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.  

Wall Lettuce (Mycelis muralis) is an early detection invasive species in Vermont. While not well established, it has the potential to spread quickly and outcompete native flora. It is a watch list species in New Hampshire, soon to be added to the watch list in Vermont, meaning the plant has invasive tendencies but is not yet prohibited.

A long-term study of managing Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) shows that clearing the invasive shrub from a wooded area once can lead to a significant reduction in abundance of blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) for as long as six years.

Vermont is losing 1,500 acres of forest a year and New England as a whole is losing nearly 24,000, according to a report released Tuesday by forestry researchers at Harvard University and the University of Vermont.

Monitoring for and treating invasive terrestrial plants are some of the more important things you can do to take care of Vermont’s working forests and natural areas. Effective July of 2016, yard and leaf debris were banned from landfills, including material from invasive plant control.

For any questions regarding invasive plant disposal, contact the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation Waste Management & Prevention Division at: (802) 828-1138, or vtrecycles.com.

A confluence of several events has renewed concerns for the well-being of hemlock trees in Vermont. Read more about why Vermonters should be especially concerned and what you can do to help.