➾ imprelis settlement
detectable at very low levels in 2013. Herbicide residues in plant tissues have degraded more slowly and material from affected plants should not be used as mulch. Additional information about the Imprelis® Class Action Settlement, including the terms of the Settlement Agreement, can be found on the official court-approved website at https://treedamagesettlement. com. Answers to questions about the settlement may also be found by calling 1-866-802-8112 (Imprelis® Settlement Information Line). Special thanks are extended to the Honorable Judge Gene E.K. Pratter (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania) for facilitating contact with individuals who, unlike the judge, are able to discuss the proposed settlement and to Ashley N. Bailey (Cromwell & Moring LLP, Washington, DC), a member of the legal team representing DuPont in the Imprelis® matter, for her assistance in clarifying the status and the specifics of the of the negotiated Imprelis® settlement. For additional information about the effects of Imprelis® on landscape plants and the Imprelis® settlement, see the following selected resources:
Figure 2. One of more than 30 Black Hills white (Picea glauca var. denstata) and Colorado (Picea pungens) spruce trees damaged by the herbicide Imprelis® growing on a commercial property in a Twin Cities suburb; like most affected trees on the property, this tree has exhibited very minimal signs of recovery during the 2012 and 2013 growing seasons and will likely need to be removed and replaced as it is unlikely it will recover to become an attractive landscape plant (March, 2014) (Photo Credit: Jim Calkins).
been previously noted or the result of continued decline of previously affected trees. The damage caused by Imprelis® has included a variety of symptoms including complete mortality, dieback, browning, branch deformations (drooping, twisting, bending/epinasty), swelling of branch tips or terminal buds (clubbing), stunting, the formation of fleshy galls on trunks and branches, brown and dead buds, and various leaf deformities (cupping, twisting, and curling). An umbrella effect on pines where the needles are reflexed backwards resulting in an umbrella appearance has also been observed. Evergreens including Norway (Picea abies) and Colorado (Picea pungens) spruce and eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) have been most commonly affected, but other species of spruce (Picea spp.) and lilacs (Syringa spp.), yews (Taxus spp.), common honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos), aspen/cottonwood (Populus spp.), oaks (Quercus spp.), eastern white cedar/arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis), and various other deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs have also been affected. Although damage to other species has been significant, Norway spruce and white pine appear to have been the most susceptible. While some damaged trees may recover, most, and especially evergreens that do not show widespread signs of new and normal terminal growth, are likely to be disfigured and are unlikely to become acceptable landscape plants. As expected, herbicide levels in the soil have declined over time. Research indicates Imprelis® in the soil on sites treated at recommended rates before Imprelis® was removed from the market has degraded such that residuals were no longer detectable or only 44
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Cregg, B. 2013. Imprelis Update for Spring 2013. Michigan State University Extension; June 6, 2013. http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/ imprelis_update_for_spring_2013 Cregg, B. 2013. Imprelis Update for Late Summer 2013. 2013. Michigan State University Extension; August 22, 2013. http://msue.anr.msu.edu/ news/imprelis_update_for_late_summer_2013 Cregg, B. 2013. Imprelis Update. MTGF Clippings 21(2):16-17. www. mtgf.org ??? Purdue University Imprelis Clearinghouse Website. http://www.agry. purdue.edu/turf/ImprelisUpdateLinks.html Patton, A., T. Creswell, G. Ruhl, K. Daniel, S. Weller, and L. Purcell. 2013. 2013 Imprelis® Update: Tree Maintenance, Replacement, and Disposal. Purdue Extension, Purdue Plant & Pest Diagnostic Laboratory; August, 2013. http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/PPDL/pubs/briefs/ImprelisUpdate2013.pdf DuPont. 2013. The Facts about Imprelis®. http://imprelis-facts.com/ Patton, A., T. Creswell, G. Ruhl, and S. Weller. 2012. Imprelis Update: 2012 Field Notes on Injury and Recovery. Purdue Extension, Purdue Plant & Pest Diagnostic Laboratory; June, 2012. http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/PPDL/pubs/briefs/ImprelisUpdate2012.pdf Creswell, T., G. Ruhl, A. Patton, and S. Weller. 2012. A Homeowner’s Guide to Imprelis® Herbicide Injury in the Landscape. Purdue Extension, Purdue Plant & Pest Diagnostic Laboratory; September, 2011. http:// www.ppdl.purdue.edu/ppdl/pubs/briefs/ImprelisFAQ.pdf A Turf Professionals Guide to Imprelis® Herbicide Injury in the Landscape. Purdue Extension, Purdue Plant & Pest Diagnostic Laboratory; November, 2011. http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/PPDL/pubs/briefs/ ImprelisLCO.pdf In Re: Imprelis Herbicide Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation. October 17, 2013. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/ pkg/USCOURTS-paed-2_11-md-02284/pdf/USCOURTS-paed-2_11md-02284-7.pdf
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