April 7, 2022 - By Katlin Dewitt, DOF Forest Health Specialist The southern pine beetle (SPB) is the most destructive native insect that threatens pine forests in the Southeast. These tiny insects, about the size of a grain of rice as adults, are especially harmful due to the complex system of pheromones (insect “scents” that are specific to a species) they utilize to find host trees and aggregate. Pheromones allow populations to build up... Read More
May 11, 2021 - Blue Ridge PRISM’s Summer Invasive Plant Workshop (virtual) will help you learn to identify and manage those invasive plants that are best controlled during the summer months. Topics covered in this session include: Identifying invasive plants Which invasives you can best kill now Which invasives you should treat later Best seasonal practices for each invasive Using manual and mechanical control methods Methods for controlling invasives with herbicides Choosing the right herbicide... Read More
May 11, 2021 - Blue Ridge PRISM’s Summer Invasive Plant Workshop (virtual) will help you learn to identify and manage those invasive plants that are best controlled during the summer months. Topics covered in this session include: Identifying invasive plants Which invasives you can best kill now Which invasives you should treat later Best seasonal practices for each invasive Using manual and mechanical control methods Methods for controlling invasives with herbicides Choosing the right herbicide... Read More
May 11, 2021 - Blue Ridge PRISM’s Summer Invasive Plant Workshop (virtual) will help you learn to identify and manage those invasive plants that are best controlled during the summer months. Topics covered in this session include: Identifying invasive plants Which invasives you can best kill now Which invasives you should treat later Best seasonal practices for each invasive Using manual and mechanical control methods Methods for controlling invasives with herbicides Choosing the right herbicide... Read More
July 24, 2020 - The fate of Virginia’s stately ash trees might rest on the wings of a tiny wasp. For more than a decade, ash trees (Fraxinus genus) have been under threat from an invasive insect pest, the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) – EAB, for short. The larvae of this beetle feed on the phloem of ash trees, disrupting nutrient transfer. Native ash trees didn’t evolve with EAB, and its natural enemies aren’t here to... Read More
October 9, 2019 - by DOF Forest Health Specialist Katlin Mooneyham Our DOF Forest Health Program staff are often asked how to control certain invasive plant species. Most recommendations involve spraying or applying chemicals since that is often the easiest and most practical way for people to remove these plants. However, there are times when landowners and citizens are not interested in herbicides and ask for other recommendations. One alternative option that is gaining... Read More
June 26, 2018 - Bird’s Eye View by Area Forester Lisa Deaton Once a year, area foresters have the opportunity to fly over DOF work areas to check for forest health issues and evaluate herbicide work from the previous summer. We meet planes and pilots from the Virginia Department of Aviation at local airports, provide them with a flying route and then take off down the runway. The hour-long flight covers several counties, so... Read More
September 28, 2017 - “They look so pretty!” That’s what I said the first time I saw an adult emerald ash borer (EAB). But I soon learned from our DOF Forest Health team that this green insect’s destruction is anything but pretty. EAB came to the United States from Asia, was first discovered in Northern Virginia in 2008 and is boring its way through ash trees from Michigan to Virginia. “Adult ash borers are... Read More
