Articles

Ongoing mechanical, partial harvests can result in conditions that foster sprouting of diseased beech. Sprout thickets are dominating many of our best-quality hardwood sites.

Thirty-three invasive, and likely or potentially invasive, plants have been banned from sale in Maine in a ruling that went into effect on January 14, 2017. Prohibition of sales will begin on January 1, 2018. Three of those plants have never been nursery stock, but rather, "horticultural hitchhikers."

The abundant red-orange fruits of autumn olive make it easy to spot this time of year. A single shrub can produce over 50,000 seeds.

Once again this year, a lot of white pine needles are turning brown and dropping off in large numbers. The cause is . . .

Shrubby honeysuckles are not only invasive, but large enough to take over a forest understory. Lonicera morrowii, L. tatarica, L. x bella)are deciduous shrubs of Northeastern woods, sometimes found around old cellar holes.

As the emerald ash borer (EAB) approaches the state, the Maine Forest Service (MFS) is preparing for likely quarantines, while foresters are hearing from and advising their clients about what the future may hold.

Recently, I returned to a northern Maine forest area I have visited regularly since 1979. It was a watershed study harvested in 1981. Over the years, I’ve marveled at the staying power of the common red raspberry. But now, after more than 30 years, the raspberry brambles are being suppressed by a new arrival, a dense mat of wild buckwheat.

Plenty of plants and vine species are completely harmless to humans, and good for the environment in general. Other species are less friendly, as brushing up against some plants results in a painful or itchy rash.

White pines across Maine are being affected by several pathogenic fungi.

One of a forest property owner’s greatest dangers is a forest fire. Blazes can quickly consume large amounts of property, including homes built within timber areas.