Happy Spring. At last!
Everything will now jump into fourth gear: planting, weeding, mowing, and mulching, accompanied by sore backs, hands, muscles, shoulders, and legs — ouch! A few months ago, I was offered a free course by UVM on identifying some specific forest pests of great concern to Vermont. I was curious. I’m so glad I attended the webinars; it’s been an eye-opening program.
What have I learned? I learned that we have a Vermont Invasives program. Here’s the link: VTinvasives.org.
I learned that we need citizen scientists to augment the Forest Pest First Detectors (FPFD) groups all over Vermont to protect and save our glorious trees. I learned that as we walk in our woods, we need all eyes on our trees.
I learned these beautiful bugs exist and some are already here in Vermont. I learned that despite their beauty, they have the power to damage and destroy all sorts of trees. Our maple industry, our ash trees, our hemlocks, our fruit trees, our forests, and our autumn tourism industry are all at risk.
Finally, I learned what we can do to stop the spread of these beautiful, deadly bugs. I’m boiling it down to the absolute basics.
If you see a bug you don’t recognize (or suspect it is one of the ones below) and you are curious as to what it truly is, capture it, photograph it, and send that photo to the Vermont Invasives program here. Why?
It was a homeowner, on her back deck, who first spotted the Asian longhorned beetle in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2008. These beautiful bugs came from Asia on pallets with the goods we buy. They have no natural enemies here. Their favorite tree to munch on? The sugar maple. In Worcester, they were able to control the outbreak, which was probably years old, by cutting down all their maple and other hardwood trees. 34,000 trees were removed. They are still monitoring the area carefully to be sure that none of these bugs have escaped.
There are millions of trees here in Vermont. Please consider getting engaged and learning how we can help. Become a citizen scientist! Get familiar with these three bugs:
Aren't they gorgeous?
But what’s the best thing we can do today to prevent them from getting to Vermont or spreading around Vermont once they are here? Don't move untreated firewood. Buy it or harvest it locally and use it locally. Just don't move it!
Also, learn to identify these three bugs and check your vehicle for “hitchhikers” when driving into and out of Vermont from areas with infestations of these pests. All three — the emerald ash borer, the Asian longhorned beetle, and the spotted lanternfly — are inveterate hitchhikers. Leave them behind. Finally, when in doubt, call them out. How? Take a picture of them and email it to Vermont Invasives.
Happy hunting!
