Project Canopy
We hope you all fared OK after Tuesday's storm - here are a few tips and resources to help you deal with downed trees, limbs, and branches on your property.
 BDN - One of the most soothing past times is observing the natural world in our immediate surroundings: birds perching on telephone wires, butterflies fluttering over bushes and bees buzzing around flowers.
If you want to help support your local natural ecosystem, experts say that one of the best, easiest and most cost effective ways to do so is by planting a tree.
“Trees serve so many purposes,” said Jennifer Cummings, owner of Full Circle Landscaping in Yarmouth. “They’re one of the earliest flowering things in the spring, so pollinators get to use those first. They shade our houses, so it makes them need less air conditioning. If they’re deciduous trees, they lose their leaves in the winter so the sun can warm your house.” Read more...
 AUGUST - During August, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are asking the public to take a couple of minutes to check trees in their communities and forests for invasive insects. August is the peak time of year to see adult wood-boring insects, and the activity of other invasive pests is also visible.
"Our first defense against invasive species is to prevent their arrival in the first place," State Horticulturist Gary Fish explained. Our partners at USDA APHIS and Customs and Border Protection here in the US and Canadian Food Inspection Agency north of the border frequently stop plant pests before they can gain a foothold in North America. However, the volume of trade and travel prevents them from stopping every pest. Read more...
 CONCORD MONITOR - A long-running attempt to resurrect the American chestnut tree from the blight that virtually exterminated it – an attempt that can be seen in a Plymouth “germplasm conservation orchard” among other places – is now running on two tracks, one with traditional cross-breeding and one with genetic modification.
“We’ll be harvesting nuts in late September. Hopefully we’re going to have hundreds if not thousands,” said Thomas Klak, a professor at the University of New England in Maine who is about to send modified chestnut tree genes into the wild. “The weird weather has not helped us. Flower development on chestnut trees has been relatively slow this year.”
At UNE, Klak has built a lab that uses high-intensity light and fertilizers to bring trees to sexual maturity in six months as compared to a few years, speeding up cross-breeding efforts. Read more...
NYT - A few weeks into the coronavirus pandemic, Steve Maing, his partner and their 2-year-old daughter, Rosie, discovered the spot that would make their life in locked-down New York bearable.
Steps from a busy street in Queens, a trail in Forest Park leads down through thick woods to a pond fringed with reeds. It used to be deserted most days, but now New Yorkers in search of uncrowded green space are venturing deeper and more often into the natural areas — forests, wetlands and grasslands — that make up a third of New York City’s parks.
“It’s like walking through a secret door,” Mr. Maing said one recent morning as he and Rosie watched a wading heron.
Across the country, park workers say that more and more visitors, restless from a spring spent mostly indoors, are exploring wilder segments of cities, like old-growth forest in the Bronx, a salt marsh in Manhattan and woodlands in Minneapolis and Baltimore.
But the rise in foot traffic is putting stress on both well-trodden parks and traditionally underused areas at a time when the economic impact of the pandemic is also threatening them. Budget cuts are chipping away at upkeep and educational programs, and park workers are wondering how long it will be before erosion, trash and neglect cause damage to ecosystems and landscapes that could take years to reverse. Read more...
How trees protect themselves from wounds, disease and pests (including us)
3 Ways Cities Can Build Back Better through Green Recovery
Why City Trees Are Needed More Than Ever
On-line Continuing Education Credits Available for Licensed Foresters - To assist licensed foresters in obtaining continuing education credits during this time, the Maine Forest Service offers a number of suggestions for on-line learning. The list is comprised of programs we are aware of and should not be considered complete by any means. The omission of any program is unintentional. Foresters interested in these opportunities should sign up on the appropriate sites for notifications. Click here for the list.
PLT Offers New Online Green Job Quiz - Project Learning Tree (PLT) has launched an interactive quiz that allows youth to answer a few simple questions online and receive recommendations for a rewarding green career path that suits their personality. It’s fast, easy and fun to do, as well as perfect for youth ages 12-25 looking to learn about what it takes to perform jobs in sustainability, forestry and conservation. Try the online quiz here.
Aug 11 - Webinar: Clean Water on the Cape - Green Infrastructure in Sandwich and Yarmouth, MA. 1:00 – 2:30 PM EDT
Aug 12 - Webinar:Redlining's Intensifying Harm: Rising Temperatures, Hotter Neighborhoods, and How Trees Can Help. 12pm EDT
Aug 13 - Webinar: Opportunities and Challenges for Addressing Flooding and Stormwater Management: Lessons and Tools from the Great Lakes. 12pm EDT
2021 Park Passes go on Sale August 15, 2020! The 2021 Maine State Park Pass will go on sale on August 15, 2020. It is a great deal because the 2021 Park Pass is good for the remainder of 2020 and all of 2021; that's sixteen months for the price of twelve months!
Purchase your 2021 Park Pass at a Maine State Park. View the list of participating parks and their day-use fees.
Please note that Maine State Park Passes are:
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Not accepted at Acadia National Park, Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Baxter State Park, Maine Wildlife Park, Peacock Beach, Penobscot Narrows Observatory, Penobscot River Corridor, Scarborough Beach, the Songo Lock, or Swan Island.
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For day-use only and does not include camping.
A Maine State Park Pass is your day-entry key to extraordinary locations and activities.
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