Conservation science

1 08, 2022

Honeysuckle Removal Along the Black River

2023-08-23T10:11:26-04:00August 1st, 2022|Conservation science, Forest Stewardship Institute, News, Riparian Lands, Watersheds|

Over the past month, the Riparian Lands crew has been out conducting cut-stump treatments of invasive honeysuckle along the Black River at the South Bay Wildlife Management Area in Coventry, VT. Vermont has four invasive species of honeysuckles, all of which are deciduous shrubs with opposite, egg-shaped leaves and have hollow piths - easily shown by cutting a twig off the shrub with a knife. By leafing out earlier and retaining leaves later, honeysuckle (like other invasive species) has a competitive advantage over native vegetation and easily forms dense thickets that [Read More...]

29 06, 2022

Seed Collection Continues!

2023-08-23T10:11:35-04:00June 29th, 2022|Conservation science, Forest Stewardship Institute, Highlights, News, Riparian Lands, Science|

With the seeds of spring-dispersed species ripening and falling throughout the past month, the Riparian Lands crew has had plenty of work to do, collecting, processing, storing, and broadcasting native tree seeds for a direct seeding project in partnership with Vermont Fish and Wildlife and the Connecticut River Conservancy. Silver maple was the main focal species for collection, with the goal of restoring a plot of land within the Johnson Farms WMA from hayfield to silver maple floodplain. Previously, the project area was mowed, treated with herbicide to control invasive reed [Read More...]

27 06, 2022

Bird Friendly Forestry

2022-06-29T12:14:59-04:00June 27th, 2022|Conservation science, Forest Stewardship Institute, Highlights, News, Science|

This June the Forest Stewardship Institute at NorthWoods assisted in organizing two birding events to educate the public on the importance of bird habitat in Vermont, how land managers can work to create and manage important habitat features, and how to identify birds by sight and sound. The Audubon Vermont’s Birders Dozen was used as a framework to talk about the importance of forest habitat variety in Vermont. The dozen species listed by Audubon cover the breadth of forest types generally needed for the 40 forest birds identified in the Audubon [Read More...]

3 06, 2022

Spring Seed Collection Adventures

2023-08-23T10:11:44-04:00June 3rd, 2022|Conservation science, Highlights, News, Riparian Lands, Science|

The Riparian Lands crew has been out scouting and collecting seeds as part of our direct seeding project with Vermont Fish and Wildlife. Species we have been focusing on this spring include: quaking aspen, bigtooth aspen, balsam poplar, eastern cottonwood, black willow, shrub willow, silver maple, red maple, and American elm. Over the past couple months, the crew has been scouting out locations for potential collection sites and gathering data on the different tree and shrub species. Observations on weather, flowering dates, seed formation, and other notes have been collected for [Read More...]

13 05, 2022

Building Resistance to Dutch Elm Disease

2022-05-13T12:11:16-04:00May 13th, 2022|Conservation science, Forest Stewardship Institute, Highlights, News, Science|

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the United States Forest Service (USFS), along with many other partners, have been working to restore the American Elm (Ulmus americana) to its historical range and prominence on the landscape. NorthWoods has been fortunate to collaborate on this work in Vermont. The focus is on creating a genetically diverse population that is resistant to Dutch Elm Disease. Dutch Elm Disease (DED), which made its way to the US in the 1930s, has decimated elm populations across the country. While some of us may have seen these [Read More...]

31 01, 2022

Forest Management for Bats

2022-01-31T10:40:49-05:00January 31st, 2022|Conservation science, Highlights, News, Science|

Small Mammal Biologist, Alyssa Bennett, recently visited the NorthWoods Stewardship Center to talk about the nine different bat species found in Vermont, their habitat requirements, and some ways that landowners and natural resource professionals may be able to better manage Vermont forests for bats. Many of our bat species are currently listed as threatened or endangered, with white-nose syndrome negatively affecting cave-dwelling species. Forest management for bats should be focused around three basic habitat needs: roosting areas, foraging sites, and fresh water sources.    Bats often roost in dead and dying [Read More...]

24 11, 2021

Conserving on the Coast: Monomoy NWR Intern Report

2022-12-05T10:03:38-05:00November 24th, 2021|Conservation Corps, Conservation science, Highlights, News|

Every year, NorthWoods hires interns for service at National Fish and Wildlife Refuges around the northeast. These interns work closely with refuge staff in specialty fields, often performing direct bird and wildlife observation and conservation efforts in beautiful locations around our region. This month we are highlighting the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge and intern Patrick Carr who wrote up a wonderful description of his field season on the Cape: I first arrived at Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) near the end of April. Situated on the elbow of Cape Cod, Monomoy NWR [Read More...]

17 08, 2021

Habitat for Wood Turtles

2021-08-17T15:06:22-04:00August 17th, 2021|Conservation science, Forest Stewardship Institute, Highlights, News|

(Photo by Kiley Briggs of the Orianne Society) What species do you tend to think of when you hear the term “wildlife habitat”? Do you think of moose, deer, and bear? Do you think of birds? What about reptiles and amphibians? Most landowners probably think more about the first two options. The charismatic big game species and the beautiful songbirds definitely draw people’s interest. This summer, NorthWoods has been conducting wildlife habitat assessments on private properties throughout the Northeast Kingdom. These assessments look at the overall wildlife value of a property [Read More...]

15 08, 2021

Upper Wells River Basin Projects Added to State Watershed Database

2021-08-18T14:11:47-04:00August 15th, 2021|Conservation science, Highlights, News|

The NorthWoods Stewardship Center, working with the Vermont State Watershed Planner, Danielle Owczarski, and funded through the Northeast Vermont Development Association (NVDA), and 604(b) Water Quality funding from the VT Agency of Natural Resources, has completed key updates to the State of Vermont Watershed Projects Database. This database serves as a vital hub for planners and partner organizations such as municipalities and lake associations in identifying, funding, and completing needed watershed improvement projects. Devin Straley, the Forestry & Conservation Science Intern at NorthWoods, completed work on the batch import file for [Read More...]

26 02, 2021

Help Protect VT Forests this Winter

2021-02-26T17:09:00-05:00February 26th, 2021|Conservation science, Education, Forest Stewardship Institute, Highlights, News|

As you hit the trails this winter, take a close look at Vermont's forests. Some trees are threatened by invasive forest insects, and in some places, you might be the only one to spot them!  The three pests to be on the lookout for when exploring our forests are the emerald ash borer, hemlock woolly adelgid, and Asian longhorned beetle. If you see signs of any of these pests, take photos, snag the GPS location and report your findings using the REPORT IT link at vtinvasives.org.  Emerald Ash Borer The emerald [Read More...]

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