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PLANT HEAL City trees being evaluated as part of a field trial. ANT HEALTH CARE All photos provided by Rainbow Treecare Scientific Advancements I New breakthroughs and better understanding of current practices come from a strong foundation in research By Br andon Gallagher Watson n 2007,at the onset of emerald ash borer (EAB) infestation in the Greater Chicago Metropolitan area,The Morton Arboretum,The Village of Hazel Crest,USDA APHIS/Forest Service,DaveyTree Expert Company, and Rainbow Treecare Scientific collaborated to implement an emerald ash borer research trial that would take place over several years in the Village of Hazel Crest.This study involves hundreds of ash trees and two different neighborhoods. It is looking at 11 different treatment protocols, representing three different active ingre- dients,applied in three different ways,and at different times of the year. The treatments, including untreated trees for comparison,were ran- domly assigned to each tree.The ash trees are city-owned, boulevard trees of a similar size class growing in similar soil conditions.As emerald ash borer populations are relatively high in these neighborhoods, no additional insects were needed to get pressure on the trees.This trial was slated to continue until all the untreated trees in the trial have died. Five years later, this study is still ongoing with treatments and eval- uations.UDSA APHIS has agreed to extend this trial for at least one more year; with the possibility of extending it for up to three or four additional years to study the effects treatments have on survival rates beyond the initial EAB population wave.At the end of the trial, the 14 Arbor Age / October 2012 data will be analyzed and the results compiled into a paper that will be submitted to a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Research is the systematic pursuit of knowledge, and in the field of urban forestry, research can take many forms.There is a biological com- ponent to arboriculture, dealing with the growth and development of living things.This research focuses on trees, soils,insect and disease pests, physiology and ecology.As urban forestry is also the study of how trees and people interact,our industry is involved in social science research as well. Biological research frequently relies on experimentation — evaluating the effects or lack of effects of a single variable versus an untreated con- trol group.Bioassays,nursery trials,field trials using natural insect or disease pressure,and field trials using challenge (or artificial) pest pressure are just some of the ways we investigate trees. Social science research,on the other hand,is not as concerned with establishing an ultimate 'correct' answer to a question; rather, it deals with exploring the issues and details that surround a question.Although social science research can dabble in such unscientific realms such as opinions or attitudes, studies that show how citizens feel better about their communities when shaded by healthy trees are no less valuable to our industry. www.arborage.com