'great friend'
In a news release, AFC officials cautioned forest landowners about brown spot needle blight, a fungal disease that leads to needle discoloration and needle drop.
The AFC release also said brown spot needle blight can stunt tree growth and increase the risk of pests like bark beetles.
'Just in the last few days, the agency started receiving calls, and the disease seems to be infecting trees with greater severity in west Alabama,' AFC Forest Health Coordinator Drew Metzler said. 'Although this pathogen has been affecting loblolly pines for years, mild wet weather over recent weeks has provided ideal growing conditions for brown spot needle blight, with infections generally beginning in the lower canopy of affected pines and spreading upward through the crown if conditions allow.'
However, things should be looking up heading into the summer season, according to Metzler.
'Typically, as we get closer to summer and daytime temperatures increase, conditions for the disease are limited, and trees usually green back up,' he said.
Symptoms of brown spot needle blight include brown spots on needles with yellow halos, premature needle drop, and thinning canopy.
Where dead fish bring life to the party: Flora-Bama's annual Mullet Toss is back
The AFC is encouraging forest landowners to check their pines regularly and to monitor for excessive mortality or secondary pests.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
50+ Alabama groups urge Gov. Ivey, legislators to oppose cuts to Medicaid, ACA coverage
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WHNT) — A slew of organizations are urging Gov. Kay Ivey and state lawmakers to oppose healthcare cuts in the U.S. House's budget reconciliation bill. In a letter initiated by the Cover Alabama Coalition, 52 organizations are asking state policymakers to contact members of Congress and express concerns about the bill's negative impact on Alabama's families and budgets. 'This legislation would undermine Alabama's ability to manage its Medicaid program, limit our future options and increase barriers to coverage for families across our state,' the letter reads. On May 22, the U.S. House approved a huge budget bill, 215-214. The groups contend the bill — which among its provisions extends and creates new tax cuts and creates new spending for a border wall and immigration enforcement — would also either drive the costs of healthcare up or make it inaccessible for millions of people. 📲 to stay updated on the go. 📧 to have news sent to your inbox. 'The bill … would allow the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies to expire, making Marketplace plans less affordable for more than 400,000 Alabamians,' the letter reads. 'This would result in coverage losses and higher uninsured rates, especially among working families who don't qualify for Medicaid but can't afford full-price private plans.' Expiration of enhanced ACA tax credits would cost Alabama an estimated 10,000 jobs and $1.14 billion in GDP in 2026, the groups contend. The groups also say if the budget bill is given final approval it would cost Alabama $619 million in extra federal funding that would help cover the first two years of Medicaid expansion. The bill would also freeze provider taxes at current levels, which would limit the state's future options for funding Medicaid by forbidding legislators to increase fees on nursing homes, ambulance services and other providers. The groups say the bill would also would reduce the retroactive Medicaid coverage period from three months to just one. This change could leave many pregnant women and other Alabamians in greater medical and financial risk. It also would undermine a new law that the Legislature passed this year to remove red-tape barriers to Medicaid coverage for thousands of mothers who are expecting. The letter encourages state policymakers to reach out to Alabama's congressional delegation and urge them to oppose the bill. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Yahoo
Baldwin County linemen ‘Light Up Navajo' with something they have never had before: electricity
BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) — We take it for granted, but a simple flip of a switch is changing lives — not only for the Navajo people in Chinle, Arizona, but in the lives of those responsible for making it happen right here at home. UPDATE: Federal Bureau of Prisons responds to Todd Chrisley's allegations about FPC Pensacola 'Smiles from ear to ear — happiness. They knew the day was coming, but it was still not the same as the moment that it happens,' Riviera Utilities lineman Bryan Cook said, describing the moment the lights came on for one family for the first time. Richard Sanspree is a lineman with Riveria Utilities and heard about an initiative called 'Light Up Navajo,' where utilities and co-ops volunteer their time to string line, put up poles, and connect the Navajo Nation with something many have never had, electricity. 'I just couldn't believe that there were people in the United States with no power,' Cook said. 'That just hit me hard, and it still hits me hard. I got chills now.' 'Here, everybody would be freaking out. The apocalypse,' said lineman Hunter Wilson. 'But there, it's just normal life. They don't think anything of it.' For 10 days, nine Riviera linemen traveled to and worked in the Arizona desert, 12 to 14 hours a day. 'It's a different environment,' Cook said. 'And at the end of the day, it's helping people because none of us knew that nobody had power.' 'They were just as excited as we were to build it to see it built,' veteran lineman Paul Shoenight said. It was hard work. The equipment used to dig through rock is different, and the terrain is unlike anything they had ever encountered. 'It is a wide open area and the homes are so far out from town that it takes an hour or so to get to one residence,' Shoenight said. Light Up Navajo began in 2019 with 15 thousand families living without electricity. Now, almost five thousand have power, but there is still a lot of work left to do, according to Shoenight. 'The Navajo Nation people are the nicest, humble people I have ever met in my life, and I would love to go back,' he said. By the end of the trip, nine families had electricity for the first time. 'It was actually emotional and hard,' Sanspree said. 'I wish we could have stayed another week.' 'The first thing they said, 'We are going to buy an a/c and a refrigerator,'' Wilson laughed. While the Riviera crew was able to 'light up' at least part of the Navajo Nation, what they got in return will stay with them forever. 'It was an experience of a lifetime,' Shoenight said. 'It was more than I thought it was.' UPDATE: 75-year-old man shot, killed by MPD after pointing gun at officers Making a difference just by flipping a switch. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Yahoo
What to know about Alabama laws taking effect
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — With her signature, Gov. Kay Ivey changed the way schools are funded in Alabama and created some new regulations. Several of those laws have gone into effect this week. Lawmakers said there's a few things to know about these acts. One law drops the grocery tax from 3% to 2%, which will start in September. State Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said it would be an extra dollar off of a $100 grocery tab. Including 2023's tax cut, that's a 50% slash on what used to be a 4% tax on groceries overall. 'Obviously, everyone has to eat, and they eat groceries, consume groceries,' Orr said. 'Therefore, the grocery tax seemed like the most logical place to continue letting Alabamians keep more of their hard-earned dollars.' Grocery shoppers aren't the only ones who will get more bang for their buck. The RAISE Act will now fund schools based on the kinds of needs students have. No active shooter incidents reported in Alabama in 2024: FBI Before, schools were just funded based on headcount. The needs now considered for school funding include English-language learners, gifted students, those with special needs and low-income students. 'Those schools are going to get more money just for your child to try to make a difference in their education, and that's the exciting part' said state Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur. State Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, agrees. She said students need this change. 'That's our future,' Drummond said. 'It's time that we invest. We know where the problems are, and the RAISE Act is going to help us address those issues.' Drummond's effort to crack down on nicotine products also went into effect this week. The law requires tobacco retailers to purchase a license to sell products. Drummond said it also requires students to learn about the harms of vaping. 'I want us to save lives and to prevent young people from hurting their bodies in the future,' Drummond said. 'So this is all about welfare of our young people in the state of Alabama.' Another law that's gone into effect allows the Alabama Farmers Federation to offer health care plans to its members. The original sponsor of the bill, state Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, said it will lower health care costs for farmers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
