At the regular Wednesday meeting of Iowa Great Lakes Rotary on February 29, Peter van der Linden talked about several new threats to trees in the Iowa Great Lakes area. Bur Oak Blight is a fungus that attacks oak leaves in spring, causing them to gradually turn brown and then fall from the trees in mid to late summer. Some trees appear to be resistant. Susceptible trees that are attacked year after year can decline and eventually die. Homeowners can protect individual trees by hiring an arborist to treat them in spring, but this is expensive and not practical in large stands. Three other threats are not here yet, but coming: gypsy moth, emerald ash borer, and thousand cankers disease of walnut. These and other pests are spread when infected wood and nursery stock are moved from place to place. When camping it is important to buy firewood locally, not bring it with you. (Rotarians who could not attend the meeting are welcome to call Peter at (712) 337-3669 ext. 5 for more information.)