Insect pests and pathogens, and climate change, each threaten forest health. But what happens when the two are combined? Climate change brings pests to new areas, makes pests more damaging, reduces trees’ defenses to pests, and can alter how forests recover after pest disturbance. Strategies for managing the combined impacts of forest pests and climate change include preventing new pest introductions, resisting pest spread by treating individual trees and diversifying forest stands, promoting more resilient forests that can rebound from pests, and helping forests transition to a state better adapted to our future climate. Speaker: Audrey Barker-Plotkin, Senior Scientist and Site & Research Manager, Harvard Forest
The MA Dept. of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) provides updates on the current status of the invasive spotted lanternfly in Massachusetts. A brief review of the biology, hosts, and identification of this insect is discussed, as well as info on the currently established populations of this insect in MA along with MDAR's survey and response efforts. Speaker: Elizabeth Barnes, Forest Pest Outreach Coordinator, MA Department of Agricultural Resources