Black ash (Fraxinus nigra) is directly under threat by the emerald ash borer. Recently, Native Plant Trust has received funding to collect seed from black ash populations in northern New England for conservation purposes. This January 30 online course will summarize those findings, along with black ash general ecology, habitat and identification information, cultural importance, and conservation considerations. Led by Erik Sechler, the session is $26 for NPT members, $30 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/black-ash-conservation-in-new-england/
On Friday, March 1, the New England Botanical Society will hold its monthly meeting at 7 pm at Harvard University’s Haller Lecture Hall and also live via Zoom. Dr. John Daigle, Professor of Forest Recreation Management, School of Forest Resources, University of Maine in Orono, will speak on Building a Community of Interest and Response to an Invasive Species Threatening Maine’s Ash Trees and Wabanaki Cultural Lifeways. Free. Non-members may register for the meeting access link here.
For the past 15 years, Dr. John J. Daigle, a citizen member of the Penobscot Nation, has been working on a project mobilizing diverse interests to address potential threats from invasive species in Maine – the case of the Emerald Ash Borer. The research seeks to study and facilitate the ways that Wabanaki, basket-makers, tribes, state and federal foresters, university researchers, landowners and others come together to prevent, detect, and respond to the threat of Emerald Ash Borer. He has published research with co-authors on outreach and education, management, and policy. In 2023, the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik or APCAW was created, offering informative webinars and in-person trainings, as well as a dedicated APCAW website for recorded sessions and other program information.
This March 25 Native Plants Trust program at Garden in the Woods in Framingham from 10:30 – 12:30 will discuss the sugar maple white ash forest communities that have such a remarkable diversity of native plants. The talk will cover the location of these communities in New England, their physical features, and, in detail, their flora. Threats to this community, such as invasive plans and the emerald ash borer will also be discussed. Ted Elliman leads the discussion. $30 for NPT members, $36 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/rich-mesic-forests/
The Xerces Society and University of Nevada researchers recently sampled milkweeds from 33 retail nurseries across 15 states, finding an average of 12 pesticides per plant. Milkweed is the primary food for the caterpillars of monarch butterflies, which have dramatically declined and are the focus of intensive restoration efforts. This study was the first to examine pesticide residues in commercially produced nursery plants from the perspective of monarchs. Meanwhile the Pacific Northwest is facing the establishment of the emerald ash borer, an insect that has devastated ash forests across the U.S. Yet the pesticides most often used to ensure the trees’ survival are toxic to Lepidopterans (butterflies and moths). Join Sharon Selvaggio and Aaron Anderson with the Xerces Society to learn why the milkweed study findings raise concerns, what you can do to increase your probability of buying pollinator-safe plants, the risks of the insecticides used to fight EAB, and some solutions that may slow the EAB spread while minimizing harm to butterflies and other insects that use ash trees.
Click here for more information and to register. The webinar will take place February 14 from 1:25 – 2:25 and is sponsored by the Xerces Society.
Invasive insects not only impact our naturalized areas, but our urban forests and managed landscapes as well. Insects including the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) and emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) have had striking impacts in Massachusetts and beyond. Relatively new non-native species, like the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), continue to threaten our shade trees, ornamentals, and agriculture. This online presentation will discuss how to identify these organisms and the damage they cause, their biology, and where to report suspicious insects so you can help protect the Commonwealth. The event is co-sponsored by The Garden Club of the Back Bay and Speak for the Trees, Boston, on April 29 at 11 am, with speaker Tawny Simisky, Extension Entomologist, UMASS Extension.
Join Tawny Simisky, UMass Extension Entomologist, Rick Harper, UMass Extension Associate Professor, Ken Gooch and Nicole Keleher, MA Department of Conservation and Recreation Forest Health Program, Phil Lewis, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service PPQ, and Mollie Freilicher, MA Department of Conservation and Recreation Urban and Community Forestry Program, for a field day devoted to the invasive emerald ash borer (EAB). The morning will begin with a classroom-style overview of ash tree and EAB identification and status, as well as insect monitoring and management options. The remainder of the program will include on-site visitation of the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary to view ash trees and EAB infestations. Trapping demonstrations and tips to carry out community tree inventories to detect and manage ash trees will also occur. This training is designed for arborists, tree wardens/urban foresters, municipal officials, landscapers, land managers, landowners and tree enthusiasts.
Co-sponsored by UMass Extension, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, and Mass Audubon. Preregistration required – space is limited to 60 participants; cost is a reduced $25 per person, thanks to funding support provided by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and meeting space provided by Mass Audubon. Lunch will be on your own but morning coffee and snacks will be provided. The event takes place at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, 127 Combs Road in Easthampton on Tuesday, September 11 from 8:30 – 1. Print registration form at https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/events/emerald-ash-borer-field-day
Emerald Ash borer (EAB) Agrilus planipennis and the Asian longhorned Beetle (ALB) Anoplophora glabripennis, are considered to be two of the most serious invasive pests of deciduous trees in North America. Efficient monitoring traps are needed to detect and delimit new introductions and assess population densities of established infestations. Development of a monitoring trap for these pests are hindered by their complex sequence of mating behaviors.
EAB and ALB mating involves host kairomones, male produced short range pheromones, female produced short range pheromones, female produced trail and cuticular contact pheromones, along with important visual cues. A Tuesday, April 11 Cambridge Entomological Club presentation by Dr. Damon Crook of the USDA will discuss the complex chemical ecology of these insects and show what electrophysiological and behavioral research is currently being done at the Otis USDA laboratory with regards to identifying and testing new potential attractants and traps.
The lecture will take place at Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, MCA 101 in Cambridge. Parking permits are available: see www.entclub.org for details. Free and open to the public.
Brown ash trees sustain the ancestral basket-making traditions of the Wabanaki people of Maine and play a key role in their creation myths. These trees are now threatened by the emerald ash borer, a beetle that has already killed millions of ash trees in the eastern United States. Wabanaki tribes and basket makers (see basket image below from Hood Museum at Dartmouth) have joined forces with foresters, university researchers, and landowners to develop and deploy actions aimed at preventing an invasion by this insect. Anthropologist Darren Ranco, PhD, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Coordinator of Native American Research, University of Maine discusses how the stakeholders involved in this interdisciplinary effort are making use of sustainability science and drawing from Wabanaki forms of diplomacy to influence state and federal responses to the emerald ash borer, and prevent the demise of the ash trees that are so central to Wabanaki culture. The program will take place on Tuesday, November 18, from 7 – 8 at the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge, and is sponsored by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, in collaboration with the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture. Visit the exhibits in the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology and the Harvard Museum of Natural History, open for special evening hours following the lecture. Free event parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage. Free and open to the public.
Do invasive insects threaten the Arnold Arboretum’s valuable tree species? Join Rachel Brinkman, Horticultural Apprentice, at the Arborway Gate of the Arnold Arboretum on Saturday, October 26 at 11:30 am on a tour to learn more about the Asian Long Horn Beetle (ALB), Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (below), and other pests. Learn about susceptible tree species and how to identify these insects before they infest trees. Neither EAB nor ALB have been found in the Arboretum, but close monitoring is critical. Bring binoculars if you have them; a limited number will be available to borrow. In case of inclement weather, contact 617.384.5209. This activity is free, but you may register at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu.
The Ecological Landscape Association. www.ecolandscaping.org, has sent us this reminder. We approach the 5th anniversary of the discovery of Asian Longhorned Beetle in Massachusetts. Since 2008, more than 30,000 hardwood trees have been removed because of this invasive pest. Recently, another wood-boring beetle, the Emerald Ash Borer, was found in Berkshire County, and now threatens millions of Ash trees in the state. Join your fellow citizens during the month of August and check your trees for signs of damage caused by Asian Longhorned Beetle and Emerald Ash Borer, and learn to recognize the beetles themselves. For more detailed information, visit http://massnrc.org/pests/blog/ or email Stacy Kilb, ALB Outreach Coordinator at stacy.kilb@state.ma.us or call (617)780-1371.
