Forest Health

Every woodland property counts, and the cumulative decisions taken by the150,000 other private landowners will determine the future productivity, health, and biodiversity of Maryland’s forests in the face of a changing climate.

In this issue: Read about a few changes taking place, in the newsletter and more. Register now for the Spring session of our "The Woods in Your Backyard" online course, and learn about upcoming webinars. Our new feature, "Native Trees of Maryland," looks at the state tree: the white oak.  "Invasives in Your Woodlands" looks at wineberry. And don't forget the events calendar and the Brain Tickler challenge.

In the News and Notes roundup for this issue: New timber tax tips for the 2023 tax year from the USDA; Maryland marks a milestone on its way to planting five million trees by 2031, and an Anne Arundel County project that was part of it; and a look inside a prescribed burn in the Frederick Watershed.

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.

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.

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.