As the 2015-2016 hemlock woolly adelgid survey season got under way there was some concern for the condition of hemlock trees in southern Vermont. The preceding growing season included a period of sinificant drought. Trees on ledgy sites were showing signs of stress. Elongate hemlock scale had been found in the area, sometimes coexisting with HWA. As the winter wore on, temperatures were mild...
This winter has been the warmest on record in much of New England. And while many people enjoyed the T-shirt weather, it made Claire E. Rutledge, a researcher with Connecticut’s Agricultural Experiment Station, more concerned about what next season may hold.
Beginning in April, she will head to Wharton Brook and other state lands, setting traps for the southern pine beetle and checking...
Two years ago, in May 2014, the N.H. Division of Forests and Lands released parasitic wasps at three sites in Concord and Canterbury in an attempt to control emerald ash borer (EAB) populations with natural predators (read more about the project here). Bill Davidson and Kyle...
Vermont’s Public Access Greeter Program had a record-breaking year in 2015 while working to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS). Public access greeters educate lake visitors about invasive species and provide courtesy watercraft inspections for AIS.
The balsam woolly adelgid is an invasive insect that attacks true firs (Abies, spp) in eastern and western forests. In Vermont, the native balsam fir and a commonly used Christmas tree, Fraser fir, are susceptible. This insect originated in Europe; probably first arriving in the northeast around 1900. It has been reported in Vermont for many years. In 2015, scattered...
Snow lined fields, seed catalogs in the mailbox, and Punxsutawney not seeing his shadow bring thoughts of spring. A popular pastime in Vermont is to plan a walk through the woods just after snowmelt, and catch the brilliance of our spring ephemerals (short-lived wildflowers).
Walking through the woods in Chittenden County, you may run across someone studying a plant and photographing it with her cell phone. The Mapping for Healthy Forests pilot project has found success in the hands of a superstar volunteer, Meg McEnroe.
From New Jersey, now making her home in the Green Mountains, Meg was drawn to this project after seeing the type of damage invasive plant...
"DURHAM — After fighting the invasive glossy buckthorn for decades, Tom Lee, University of New Hampshire associate professor of forest ecology and NH Agricultural Experiment Station researcher, and Steve Eisenhaure, UNH Office of Woodlands and Natural Areas land use coordinator, have planted an entire orchard of the shrub at UNH's Kingman Farm.
CANTON — Residents, foresters and landscapers are being asked to be on the lookout for two new species that may invade the north country’s landscape, including a large worm that thrashes around like a snake.
The Asian spotted lanternfly and the giant Asian jumping worm are emerging invasive species that are being monitored by officials from Cornell Cooperative Extension of...
There are five challenges that are inhibiting our forests' ability to regenerate successfully and remain a productive land use and a healthy ecosystem: Invasive species, deer, fragmentation, habitat diversity and private owner stewardship.
A new resource has been released, discussing the impact of earthworms in Vermont.
"Where Are They From?
All earthworms in Vermont are non-native. Approximately 12,000 years ago the state of Vermont was covered by glacial ice. This event removed any native earthworms which may have evolved with our forests.
Earthworms were inadvertently imported with soil and plant...
"Invasive plants are increasingly altering the structure and function of our natural environment, and now researchers have determined how far-reaching the problem has become.
