Forest Health

The white oak is a remarkable tree species. The tree is truly an impressive specimen where older examples are found growing in the open landscape. It is no wonder that this species of oak is Maryland’s state tree.

A team of forest ecologists and social scientists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, using a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will conduct research aimed at helping owners of small- to medium-sized forest tracts manage their woodlands for ecosystem services.

The wineberry is non-native and invasive. This Asian native was imported to the United States in 1890 by berry growers. They wanted to use it as breeding stock with native raspberries, but it escaped from cultivation and was first observed in natural areas in the 1970s.

The expansion of so-called "ghost forests" along low-lying shores of the Chesapeake Bay bear witness to sea level rise. A team of scientists is working to discover the tipping point in the transition from green woodland to dead trees.

The Delmarva Woodland Stewards Program wrapped up this October, training 31 volunteers in the fundamental arts and science of ecological forest management. The program focuses specifically on the types of forests found on the coastal plain of the eastern shore and serves those geographically located on the Delmarva Peninsula who are residents of Delaware and Virginia.

In this issue: Thanks to those who took our reader and subscriber short survey; based on the results, we have some changes in store for the newsletter. Read about John Hooven, our new Forest Stewardship Educator, and about beech leaf disease; it's not been reported in Maryland yet, but it may be just a matter of time before it is. One of our regular features, the "Woodland Wildlife Spotlight," looks at the timber rattlesnake, and "Invasives in Your Woodlands" looks at Asian wisterias. And don't forget the events calendar and the Brain Tickler challenge.

This webinar series, designed for green industry professionals, was held in two parts (fall 2020 and spring 2021).

This directory is developed by the Woods in Your Backyard Partnership and the University of Maryland Extension's Woodland Stewardship Education program. This directory serves as a way to connect land owners and managers to green industry services providers. The directory has been organized by service and alphabetically. Click or tap on the icons below to access the listings.

Two new publications are now available from the University of Maryland Extension and partners to help you manage your woodlands.

The News and Notes roundup for this issue shares news about a potentially new invasive plant species that may affect Maryland, and information about a potentially new avenue for fighting Emerald Ash Borer. Additional items share a property owner's journey to stewardship, a way for power utilities to expand early successional habitat, and results of a survey that asked property owners about methods for managing invasive species.