Woodswise Wire
New Hampshire
is poised to add two more counties to their emerald ash borer quarantine.
The Rockingham County addition brings the quarantine immediately adjacent to
our border for the first time. The find is towards the western border of
the county in Salem. The addition of the second of those counties,
Hillsborough, is all but definite; awaiting confirmation from USDA APHIS,
PPQ. That detection was in Weare, in the northeastern portion of the
county, near Concord. You can read more in the UNH Cooperative Extension
update below.
In Maine
emerald ash borer news, most traps have been retrieved, with no positives to
report. Your role in the detection survey is extremely important this
time of year when woodpecker activity begins to pick up. Native woodpeckers
will be seeking out insects beneath the bark of trees. Emerald ash borer
infested trees are targets of those hungry birds. The woodpeckers go after
pre-pupae and larvae beneath the outer bark of infested ash trees, leaving
bright patches on the trunks and branches. This “blonding” is most
visible in late fall through early spring. To learn more visit www.maine.gov/eab.
Emerald ash borer (EAB) is
on the move
Because EAB adults were found in Salem, NH as of October 9,
the EAB quarantine was
expanded from Merrimack to Rockingham County and also that part of eastern
Hillsborough including and east of the Everett Turnpike and the Route 293 loop
around Manchester. The parts of Hillsborough County added to the quarantine
include all or portions of Pelham, Hudson, Nashua, Litchfield, Merrimack,
Bedford, and Manchester.
Whenever EAB is found in a county, federal law requires the
entire county be quarantined. Parts of a county can be quarantined for other
reasons and including this small section of Hillsborough county was deemed to
facilitate commerce without greatly adding to the threat of the spread of the
insect.
EAB was recently found in Hopkinton NH which is in Merrimack
County and that find won’t result in a change of quarantine. It has resulted in
a change in the management
zone map and many residents of Hopkinton and surrounding communities are
now in the “generally infested area,” where before they were in the “potential
expansion area.” UNH Cooperative Extension’s, Tim Fleury, and the N.H. Division
of Forests & Lands, Molly Heuss, are meeting with affected residents and
town officials to inform them of the find and suggest management
strategies. First on a landowner’s “to do” list is to look for ash and
decide if it is high-valued or not. Value is subjective and can be for economic
or personal reasons. At nhbugs.org we review effective
insecticides for use with landscape trees
Of course, the “potential expansion area” is inching outward
into the surrounding towns (see
map for the edges of the zones). The potential expansion area is the zone
where EAB isn't known to be, but the area is within 10 miles of the outer
limits of the known infestation and there is a high probability EAB will spread
naturally to this zone within a few years. Recommendations for people in this
zone include to look for ash and treat high-value landscape ash with an
approved insecticide and develop and implement a management plan for the ash
(and other trees) on your woodlot.
Some disappointing news—on October 8, NH Division of Forests
& Lands staff found evidence of EAB in Weare and those of you familiar with
New Hampshire counties know that Weare is in Hillsborough County. As of now,
this find is considered “unconfirmed” since finds in new counties must be
confirmed by an APHIS entomologist before quarantines are imposed. Once that
confirmation happens, the state will proceed to quarantine all of Hillsborough
County.
We will keep you informed through this Enews and www.nhbugs.org and thank-you to all who
continue to look and report suspect trees and insects on www.nhbugs.org
Friday,
November 7, 2014, 3:00 – 5:00 PM at the Maine Lakes Resource Center, Belgrade
Village
Come
and learn about the insects that are threatening our street trees and forests;
some already in Maine, like the hemlock woolly adelgid and the winter moth, and
some not yet found, like the emerald ash borer and the Asian longhorned beetle.
These insects are causing widespread tree mortality in many other states. Learn
how to recognize them and the signs they leave on their host trees. Early
detection of these pests is critical to limiting their impacts.
Presenters: Lorraine Taft, Forest Pest Outreach Volunteer Coordinator Karen Coluzzi,
Entomologist - Exotic Pest Survey Coordinator Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation
and Forestry Division of Animal
and Plant Health
Co-Sponsor:
Kennebec County Soil and Water Conservation District
Register:
Dale
Finseth, dale@kcswcd.org or 622-7847 x3
We
will be taking donations to help be fray some of the costs.
Please
pass this information on to others who may be interested.
Please
register so we know how many to expect.
What
to expect:
- A two hour workshop focused on
the need to understand the potential impact of woodland and forest
pests/invasive insects in Maine and New England.
- An opportunity to collect
information to help landowners and others identify the likely culprits and
the areas they may inhabit.
- Learn how to report potential
“invasions” in your area and what you may be able to do in order to inform
your neighbors.
The
workshop is scheduled on a Friday afternoon in order to make it easier for
people to attend with the least disruption to their daily schedule.
We
will have snacks and lots of handouts in addition to displays.
Sign
up to attend so we know how many people to expect.
Woodland owners in Maine, New Hampshire,
Vermont and New York are about to have a new tool to help them learn about
their woods. AboutMyWoods is a new app for mobile phones and tablets
(both Apple and Android) that puts a wealth of information at your fingertips.
Developed to help forest landowners learn
more about their land and connect to professionals who can help them,
AboutMyWoods is a great way to connect with the information that landowners
need.
One of the unique features of the app is the
ability of a landowner to pinpoint a spot on the map – either where they are
located or any other spot in the region – and access maps and information
specific to that location.
Maps include soils, land cover type,
watershed and satellite view, providing users with instant and mobile access to
information specific to individual parcels and locations. With complete
coverage in the four state region, landowners can access maps specific to their
interests.
In addition to maps, the AboutMyWoods app
helps find local professionals – including state forestry educators, landowner
organizations, Tree Farm committees, and land trusts active in the region.
Users will also be able to use the app to
identify common wildlife, trees, wildflowers, and invasive plants and insects.
High‐quality photos,
coupled with in‐depth descriptions,
provide the user with an indispensable tool for understanding their woods.
To be notified when AboutMyWoods
is available, please send an email to aboutmywoods@inrsllc.com
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