Tree of Moths?

      A plant lover I work with by the name of Delisa mentioned to me that her son was working with Ailanthus altissima in New York, and that I should see what I can find about that plant in that state. One of the first articles I found was from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation that focused on an invasive insect called Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). That moth has a bright orange color to warn predators that it's toxic, and it obtains that toxic characteristic from the Tree of Heaven...

    That led me to another article that studied what alkaloids could be isolated from the root bark of Tree of Heaven. My plan now is to find other plants that contain similar alkaloids and if there are any reports related to medical issues caused by being exposed to the sap. I also plan to make a list of all articles I've found along my journey in making this blog. 

- James Conrad Moore  

Ailanthus Awareness

     I don't have a long post this time, but it's been a while since I posted so an update is due, and I do have news! I reached out to the Virginia Department of Forestry & an Invasive Species Specialist by the name of Sal Flower responded to my inquiry just yesterday. What I learned is that no one in the VFOD agency has received any reports of Ailanthus altissima exposure causing issues like myocarditis. Well then, no cases in Virginia...must be a dead end, right? Wrong! They thanked me for bringing this to their attention! The VFOD was not aware of any research linking Ailanthus altissima & myocarditis. At least now this connection is on their radar for possible future cases and hopefully will take into consideration the use of proper PPE when dealing with this not so heavenly plant.

- James Conrad Moore

The Path to Virginia

 

Ailanthus altissima. Vista, CA

     Aaron Echols from the Inland Empire Resource Conservation District suggested I reach out to the Catalina Island Conservancy for more information on Ailanthus altissima in the last blog post. You'll never believe who responded to my email...Aaron! Not the same one though. This was Aaron Kreisberg who is the Invasive Plant Program Manager on Catalina Island.   

    Mr. Kreisberg let me know that Ailanthus altissima is currently restricted to the city of Avalon currently and they are not managing that population beyond monitoring. That means no reports of toxicity of this plant affecting any field staff. He then recommended I reach out to someone at the IERCD by the name of....Aaron! These two knew each other! So, I let Aaron know that I already reached out to Aaron, and then Aaron Kreisberg suggested I reach out to another person involved with the Tree of Heaven in California by the name of Bill Neil.   

     Bill Neil is an herbicide applicator in the LA County Weed Management Area. Bill let me know he's treated hundreds of trees and saplings. On larger trees he doesn't girdle or fell Ailanthus altissima but instead uses an ax to chop the bark near ground level. This method kills the tree while preventing root sucker growth. By using these methods, Bill has had no contact with the sap from the Tree of Heaven. Bill then suggested I look for cases in Virginia where this plant is so common that it's harvested for wood & even used to make furniture! 

     I greatly appreciate all the help I've gotten from Aaron, Aaron, and Bill here in California. I'm looking forward to connecting with plant experts in other states!

- James Conrad Moore