WINOOSKI — Elizabeth Spinney and her crew walked through Gilbrook Natural Area armed with their weapons of choice, protected by thick gardening gloves and work boots. They were on the hunt for invasive plants, and their recent battle was just the latest in a war that seems never ending.
The invasive species problem continues to get worse as more plants find the Northeast to be a...
Just 15 years ago, the eastern hemlock tree, the mighty Redwood of the East, was a scenic highlight of Virginia’s Skyline Drive, creating the shady groves that put Shenandoah National Park on the conservation map.
Now 95% of them are dead, rotting on the forest floor or still standing above the canopy as gray ghosts, with a few scattered survivors living on borrowed time as their attackers literally suck the life out of them.
Last year’s dry spring, coupled with a stretch of dry weather this year, has helped to fuel the resurgence of the spongy moth caterpillar, a furry nuisance blamed for defoliating an estimated 9 million acres from Maine to Maryland in 1981
In the mid-2000s, a brown, slimy organism began showing up in some of Vermont’s high-quality trout streams. First in the Batten Kill River in 2006, and later in the White River and Mad River, among others. It appeared that Didymosphenia geminata (Didymo, or “rock snot”) had gained a foothold in the state, and was slowly spreading across Vermont. There were fears that the...
The Regional Invasive Insect Preparedness Team (RIIPT) presents four new hilarious and educational emerald ash borer public service announcements. The videos were produced by Demars Media and their work was funded in part by a Caring for Canopy Grant from the Vermont Urban & Community Forestry Program. Check out the videos...
"Permaculture is on the rise. Like small-scale, local farming in general, permaculture is fueled by increasing reports of damage caused by industrial-scale agriculture – pollution of land and water, neurotoxic pesticides, inhumane treatment of domestic animals, and sweeping destruction of habitat.
The forest at Great Smoky Mountains National Park is sick, infected by invasive bugs and plants. Matt Moore, Kaleb Lique Naitove and Emily Baird of the National Park Service are some of the field medics trying to keep it alive.
The Mapping for Healthy Forests Vermont project on iNaturalist is well underway for the 2016 growing season. Already, volunteers have collected over 1,700 observations across the state, from Woodford to Highgate! If you would like to be part of the action, check out www.inaturalist.org, join the “Mapping for Healthy Forests".
This June, The Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program is piloting a NEW Backyard Woods Program. The Program will be piloted in Washington County and is a four-week online program.
Springfield, Vt. — An invasive pest with a nasty habit of killing trees has established a toehold in the Upper Valley, and could bring devastation to the area’s forests in coming years, wildlife officials say.
"The United States has a rich native flora of over 18,000 native plant species. Plants color our distinctive and inspirational landscapes and provide a multitude of ecological goods and services. Native plants continue to provide new material for domestic gardens and urban spaces. Increasingly naturalistic planting schemes draw on the rich palette of native species combined with plants from...
A new Vermont rule effective May 1st prevents invasive insects from piggybacking into the state on untreated firewood. As summer camping season arrives, visitors to Vermont should be prepared to buy firewood in-state or be able to verify that imported firewood is heat-treated to USDA-approved standards.
