When pestilence arrives at our doorstep, defend we must! But a good guide to prevent unintended consequences and to protect environmental quality is: Use the minimum treatment that still gets results.

• Use good practices to keep trees healthy, and monitor regularly.
• Prune infected or damaged parts instead of using sprays when possible.
• When spraying use well-timed, low-toxicity spot spraying.
• Look into biopesticides, horticultural oils and soaps instead of petrochemicals. For more information, contact the Bio-Integral Resource Center at www.birc.org.