Vicksburg, Miss. -- (July 7, 2011) The Mississippi Valley Division continues to assess damages and prioritize repairs to the Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) System in the aftermath of historic Mississippi River flooding that broke flow elevation records at many locations.  The repairs will ensure the future integrity of flood risk management projects along the Mississippi and its major tributaries and restore function to critical project components.  All of this recovery work will require significant funding.

Without supplemental funding to address the flood and navigation system repair costs, the Corps is looking at internal funding sources to reset and repair the most critical flood risk management projects damaged by this year's event.

The Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies (FC&CE) appropriation is used for flood fighting, repair and rehabilitation of qualifying non-federal flood and storm protection facilities, and emergency dredging, among other things.  The Secretary of the Army has the authority to transfer funds to the FC&CE appropriation from other flood control appropriations to meet emergency requirements.

Funds that are transferred are revoked from individual studies and projects for which the funds are surplus.  A total of $52 million has been transferred to date.  Thus far, only funds surplus to FY 2011 and FY 2012 requirements have been transferred.  However, additional transfers are very likely.

In some cases the funds transferred ultimately would have been used on the projects from which transferred.  However, the needs of flood fighting and response are more pressing and immediate.  Without additional appropriations, projects losing funds can compete for funds in FY 2013 and beyond through the budget process.

-end-

Trees are one of the most valuable assets in a landscape. All properties enjoy the benefits of having healthy and beautiful trees. In addition to the aesthetic appeal, a healthy tree can add value to a property. Home gardeners with questions about the management of other tree diseases may contact the experts by emailing or calling the ISU Extension horticulture hotline at hortline@iastate.edu or 515-294-3108.

My crabapple has begun to drop some of its leaves. Why?
The leaf drop is probably due to apple scab. Apple scab is a fungal disease caused by the fungus Venturia inaequalis.Cool, wet weather in spring favors apple scab development. Crabapple varieties differ in their susceptibility to apple scab. Some varieties are very susceptible to the disease, while others are resistant to apple scab.

Apple scab appears as velvety, olive-green to black spots on the crabapple leaves. Heavily infected leaves turn yellow and fall from the tree. Highly susceptible crabapple varieties may lose a large percentage of their leaves by mid-summer. Fortunately, apple scab does not kill affected trees. The damage is mainly aesthetic.

Apple scab can be prevented by applying fungicides from bud break through mid-June. For most home gardeners, however, controlling apple scab with fungicides is not practical. Sanitation also plays a role in controlling apple scab. Raking and destroying the leaves as soon as they fall should help reduce the severity of the infection next season. However, the best way to prevent apple scab is to plant scab-resistant crabapple varieties.

Why are the leaves on my pin oak yellow-green?
In Iowa, the foliage of the pin oak (Quercus palustris) often turns a sickly yellow-green. The yellow-green foliage isdue to a deficiency of iron. The problem is referred to as iron chlorosis. (A close examination of chlorotic leaves will show that while most of the leaf is yellow-green, the tissue around the major veins is a darker green.) Most soils in Iowa contain sufficient amounts of iron. However, in alkaline soils (those with a pH above 7.0), the pin oak is unable to absorb adequate amounts of iron because much of it is in an insoluble form. Since many soils in Iowa are alkaline, chlorotic pinoaks are common in Iowa. Wet soil conditions make absorption of iron even more difficult.

Correcting an iron chlorosis problem is difficult. Applying additional iron to the soil usually doesn't help. The soil already contains sufficient amounts of iron. Adding more iron doesn't overcome the problem. Lowering the soil pH to 6.0 to 6.5 would allow the roots of the pin oak to more readily absorb iron in the soil. Unfortunately, lowering the soil pH isextremely difficult, if not impossible. As a result, homeowner efforts to treat iron chlorosis are often unsuccessful.

One strategy that sometimes works is to have an arborist or other tree care professional inject an iron containing compound directly into the trunks of chlorotic pin oak trees. The effects of a trunk injection may last three or four years.

Why is my sycamore tree dropping its leaves?
The leaf drop is likely due to anthracnose. Anthracnose is a common fungal disease of sycamore, ash, maple, oak and other trees. Anthracnose is most severe in years with cool, wet spring weather. While anthracnose may cause extensive defoliation, it does not cause serious harm to healthy, well-established trees.

Symptoms of anthracnose on sycamores include brown blotches on the leaves, death of young buds and shoots, and leaf drop. In cool, wet springs, affected sycamores may lose most of their initial foliage.

Fortunately, the sycamore trees will continue to produce additional leaves and shoots through early summer. Foliage that develops in late spring and early summer shouldn't become infected as warmer, drier weather suppresses anthracnose. Most sycamores should have a good canopy of leaves by late June or early July. 

Since anthracnose does not cause serious harm to sycamores, fungicide treatments are rarely warranted.

The leaves on my peach tree are puckered and reddish in color. What is the problem?
The symptoms are those of peach leaf curl. Peach leaf curl is a fungal disease. The disease is caused by the fungusTaphrina deformans. Infections occur as the peach tree buds begin to swell in spring.

-30-

Sunday afternoon, June 12

From 2:00–3:00 pm at The Canticle

843 Thirteenth Avenue North, Clinton, Iowa

During the past year, the Clinton Franciscan Center for Active Nonviolence & Peacemaking has sponsored a series of programs exploring how to achieve a Sustainable Clinton. Now we are planning an open, public forum that will enable our neighbors to unite and work together to make our community a healthier place for all.

We invite you to join us as we listen and learn what environmental issues are of concern to each other and then determine ways we can make a difference together.

Seeks Federal Reimbursement to Help Local Governments in Southern Illinois Recover Costs Related to Floods

CHICAGO - June 6 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today asked President Barack Obama for federal assistance to help local governments in 21 southern Illinois counties recover from major flooding and severe storms this spring. State and local government expenses related to the floods and storms are estimated at more than $20 million.

Counties requested include Alexander, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Marion, Massac, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Union, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White and Williamson.

"Southern Illinois communities came together to fight widespread flooding and severe storms throughout the region," said Governor Quinn. "That response helped save lives, but many communities will be unable to fully recover without federal assistance, which is why we must help them get the tools they need to rebuild."

In late May, representatives from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) met with local government representatives in nearly two dozen counties to review flood and storm-related expense information, including costs for emergency protective measures, debris removal and repair or replacement of governmental-owned facilities. Documentation of those expenses, along with costs incurred by the State of Illinois related to flood and storm response, was submitted with Governor Quinn's request.

The counties included in the request all appear to meet or exceed the federal government's $3.27 per capita threshold for eligible expenses.

In late May, Governor Quinn requested federal assistance to help people and businesses recover from flooding and severe storms. The state is awaiting a decision on that request. If approved, people affected by the storms and floods would be eligible to apply for grants and low-interest SBA loans. In addition, affected businesses would be able to apply for low-interest SBA loans.

###