Incised Fumewort blooming in Washington County, MD. Photo by Bill Hubick, Maryland Biodiversity Project.
Check in on AI and its capacity to provide accurate and specific advice. Register for the spring session of our "The Woods in Your Backyard" course. Learn about a new national refuge in southern Maryland and about one couple's work on their natural areas. Read about Sugar Maple in our "Native Trees of Maryland" feature and about incised fumewort in our "Invasives in Your Woodland" feature. And more!
AI Winter Tree Advice (from Far and Near)
Andrew A. Kling, Branching Out editor
In this space in the summer 2023 issue of Branching Out, I mused about the future of AI and woodland management. Eighteen months later, has anything changed? Using a University-approved AI, I set out to get some advice about tree care during the winter. At first blush, the results were generic but accurate. But digging deeper into the sources the AI consulted, I discovered it had gone rather far afield.
Registration is Now Open For the Spring Session of “The Woods in Your Backyard” Online Course
Registration is now open for the Spring 2025 session of “The Woods in Your Backyard” online course. Our course is designed primarily for small-acreage property owners who want to learn how to care for or expand existing woodlands, or to convert lawn space to woodlands. The self-directed, non-credit online course runs for ten weeks, from March 24 to June 2.
New USFWS Refuge to Protect Woodland Habitat in Southern MD
In December 2024, US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland traveled to Nanjemoy MD to announce the creation of Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge. US Fish and Wildlife Service officials will continue to work to conserve up to 40,000 acres of important wildlife habitat within four watershed-based focus areas in Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties. it will permanently protect and conserve interior forest and riparian wetlands habitat, supporting northern long-eared bats, forest-interior songbirds, box turtles and several species of salamanders that are of conservation concern.
Native Trees of Maryland: The Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)
Jonathan Kays, Emeritus Forestry Specialist
In northern forests, sugar maple trees are often found near the top of the canopy in mixed hardwood stands, commonly associating with other trees like white ash, northern red oak, yellow birch, beech, basswood, and black cherry. As the forest matures, it tends to become the predominant species. In Maryland, sugar maple is usually found in the western Piedmont forests and the Appalachian mountains.
News and Notes
In the News and Notes roundup for this issue: The USDA Forest Service has released its latest tax tips for forest landowners guide; March 21 is the International Day of Forests; Maryland has passed 1 million trees planted during the Five Million Trees Initiative; and learn how to become a Maryland Tree Steward.
From a Mountaintop, UMD Alum Encounters Toxin-Emitting Olive Bushes, Smothering Vines and the Imperfection of Conservation
Sala Levin ʼ10 © 2025 Maryland Today
Paula Whyman ʼ87 and her husband bought 200 acres on a peak in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she undertook the daunting task of clearing invasive plants and encouraging native plant life on this long gone-to-seed cow pasture and orchard—an experiment she's written about in her new book, “Bad Naturalist: One Woman's Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop.”
Invasives in Your Woodland: Incised Fumewort
Andrew A. Kling, Faculty Associate
The term “Incised fumewort” may not be familiar to many readers of this column, as this plant is a relatively new arrival to North America. It was first identified in the US only in 2005. Since then, new populations have been identified in Pennsylvania, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, North Carolina, and as far west as Tennessee and Illinois.
This Issue’s Brain Tickler...
Last issue we asked a 3-part question about a wood grading system. The “Janka Hardness Scale,” invented by Austrian wood researcher Gabriel Jenka, measures the species’ resistance to dents, scratches, and wear, and is widely used in the flooring industry and by woodworkers. Congratulations to our three winners, Bob Parkinson, Joanne Sheffield and Natasha Shengold!
For this issue, we need to hark back to February 2016. With the first issue of the year, Branching Out debuted a new feature, "Invasives in Your Woodland." With this issue, we mark ten years of invasives in the spotlight. Name the invasive plant that was the subject of that first feature.
Email Andrew Kling at akling1@umd.edu with your answer.
Events Calendar
March 15, 2025, 1:00—2:30 PM
Doug Tallamy – Nature’s Best Hope
Bright Side Baptist Church, Lancaster PA
Choosing the right plants for our landscapes will not only address the biodiversity crisis but help fight our climate crisis as well. Tallamy will discuss simple steps that each of us can- and must- take to reverse declining biodiversity, & why we must change our adversarial relationship with nature to a collaborative one. Learn more & register here.
April 14, 2025, 1:00—3:00 PM
A Progress Report on Resistance Breeding in Forest Trees
Online
The American elm was once a common street tree, but populations have been depleted by Dutch elm disease. Ash species have suffered losses from emerald ash borer. The American chestnut was once the largest tree in eastern North America, but now mostly grows as a shrub due to the introduction of chestnut blight. Will there ever be a chance of returning iconic tree species to the landscape for future generations? That’s the goal of resistance breeding in forest trees. In this webinar, Dr. Carrie Pike (US Forest Service) will discuss the process and importance of breeding trees for pest resistance. Click here for more information and to register.
July 15 –18, 2025
The American Forest Congress Meeting
Washington DC
The congress is a gathering of natural resource management leaders focused on discussing and shaping forest policy in the U.S. The decision to convene soon is driven by the congress’ goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and focus on the vital role forests play in providing natural climate solutions. The theme of this meeting is Equity & Climate, to highlight the congress’ commitment to diversity. Learn more at this link.
Branching Out, Vol. 33, no. 1 (Winter 2025)
Branching Out is the free, quarterly newsletter of the Woodland Stewardship Education program. For more than 30 years, Branching Out has kept Maryland woodland owners and managers informed about ways to develop and enhance their natural areas, how to identify and control invasive plants and insects, and about news and regional online and in-person events.
