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 white mulberry reached our shores during the colonial period. This invasive plant is found in every Maryland county.

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.

Native ecosystems in our woodlands are under increasing pressure from invasive plant species and from both native and invasive vines. Providers of invasive plant and vine control are listed here.

Creating and maintaining effective riparian buffers are essential for stream health and overall effective ecosystem management. Providers of riparian buffer planting and/or maintenance are listed here.

Entries in the Natural Area Management Services Directory are listed alphabetically.

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.