Viewing: Forestry Files
Hurricane Dorian & Our Trees: Minor Immediate Impact, Implications for Long-term Impacts to Tree Health
After devastating the Bahamas and other Caribbean Islands before turning north and skirting the eastern U.S. coast, Hurricane Dorian made landfall on Cape Hatteras in North Carolina on Sept. 6, 2019 as a Category 1 storm. A four-to-seven-foot storm surge
Have Fungus, Will Travel: Tree-killing disease jumps to Tennessee and Kentucky
An unwelcome sight has plagued our coastal forests for years now. Dead redbay trees line the roadways and mar our coastal forests in southeastern N.C. These trees are dead because of an invader—a non-native fungus carried from tree to tree
Busy Summer for Invasive Tree-Killer: Emerald ash borer detected in 11 new counties since May
Summer is often full of plans, but no one has been busier this year than the emerald ash borer. Although small, this invasive beetle is killing countless ash trees across the state. Since May, it has been confirmed in 11
Here We Go Again! Forest Tent Caterpillar Outbreak Continues for Fifth Year
The forest tent caterpillar strikes again! Just after getting them this spring, trees along the Roanoke River, Chowan River, and Lake Waccamaw once again lost their leaves. The very hungry caterpillar responsible for this defoliation, the forest tent caterpillar, is
A Last Meal: Blackheaded ash sawfly munches while it still can
Countless native insects feed upon our forest trees each year. Typically, their feeding is so minor, it goes undetected and has no long-term effect on tree health. When pest populations do rise, these sporadic and often small outbreaks are unusual
You’re not from around here, are ya? Invasive species are a worldwide issue
There are several strangers in a strange land here in North Carolina. In fact, the majority of our worst forest pests are non-native invasive species. In the 1990s, the tree-killing hemlock woolly adelgid was first found in N.C. and can
Small but Mighty: Southern pine beetle trapping underway
Although it is smaller than a grain of rice, the southern pine beetle is dubbed the ‘most destructive forest pest in the South’. Each year, the N.C. Forest Service tries to predict if there will be an outbreak of this
Laurel wilt found in Lenoir County for first time
Big things come in small packages, and that is certainly true in the case of laurel wilt disease, though not in a good way. The tree-killing disease has already killed an estimated half a billion redbay trees across the Southeast.
Bug Off: Agency hard at work to keep invasive moth out of N.C.
The gypsy moth is not a new problem to the United States. Introduced from Europe to the Boston area in the 1860s, this invasive insect is now considered the worst pest of hardwood trees in eastern United States. Gypsy moth
Walnut twig beetle & thousand cankers disease stay confined to Haywood County
In 2012, thousand cankers disease was confirmed in North Carolina for the first time. The invasive disease, responsible for killing walnut trees in walnut groves in the western U.S. and as a new introduction to eastern Tennessee at the time,