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Upcoming Forest Health Events
Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry sent this bulletin at 08/04/2023 02:31 PM EDT
Division / Program: Maine Forest Service / Forest Health & Monitoring Date: August 18, 2023 Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Location: Virtual Event Type: Microsoft Teams Webinar
Join us for August’s Forestry Friday webinar series! Brittany Schappach, a Maine Forest Service Entomologist, will present an educational webinar on the history, biology, forest impacts, and management of invasive jumping worms (Amynthas spp.) in Maine.
Did you know that Maine does not have any native earthworms? Jumping worms, also known as Crazy Worms or Snake Worms, are a non-native, invasive pest species in Maine. Jumping worms can have ecosystem impacts by rapidly changing forest soil composition, which affects soil nutrients and structure, organisms in the soil, and plant communities. Currently, there are established populations in York, Cumberland, Oxford, Androscoggin, Sagadahoc, Kennebec, Lincoln, Knox, Waldo, Penobscot, and Hancock counties. In 2022, jumping worms were confirmed in 8 new towns in the state.
Learn more by joining us for this upcoming Forestry Friday webinar! Registration is not required.
European nightcrawler compared with Jumping worm species. Photo courtesy Wisconsin DNR.
Emerald Ash Borer and Other Tree Health Concerns, Maine DACF Update for Cities and Towns
Division / Program: Maine Forest Service / Forest Health & Monitoring Date: August 28, 2023 Time: 10:30 AM to noon Location: Virtual Event Type: Microsoft Teams Webinar
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry update for city and town tree and forest managers and public works staff on the known status of emerald ash borer in Maine, current state efforts, municipal opportunities, and updates on other insects or diseases affecting forests and trees.
August’s update will focus on new developments in the state quarantine on emerald ash borer; provide an update on the pest within Maine and also provide information on hemlock woolly adelgid status in Maine and Asian longhorned beetle in the United States and Canada.
Credits: This update has been approved for 1 credit hour for licensed pesticide applicators. IMPORTANT: to be eligible for credits you must register, attend the live session, and pass a brief online quiz provided during the session.
A public hearing is scheduled for September 1, 2023 at 9:00 AM in Room 101 of the Deering Building at 90 Blossom Lane in Augusta. This will be a hybrid meeting to allow for comments related to the new proposed rules. For more information, visit the Board Meetings Page.
EPA Releases Draft Strategy to Better Protect Endangered Species from Herbicide Use Update
Recently EPA released a Draft Herbicide Framework Document that describes how the agency plans to incorporate protections for endangered species into pesticide registrations and re-registrations. EPA has recently been directed by the courts to make rapid changes to how it implements the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Under the old approach, EPA has completed fewer than 5% of all the ESA actions required by law. As a result of this court action EPA is proposing an entirely new approach to incorporating endangered species into how it registers and re-registers pesticides.
Instead of looking closely at each pesticide’s overlap with each endangered species and critical habitat, EPA is creating broad mitigation plans that can be applied to areas with protected species. Maine is home to the critical habitats for two endangered species, the Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis) and the Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar). These critical habitats cover a large portion of the state, see the photo above. Growers in the ranges of protected species and habitats would be required to use additional mitigation measures selected from a pick list on the label to comply.
(Image: Map of Maine taken from US Fish and Wildlife Service page showing the Critical Habitats in Maine. Red areas indicate the designated locations of critical habitats for Canada Lynx and Atlantic Salmon)
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