In this issue...
DACF Update for Cities and Towns
Time: Monday, August 26, 2024 10:30 AM-Noon
Location: Virtual
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry will host a guest speaker on oak wilt disease from the State of New York and provide an update for city and town tree and forest managers and public works staff on the known status of emerald ash borer in Maine, and updates on other insects and diseases affecting Maine’s forests and trees.
Brief Introduction – Jan Santerre, Urban and Community Forestry, Maine Forest Service
Oak Wilt Response in New York – Rob Cole, New York Oak Wilt Coordinator
Maine Forest Service Summer Forest Health Conditions Updates – Allison Kanoti, Forest Health and Monitoring, Maine Forest Service
Wrap up – Jan Santerre, Urban and Community Forestry, Maine Forest Service
Continuing education credits: Licensed Pesticide Applicator, Maine Licensed Professional Forester, pending approval.
As we enter the peak season for invasive insect activity, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) call on everyone to help protect our beloved trees. Throughout August, we encourage everyone to spend just a few minutes checking the trees in their communities and forests for signs of invasive species.
Invasive species, which include non-native plants, animals, and diseases, can cause significant harm to our environment, economy, and even human health. These invaders can wreak havoc without natural predators or diseases to keep them in check.
Maine State Horticulturist Gary Fish explains, "Our first defense against invasive species is to prevent their arrival in the first place. Our partners at USDA APHIS and Customs and Border Protection here in the US and the 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."
Maine State Forester Patty Cormier highlights the crucial role of public involvement: "Trees are vital to our state economy and provide countless environmental benefits, including clean air, water, wildlife habitat, and recreation opportunities. With more eyes on the ground, we can help detect invasive insects early, preventing tree loss and preserving our forests."
Spotting the Threats - What to Look For
Watch for four primary invasive species:
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Asian longhorned beetle— This large (>1") black and white beetle has a taste for maples and other hardwood or broad-leaved trees. Look for oval to round wounds on the bark where the females have chewed out a site to deposit eggs, round holes in the trunks and branches of trees, and piles of coarse sawdust at the base of trees.
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Emerald ash borer — This small (<1/2") metallic green beetle is deadly for ash (Fraxinus) trees. Look for small (1/8") D-shaped adult exit holes in the bark, winding frass-filled (sawdust-like waste) feeding galleries under the bark, woodpecker feeding, crown dieback, and epicormic shoots. Emerald ash borer has been found in Parts of Androscoggin, Cumberland, Kennebec, Oxford, Penobscot, and York Counties in the southern half of the state and northern Aroostook County.
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Oak wilt disease — This deadly fungal disease of oaks is found in other parts of the United States, including the closest known infestations in New York State. Look for leaves suddenly turning brown or dropping in the red oak group (pointed lobes on leaves) trees during summer months.
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Spotted lanternfly — This colorful planthopper, not known to be established in Maine yet, is an expert hitchhiker with a broad appetite. Spotted lanternfly feeds on and can damage various plants. It is best known for its impact on grapes and hops. Look for the brightly colored nymphs and adults, but be aware that this insect hitches a ride most subtly as dull-colored egg masses. Like the infamous spongy moth, the adult lays eggs on almost anything. For more detailed profiles on these and other threats, you can visit the Maine Forest Service website: maine.gov/forestpests.
Please take 10 minutes and inspect the trees in your yards, neighborhoods, and local forests. If a suspected invasive pest is identified, take a picture and send it to [email protected]. Spotted lanternfly reports can be sent to [email protected]. Ensure photographs are detailed enough for verification—placing a coin or pencil next to the pest for scale can be helpful. If possible, capture the insect in a rigid container and store it in a cool place until you receive a response.
Taking a few simple actions can make a big difference:
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Buy firewood where you’ll burn it or gather it on-site if permitted. Moving firewood can spread invasive pests.
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Check vehicles, bags, and boxes for insects when traveling locally or moving to a new area. Invasive insects can easily hitch a ride.
State Horticulturist Fish reminds us, "We all have a role to play in preventing the spread of invasive species. Taking a few minutes to check the trees in your yard can ensure that our forests and trees are here for future generations."
We appreciate everyone’s dedication to protecting Maine’s trees and forests. Your vigilance and action are invaluable.
The Maine Forest Service and the APCAW Lab at the University of Maine are cooperating with the USDA APHIS Forest Pests Methods Laboratory and private landowners in a study that will integrate insecticide treatments of ash with biological control releases. In this first year of the study, we would like to identify one more cooperating landowner (private or public) with a site suitable for the study and characterize the site in preparation for initial treatments and biological control releases in 2025. In future years, APHIS plans to cooperate with the APCAW Lab at the University of Maine for summer field assistance. Here are some brief details of what is needed in a study site and the planned work:
Study Duration: Anticipated to be 10 years or more (funding dependent).
Study site size: At least 10 acres, ideally around 40 acres.
Study location: Ideally within two hours of either of the currently identified sites (Newport and Waterville, stars on map below), with emerald ash borer (EAB) in the immediate area.
Description of study trees: More than 150 well distributed ash trees over four (4) inches in diameter at breast height in fair to excellent health, dominant species, brown ash (Fraxinus nigra), but other species of Fraxinus (ash trees) can make up the full 150 study trees. Site should have ash saplings and mature ash and ideally be at least 25 percent ash.
Accessibility: The site should be easily accessible. During the study, weekly parasitoid releases and trap checks will be necessary.
Harvest expectation: Ideally, there will be no harvest in the treatment area during the duration of the study, but at a minimum, there will be no cutting for at least five years while parasitoids become established.
EAB presence and intensity: EAB detected within one (1) mile of the study site. Parasitoid releases will start within one (1) mile of the “treatment area.” Less than 10 percent of the ash trees in the “treatment area” are dead or dying from EAB.
Brief description of study plan:
2024: MFS- Forest Health and Monitoring will identify site. If possible (identified prior to leaf drop), characterize the stand and identify and measure potential treatment trees
2025: APCAW lab, APHIS, APHIS-contracted Licensed Commercial Pesticide Applicator; characterize stand, identify, assess, and treat trees in two (2) treatment and one (1) control groups, monitor EAB populations using green funnel traps visited on a biweekly basis by project staff, release biological control agents weekly
Treatment group 1: trees treated with injected emamectin benzoate every three years indefinitely
Treatment group 2: trees treated with injected emamectin benzoate every three years until EAB collapses
2026: Release biological control agents weekly, assess tree health, monitor EAB population through traps biweekly
2027 and onward: APCAW lab, APHIS, monitor biocontrols through traps and tree peeling, assess tree health, monitor EAB population through traps
Please reach out to [email protected] if you think you have a site that would be suitable for this study and are interested in participating.
This 4-day program includes technical sessions on the latest research and technology relevant to the industry, sugarhouse tours, networking with peers, a trades show, and more. Plus, the event will be located just inland from the beautiful coast of Portland, Maine.
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Tours of innovative Maine farms (October 23)
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Practical skills workshops and research presentations from producers, maple researchers, and extension specialists, and more (October 22 and 24)
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Maple products contest and awards (October 24)
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Trades show and networking opportunities (All 4 days).
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A formal banquet and awards ceremony (October 24)
Join hundreds of sugarmakers and other maple professionals for education, networking, and fun!
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