Woods Wise Wire - October 14, 2014

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Woodswise Wire

Emerald ash borer (EAB) update

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 


Invasive Insects of Trees – New and Emerging Threats - Belgrade

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.


Sign Up Now for a new App to Help Forest Landowners Learn About their Woods

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. Highquality photos, coupled with indepth 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