Woodswise Wire
JEFFERSON
– The 60th annual Forestry Field Day will be held Saturday, Sept. 6,
at Hidden Valley Nature Center, with exhibits, demonstrations, walks, tours and
food in abundance. The event, located each year at the Maine Outstanding Tree
Farm, is hosted jointly by the Small Woodland Owners of Maine and Maine Tree
Farm.
David
“Tracy” Moskovitz and Bambi Jones, founders of Hidden Valley, are the 2014
Maine honorees and were also selected as the outstanding tree farm in the
Northeast Region by the American Tree Farm System.
Gates
open at 8 a.m. and the program begins at 8:50 a.m. Among the featured tours and
demonstrations are managing for wildlife, birds of the forest, wildflowers,
mushrooms, non-timber forest products, bog walks, tree pruning, and trail
construction.
Three
different timber harvesting methods will be demonstrated throughout the day,
and children’s activities are included.
Lunchtime
speakers included John Piotti of the Maine Farmland Trust and Willard Morgan of
the Chewonki Foundation.
The
public is welcome to Field Day, which is annually attended by up to 300 people.
Admission is free, and lunch tickets are available for $6 / $10. Hidden Valley
Nature Center is on the Egypt Rd. For directions, call 626-0005 or visit www.swoam.org.
Contact: Tom Doak or Bill Williams / 626-0005 / tom@swoam.org
AUGUSTA, Maine – Hemlock
woolly adelgid was recently recognized in Camden by a tourist who had battled
the bug in his own backyard. It is clear the infestation in town is not
limited to the two stately shade trees it was found on, but the question
remains whether this insect has found its way into forests in and around
Camden.
Hemlock woolly adelgid is
a small, aphid-like insect. Most of the year, white, waxy tendrils cover
the insect’s body, making it resemble a miniature cotton ball. It is most
visible from late-October through July. The woolly masses can be found
attached to hemlock twigs at the bases of needles. Although there are adelgids
on other conifers, hemlock woolly adelgid is only found on hemlocks.
The insect, which came
from Japan in the 1950s, causes premature needle drop and twig dieback, and can
eventually lead to tree mortality. In Maine it has been found in forested
areas from Kittery to Owls Head. Previously in 2014, the hemlock woolly
adelgid had been found in forested areas of Friendship and Owls Head in Knox
County during Maine Forest Service detection surveys. If a broader
infestation is found in Camden, the city will be the third municipality in the
County and the 43rd in the state with a known established population in forest
trees.
Hemlock trees are a
significant Maine tree species. Often found near lakes and streams, hemlocks
contribute to Maine’s water quality. They also buffer stream temperatures which
can affect such species as brook trout. The trees, which are a favored
landscape tree, are also important in deer wintering areas and contribute to
the state’s forest economy.
In some Maine communities
with hemlock woolly adelgid, populations of the insect are scattered and hard
to find. In others, it can seem harder to find hemlocks free from adelgid
than those with it. In the latter areas, pockets of noticeable
adelgid-related decline are becoming apparent. For the first time this
year, adelgid-related hemlock mortality has been noted during aerial survey.
The Maine Forest Service
asks that people take some time to check their hemlocks for signs of this
pest. And, if you think you’ve seen it, please report it. Public
participation in detecting and reporting this insect allows us to more wisely
apply resources for management of the pest. Information on distribution
helps Maine Forest Service target surveys and management activities such as
release of predator beetles.
If you think you have
found evidence of hemlock woolly adelgid in Maine please call or email the
Maine Forest Service at: (207) 287-3147 or forestinfo@maine.gov
For more information
hemlock woolly adelgid, please see: http://maine.gov/dacf/mfs/forest_health/insects/hemlock_woolly_adelgid.htm.
The Christmas Tree Pest Manual 3rd
Edition is designed to help you identify and control damaging pests of
Christmas trees in the North Central and Northeastern regions of the United
States.
This edition includes several new pest
problems with a greater emphasis on pests of fir trees.
To receive a printed copy, send your mailing
address to: Doreen Deutsch @ ddeutsch@fs.fed.us
or call 651-649-5244
Available on the web @ http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/2014/Christmas%20Tree%20Pest%20Manual%203rd%20Edition.pdf
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