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 Fraser He dropped out of high school when he was 18, worked in a machine shop, and took several jobs in the automobile industry. Fraser eventually found work as a metal finisher in one of Chrysler's DeSoto factories, where he became active in the union in 1936. He was twice fired for his union beliefs and activities and participated sitdown strikes at Chrysler. Fraser was elected president of UAW Local 227 in 1943, and served in the US Army during World War II. After the war, Fraser quickly rose through the ranks in the UAW. He was appointed an international representative