Industry News

Representative Kurt SchraderTree planting legislation gaining steam with introduction of Senate bill
A Senate version of the Small Business Environmental Stewardship Assistance Act (SBESA) of 2010 was introduced in late April. It follows H.R. 4509 introduced in January by Congressman Kurt Schrader (D-OR). Both versions would reauthorize the Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Tree Planting Program.
 
SBESA would authorize $50 million annually from 2011-2015 to plant trees in public areas. The bill will boost the nursery and landscape industries and create much-needed jobs, said Rep. Schrader in an interview with NMPro editor Kelli Rodda.
 
NMPro: What was your inspiration for writing this bill?
Schrader: The economy was in the tank, and the nursery industry, which is an important part of the economy nationally and certainly in my district, was suffering. This is a vehicle to get the nursery industry back on its feet, create jobs, improve public areas and sequester carbon.
 
NMPro: How does this bill aid the green industry nationally?
Schrader: This is a national bill. It will reauthorize the tree planting bill that was enacted a decade ago and discontinued in the previous administration. Funds will be distributed nationwide [through state forestry agencies]. The program will be administered by the Small Business Association. This will provide much-need jobs for small businesses nationwide. It’s the small businesses that will lead us out of this recession.
 
Grower Bob Lyons, owner of Sunleaf Nursery in Madison, Ohio, is backing the bill.
 
“By partnering with local nurseries and landscape professionals, this investment will allow America’s small businesses to become more energy efficient … and develop greener retail and commercial areas while creating jobs at a time when new jobs are scarce,” Lyons said.
 
The House bill has several co-sponsors across the country. The Senate bill, introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) also received backing from co-sponsors in several states.

All-America Rose Selections announces 2011 winning roses
All-American Rose Selections (AARS) has added two musically themed roses to its lineup. Representing two timeless hits, the new 2011 winning roses are Walking on Sunshine and Dick Clark.

Dick Clark: Black-red buds spiral open to show off swirls of cream edging washed with vibrant cherry pink. When the sun strikes the petals, they begin to blush burgundy, finishing as a deep, dark red. Foliage is very shiny green with long cutting stems. Dick Clark, a grandiflora, is easy to grow and has great vigor. It was hybridized by Tom Carruth and Christian Bédard of Weeks Roses.
 
Walking on Sunshine: Tight clusters of bright yellow buds burst open with an anise aroma. This plant’s very glossy, disease-resistant foliage contrasts beautifully with the cheery, eye-catching flowers. Walking on Sunshine is easy to care for and great for beginners. It’s a floribunda with fantastic bloom production and great vigor. Walking on Sunshine was hybridized by Keith Zary of Jackson & Perkins Wholesale.
 
To be chosen as an AARS winner, these new roses thrived during two years of comprehensive testing in 23 gardens nationwide. Each winning rose bears the AARS red-rose seal of approval.
 
For more: AARS, www.rose.org; Weeks Roses, www.weeksroses.com; Jackson & Perkins Wholesale, www.jproses.com.

Phytophthora ramorum on rhododendron. Photo by Joseph O’Brien, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.orgCalifornia, Oregon settle lawsuit with South Carolina
South Carolina rescinded a regulation that blocked California and Oregon nursery growers from shipping plants to that state.
 
The California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers (CANGC) and the Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN) successfully resolved a federal lawsuit against South Carolina April 20. The two associations filed their lawsuit March 10, challenging the regulation. Shipments of nursery products are expected to resume immediately.
 
The suit stemmed from actions South Carolina took last year. In 2009, the South Carolina Assembly enacted a regulation that prevented California and Oregon growers from shipping plants that could be host to Phytophthora ramorum. The regulation required nurseries in California, Oregon and Washington to perform special inspections, provide extra documentation, and give advance notice for all shipments.
 
Such requirements are illegal under the federal Plant Protection Act and unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution when a federal agency’s valid order has been established to govern interstate shipments. The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has regulated P. ramorum since 2002. 
 
For more: CANGC, www.cangc.org; OAN, www.oan.org; APHIS, www.aphis.usda.gov.