Showing 11 – 18 of 18 matching resources
We found significant populations of snake worms devouring the organic matter, causing soil conditions that discouraged growth of understory native plant species. We are looking at their distribution in maple stands throughout the region relative to forest management practices, and assessing their impact on understory diversity, maple regeneration and various soil characteristics.
Identifying and removing invasive plants when they are few and small is the only way to keep from having a permanent infestation, one that will be a constant annoyance and expense.
The beetles were first discovered in Brooklyn, New York in 1996 and spread to neighboring Queens, infesting areas in Sunnyside, Woodside, Astoria, Long Island City, Maspeth, Ridgewood and later in Bayside and Flushing. Small infestations were also found in Flushing Meadows Park, Forest Park in Woodhaven and Kew Gardens Hills. New York city has lost over 4,000 trees because infested ones have to be cut down, chipped and burned.
A new foreign invader could have a substantially negative impact on the eastern North American hardwoods in general, and sugarbushes in particular. The Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula, SLF) was first detected near Philadelphia, PA in 2014 and since has spread throughout much of the Commonwealth and has been sighted in about a half dozen New York counties and in several sites in southern New England.
This tiny insect can cause major leaf “tatter” and flower damage on sugar maples and orchard trees, by feeding and laying eggs on the young leaves and flowers as the buds open in spring.
Many pests and other stresses affect maple trees growing in a sugarbush. Some pests can markedly reduce sap quantity; others, although conspicuous, are not important. Stresses can result from activities by people and from natural phenomena. Recognizing problems and understanding the factors that contribute to their occurrence, development, and significance are necessary to maintain tree health. This report brings together current information on the living agents and nonliving factors that can cause problems in sugarbushes. Insects, diseases, improper forest stand management, and unwise sugaring practices are illustrated. and ways to prevent or reduce their effects are described.
Pear thrips surfaced as a new pest of sugar maple, Acer saccharum Marsh., in 1979. Damage from this insect occurs intermittently, and threatens the long-term health of maple trees throughout the northeastern United States and parts of Canada. A method for sampling forest soil to determine pear thrips populations is described that is suitable for sugarmakers. This method requires a minimum of equipment and time, and provides sugarmakers with a reliable estimate of the number of thrips in their sugar_bushes. By sampling and assessing damage annually, sugarmakers will gain an understanding of the relationship between thrips population levels and damage in their stands. Based on this information, potential damage in the spring can be estimated. Sample results are obtained before tapping so sugarmakers can adjust their management practices, such as the number of taps per tree, to minimize stress on trees when damage is likely.
ItÕs been 10 years since the ALB was first reported in Worcester, Massachusetts, and since then 24,179 ALB-infested trees have been found and removed, including the four trees mentioned. This has dramatically changed the character of the heaviest hit Worcester neighborhoods, Greendale and Burncoat, and resulted in a massive reforestation effort. Those neighborhoods were the center of the infestation and nearly every single host tree, including street trees, were removed in the effort to eradicate this pest. The DCR ALB Reforestation program, Worcester Tree Initiative, the city of Worcester, and the other five municipalities in the regulated area have replanted thousands of trees. Today, those young trees have become established and have started to provide much needed shade and wind breaks.