Invasive forest pests like hemlock woolly adelgid, winter moth and browntail moth may have devastating impacts on Maine’s forests. Emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle aren’t here yet, but they are found in woodlands right next door in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) — in partnership with Midcoast Conservancy, Pemaquid Watershed Association, and Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine — is presenting a workshop these invaders on Wednesday, April 6 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Midcoast Conservancy office at 36 Water St. in Wiscasset.

The workshop is designed to help landowners and users, landscape and forest professionals, and all residents of the state to:

• identify current and potential invasive forest pests and their host species,
• understand the threats to our forests and woodlands posed by these pests,
• limit their spread, and
• learn how to report suspected pest sightings or damage to trees that may be a result of pest infestations

All participants will receive an information packet with fact sheets about the major pest species, a list of host trees that the species may be found on, and other relevant information. Following the presentation, there will be an optional field visit to a hemlock woolly adelgid infested site at Cushman Mountain from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Please bring lunch and dress appropriately if you plan to go on the field visit.

This program has been reviewed and approved for the following recertification credits: Professional CFE credits by the Society of American Foresters. Category 1-CF: 2.0; (Category 1-CF: 3.0, if participating in optional 1-hour field session); and Pesticide Applicator credits by the Board of Pesticides Control: 2.0.

Maine Association of Conservation Districts (MACD) is presenting Forest Pest Outreach Programs through a grant from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF). Materials are funded in part by a Cooperative Agreement from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

For more information and to register for the workshop, contact Knox-Lincoln SWCD at info@knox-lincoln.org or 596-2040. Please let us know if you are applying for recertification credits and if you plan to go on the field visit.