Minutes of the March 3, 2003 Meeting
by Kim Kiiskinen

President Anne Kerfoot called the meeting to order at 7:07pm.

There were no changes to the February 2003 minutes.  The February 2003 minutes will stand as printed.

Treasurer's Report

Total net worth as of today is $6,065.19.

This consists of the following accounts:

Activity since the last meeting on February 3 was as follows:

Net increase of $92:

Expenses of $106:

Membership is 42.  The goal is to have 55.  Three new members just joined for a total of 45 which is closer to the goal.

If you are a paid member for 2003, there will be a name tag for you in back during meetings.

The scholarships will be paid in March as scheduled.

Announcements

Carolyn Barrette
The Wisconsin Master Gardeners conference is in about three weeks, March 21-22 at UWRF.  Starts Friday night and continues on through Saturday.  Carolyn reviewed many of the great speakers and features of the conference.  Some where between 12 to 15 vendors with garden tools, composters, etc will be at the conference.  The St. Croix Master Gardeners will be selling composters.

Ursula Peterson - (Guerilla teaching)
Information about oaks and oak wilt.

From her handout
The following species belong to the beech family:
Beech - Fagus, Oak - Quercus, Chestnut - Castanea

Of the oak family, there are 60 species native to the area north of Mexico, mostly deciduous.  There are several evergreen oaks, some are either deciduous or evergreen, depending on the area.

In our area, there are white oaks and red oaks.  The white oaks have leaves with rounded lobes, the acorns taste sweet and mature in the first season.  They grow 80 to 100 feet tall, with a wide spreading crown and lose their leaves in the fall.

The burr oak represents the larger group of the white oaks here.  The branches and branchlets of the burr oak are not as smooth as those of the red oaks.  The twigs often have corky wings.  The broadly ovoid acorn, .08 to 1.5 inches long, has a fringed cup covering the lower half.  The tree grows from 70 to 80 feet tall, with the crown not as wide as the spread.

Red oaks have spiney, pointed lobes.  The oblong, ovoid acorns are 0.8 to 1.0 inches long, with a flat saucer-like cup.  They are mostly bitter and mature in the second season.  The tree grows 50 to 70 feet tall.  Their leaves turn a shiny, coppery brown, and at least half of them stay on the tree during the winter, losing those late winter and early spring.

Often in the older red oaks, the leaves that stay on the tree outline the younger, smaller oak within the mature larger oak.  The outside leaves are gone but the inside leaves remain.  It is as if the tree remembers its younger years.

I have heard people say that the red oak is less susceptible to the oak wilt.  This is not true.  It is just that the white oak does not die quite as fast from oak wilt as the red oak, which usually dies within one season.  Therefore one should not cut or trim on any oak trees during the growing season.

Tina Adamek
We need some one to to sign up for treats for the next meeting.

Trudy Ohnsorg
Seeds are here for exchange.  Please take or leave seeds at meetings.

Mary Lacer
Oak wilt also spreads via roots.  Roots can be cut to possibly save a tree or prevent spreading of oak wilt.

New Business

No new business.

Old Business

Membership cards will be sent with the April newsletter.

Motion to close the meeting.  Motion passed.