Forest Management

Eastern hemlock is a coniferous tree that favors the cool and humid climate along the Appalachian Mountains. Hemlocks can grow more than 150 feet tall and live for more than 800 years. Their short, dense needles provide excellent habitat for many kinds of wildlife, from warblers to bobcats. Unfortunately, healthy hemlocks are becoming increasingly rare due to the invasive insect called hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). New efforts by the Virginia Dept. of Forestry are combatting this invasive bug with another bug.

Resources for information about common invasive insects in Maryland and the mid-Atlantic region.

The Princess Tree was imported from China in the 1800s and has become an aggressive, invasive plant in much of the mid-Atlantic and mid-South states.

As this newsletter enters its 31st year, the Woodland Stewardship Education program invites its readers and subscribers to provide some feedback through an online survey.

Registration for the spring session of "The Woods in Your Backyard" online course is now open. Our Regular features include the Woodland Wildlife Spotlight, Invasives in Your Woodland, our events calendar, and the Brain Tickler challenge.

As a state Program Leader for environmental, natural resources and Sea Grant programs, I work with over 40 professionals who have a wide variety of responsibilities from watersheds and climate, to home horticulture and aquaculture. What never ceases to amaze me is the connections and importance of trees and forests in what many of these educators do, even in areas you would not initially imagine. Today, more than ever, my “non-forester” colleagues are beginning to see that “trees indeed are the answer.”

In this issue, we look at bull thistle. It's a widespread invasive found throughout Maryland, where it has been declared a noxious weed.

In this issue, we look at plumeless thistle, also known as "spiny plumeless thistle." Its presence in Maryland might be more widespread than some reports suggest.

10,000 Days in Woods is an enjoyable and easy to read series of fifty-eight short stories of one man’s journey from childhood to that of professional forester.