The Nature Conservancy is asking everyone that plans to use firewood for the solar eclipse celebration weekend to buy local firewood near their destination, bring packaged certified heat-treated firewood, or gather their firewood responsibly on site if permitted by the campground or landowner.
The newly launched Vermont Forest Invasive Pest Status Map offers an interactive platform to track the spread of invasive species such as beech leaf disease, elm zigzag sawfly, elongate hemlock scale, emerald ash borer, and hemlock woolly adelgid across the state.
There’s a new invasive insect zigzagging its way across North America. First reported by citizen scientists in Quebec in 2020, the elm zigzag sawfly (Aproceros leucopoda) has now spread to North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont. This new pest, which is native to Asia, has the potential to cause major devastation to one of our native tree species.
A new study led by a team of scientists from the Yale School of the Environment found differences at the cellular level of leaves from infected Beech trees — variations that may account for tree mortality.
Did you know that alert community members are the first to spot most invasive insect infestations? The Forest Pest First Detectors (FPFD) program trains volunteers to protect our forests. If you care about preserving our natural heritage, this free, on-line training is for you!
Beech leaf disease (BLD), caused by the invasive nematode or roundworm Litylenchus crenatae mccannii, has been confirmed for the first time in Vermont.
The invasive insect known as Elm zigzag sawfly (EZS) has been confirmed for the first time in Vermont. After receiving a report of potential EZS activity in northwestern Vermont, staff from both the Forest Health program of the Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) and Plant Health program of the Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets (AAFM), collected larval samples from affected elm foliage in May 2023. Samples were sent to the US Department of Agriculture Plant Protection and Quarantine program for identification, and EZS has now been officially confirmed within the state.
Public reports and staff observations recorded damages across the state from Highgate to Halifax, with cold pockets and river valleys seeing the most extensive damage. Most reports of freeze damage in forests stated damage to members of the Fagaceae family, including American beech (Fagus grandifolia) and red oak (Quercus rubra) regardless of geographic location.
Vermont Woodlands Association is partnering with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation to gather more information about the geographic extent of the damage as well as the species involved.
Vermont’s Noxious Weeds Quarantine rule was adopted in 2002, and most recently amended in 2012, and is implemented by the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets under its statutory authority. The rule regulates the importation, movement, sale, possession, cultivation, and/or distribution of certain plants known to adversely impact the economy, environment, or human or animal health.
Since 2017, volunteers have been collecting information on invasive plant phenology through a project called the Statewide Invasive Plant Phenology Monitoring Project (SIPPMoP). During the second full week of each month of the growing season, volunteers take note of the life stage of whatever invasive plants they see.
