LEWISTON — Androscoggin Valley Soil and Water Conservation District, in association with the Maine Association of Conservation Districts, with a grant from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry will host two free workshops to discuss these insects and others.
The workshops will be in Lewiston and Topsham.
The first of the program series will be held 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, at the Topsham Public Library, 25 Foreside Road. The second will be 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, at the NRCS Lewiston Field office, 254 Goddard Road. The programs are free to the public but require registration because of space limitations.
Maine is the host of a number of problematic invasive insect species, ranging from the emerald ash borer, which can decimate an ash tree in a matter of a couple years, to the browntail moth, which has hairs poisonous to people, to the winter moth and hemlock woolly adelgidspreading rapidly up the coast of Maine defoliating trees along their way.
The programs will help participants identify current and potential invasive forest pests — including browntail moth, emerald ash borer, Asian lonhorned beetle, hemlock woolly adelgid, and winter moth — and their host tree species. There will be a focus on understanding the threat these pests post and to learn how to respond to and report suspected sightings and damage. Participants will receive an information packet with fact sheets, species lists and life cycles, and other relevant information regarding the goals of this program.
Call 207-241-5374 to register or visit www.androscogginswcd.org for more information.
The programs have been reviewed and are approved for professional credits by the Society of American Foresters Category 1-CF:2.0, by the Maine Board of Pesticide Control 2.0, and Maine Board of Licensure of Foresters 2.0- Category 1.
The material is made possible through a grant from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) and is funded in part by a Cooperative Agreement from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The USDA, DACF and MACD are equal opportunity providers and employers.
