Tree care goes global

March 30, 2011

From a Syngenta news release

During the International Year of Forests, Syngenta's integrated solutions are protecting trees around the world.

Whether it is to protect pines in Portugal, ash trees in the US or eucalyptus plantations in Brazil – Syngenta’s innovative and integrative technologies are key to effective treatment. Our successful tree care campaigns in many regions around the world demonstrate our increasingly global approach and emerging role in tree health. 

Tree pests are travelling - our solutions do too

With global travel and trade increasing, more and more tree pests and diseases have been brought into areas where they didn't exist before. This can have serious consequences – in the worst case rapid death – for infected trees. For example, Pine wilt disease, which is caused by the pinewood nematode, originated in Asia and has killed huge numbers of pine trees following its spread into Portugal and more recently Spain. The Portuguese outbreak resulted in a quarantine that brought the pine industry to a standstill. To help prevent the disease and provide long-term protection to trees with minimal environmental impact, a cross-functional Lawn & Garden team successfully developed and launched Pursue® in Portugal,

Pursue is an insecticide formulation that is injected into the tree's water conducting system to kill the pinewood nematode and suppress the population of the insects that moves the disease between trees. The initial response has been so positive that the Spanish authorities have also expressed their intent to consider an emergency registration to protect their own pine plantations.

In 2009, Syngenta received a local need registration in 12 US states for Tree-äge, an insecticide formulation that is injected into Ash trees. Tens of millions of Ash trees in the Midwestern and Northeastern US and in Southern Canada have already been killed by the emerald ash borer, another native of Asia, which poses a major economic and environmental threat to urban and forested areas. Tree-äge has been so successful that, in 2010, its registration was broadly extended to allow its application in a huge range of trees and against a broad range of pests, setting the gold standard for tree protection in the USA.

Improving plantation productivity 

I"We have exciting technology in place in many regions around the world to meet needs in plantations, while also protecting forests and amenity trees from pests and diseases," says Mark Birchmore, Head of Marketing for Landscape in Lawn & Garden. "By working with customers and key stakeholders, our teams are unlocking  the potential of Syngenta’s know-how and products to keep plantations productive, forests healthy, and allow people to enjoy their living experience surrounded by healthy trees."