Forest
Protection
Fire / Windthrow / Erosion / Insects / Disease / Vigor
Like the town you live in, your woodlot has some sick trees, some
moribund trees, and some dead trees. On each tree, an average of 6%
or the branches in the upper canopy are dead. Only if there is
greater than 30% dead branches in the upper canopy of your woodlot,
should you be concerned. Trees die and become sick for many reasons:
- Old age
- Competition for soil nutrients, sunlight, water, and space
- Fire
- Weather: drought, flood, severe frost, ice, wind
- Insects
- Disease
- Pollutants: acid rain, acid fog, ozone, road salt
(Sloyenoff et al. 1997)
Fire
- Know the number of your local fire department to call in case
of a fire
- If in an unorganized town, call the local
Maine
Forest Service Office
- Maine Forest Service: 1-800-367-0233
- Road access to woodlot wide enough for fire trucks
- Road turnarounds for fire trucks to exit
- Keep shovels and axes handy
- Know where the closest water source is
- Spread slash and keep it on the ground
(Yankee Woodlot #5)
Windthrow
- Lightly harvest areas with shallow soils
- Lightly harvest areas with non-windfirm
species
- Maintain good vigor
(Yankee Woodlot #5)
Erosion: Use
BMPs
Insects:
Maintain good vigor and look for:
- Tunnels eaten in the bark
- Eaten foliage
- Eaten roots
- Premature leaf drop
- Leaf wilting
(Yankee Woodlot #5)
- The U.S. Forest Service
has web sites with information on the following forest insects
affecting trees in Maine:
- Hemlock
Woolly Adelgid: This defoliator
is not a problem in Maine yet, but be on
the lookout for its arrival to southern Maine.
- White
Pine Weevil: A long time problem
for young white pine in Maine.
- Asian
Cerambycid Beetle: This new
arrival from Asia was just discovered on Long Island. It has the
potential to bore its way through every maple in New England. Pray
that quarantine measures will stop its spread to New
England.
- (USFS Forest Health Highlights for
Maine 1997)
- Other insects worth mentioning:
- Hemlock Looper: This catipillar is a defoliator of mainly
hemlock, fir, and white spruce. As a moth it is light brown and as
a catipillar it is grayish white. It usually eats part of each
needle, after which, the needle turns reddish brown. Look for a
reddish brown canopy.
- (USFS Pest Alert)
Disease: Maintain
good vigor and look for:
- Fungus growths called conks
- Bulges and deformations in bark called
cankers
- Premature leaf drop
- Leaf wilting
- The U.S. Forest Service has
web sites with information on the following forest diseases
affecting trees in Maine:
- Butternut
Canker: Kills butternut trees and
is on the increase in Maine
- White
Pine Blister Rust
For more information on current forest
health problems in Maine go to the Forest
Health Highlights of Maine Web Site.
Small quantities of all of these symptoms
are present in all forests. Extensive and severe occurrences should
be reported the following office, in order to receive help:
- Entomology Lab of the Maine Forest
Service
- Hospital Street
- Augusta, ME 04330
- 207-287-2431
(Yankee Woodlot #5)
Vigor:
Vigorous trees are less susceptible to insects and disease
- Full and lush tree crown
- Greater than 1/3 of the tree's trunk
covered with crown
(Yankee Woodlot #5)