Christmas tree pests and weeds of different pests, most of which cause cosmetic damage to the trees, important in the Christmas tree industry. The balsam woolly adelgid ("Adelges picae") are small soft-bodied insects which attack the Fraser fir. The insects appear as white, woolly spots on the tree and are fatal to the fir if left untreated. The woolly adeligid was native to central Europe where it affected the silver fir; it was introduced to the United States, where it has no known native predators, before 1900. Balsam twig aphids ("Mindarus abietnus") are another type of tree pest which affects fir and spruce trees in
Douglas M. Fraser Douglas M. Fraser Douglas Malcolm Fraser (born April 16, 1953), is a retired United States Air Force general who served as the Commander, United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM). He was the first U.S. Air Force officer to become USSOUTHCOM's combatant commander. He previously served as Deputy Commander, United States Pacific Command from April 2008 to June 24, 2009. He assumed his final assignment on June 25, 2009. General Fraser earned his commission upon graduation from the United States Air Force Academy in 1975. His operational assignments include Europe, the Pacific, Air Combat Command and Air Force Space Command. He has