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The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Foods & Markets report that emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive forest insect from Asia, has been detected in Vermont. Officials with the USDA Animal & Plant Health and Inspection Service have confirmed the identification of a beetle recently found in northern Orange County, Vermont. The insect was reported through the vtinvasives.org website.
In a state where agriculture and forestry are important industries, the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is not a welcomed guest. First discovered in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 2014, the colorful invasive from China poses a threat to timber, viticulture, fruit and nursery businesses. By the end of 2017, nearly 3,000 square miles of the state have been affected.
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department responded to an angler report of an unusual fish in his bait bucket, and eventually cited a Vermont baitfish wholesaler for illegally importing an unapproved fish species into the state.
This is part three (final) in a three-part series on how to create an invasive plant management plan. This section will guide you through assessing and mapping options for everyday landowners.
In Pennsylvania, where emerald ash borer has been present since 2007, municipalities have found successful ash-management plans under guidance of the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and they offer a model for other regions to follow. A new guide outlines a set of four options for communities to choose from as they plan for the impact of the emerald ash borer.
Scientists are debating whether and why it appears that the number of species at sites worldwide is holding steady (even increasing at many), as biodiversity declines globally.
Under new rules that went into effect Sunday, the sale and distribution of 38 destructive, invasive plant species will become illegal.
In its list, the state agriculture department included various types of honeysuckles, Bradford pear trees, autumn olive shrubs and fig buttercup flowers that line freeways, coat forest floors and choke wild spaces across Ohio.........................."
Author Credit: By Marion Renault, The Columbus Dispatch
Funding for aquatic nuisance species management projects for the upcoming year is now available through the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.
It may be hard to believe, but the emerald ash borer or "EAB" has not been found in Vermont yet. It surrounds us on all of our borders and has taken up residence in 31 states and three Canadian provinces. In case you are feeling out of the loop, here are some great resources to help you stay up to date and prepare for the arrival of EAB.
The winter of 2016- 2017 was a good one for hemlock woolly adelgids (HWA) in Vermont, which is probably bad news for hemlock trees. The adelgid is an invasive forest insect that attacks hemlock trees and was first discovered in Vermont in 2007. Last winter’s HWA mortality rate was only 65%, compared to 99 – 97% for the previous three years. Forest health staff with the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation are seeking volunteers to help survey for HWA.
The growing season for 2017 saw many projects across the state tackling the forest, field, and wetland health issue of non-native invasive plants. Below are highlights of some of these amazing local efforts. Huge thanks to everyone who is working toward making our Vermont landscapes healthier and more resilient, and protecting them for generations to come.
Council Member John T. wrote to me after last summer’s ReLeaf Conference. He was surprised that in the conversations he had with other ReLeaf folks, there was little to no awareness of the Asian jumping worm (Amynthas agrestis) and how damaging it is to forests, including, one could assume, the urban forest.
Last summer, for the first time, I noticed that my compost-enriched vegetable garden soil seemed excessively granulated, and the soil was subsiding and drying out faster than usual. Turns out, the granulation was the worm castings of the voracious eater, Amynthas agrestis. I’ve since seen the big worms, and now I shudder when they appear. Read on to see why it’s now my mission to rid my garden of these worms, and why the Asian jumping worm is a concern for foresters throughout much of the country.
Most of us have become accustomed to seeing Halloween lady beetles, boxelder bugs and western conifer seed bugs on and in our homes in the fall. Here’s a new critter to add to that nuisance list: the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys.
Water chestnut (Trapa natans) is an established invasive plant that, like many other non-native plants, escaped a cultivated life in the 1870’s to spread and grow into new territories beyond the small garden in which it once existed. Lacking any major herbivores to consume the fruit or plant, its growth consumes wide areas of water, creating impassable dense mats. The establishment of this species, if left unchecked, can severely limit boating, fishing, hunting, swimming, and other recreational activities on the water.
