Emerald Ash Borer and Forest Management at the Hinesburg Town Forest

(End of Economou Road, Huntington, VT)

Currently known to be in 35 states, The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an invasive forest pest that devastates North American ash trees. EAB was found in Vermont in 2018, and poses an imminent and existential threat to Vermont's three native species of ash. This invasion poses costly and confusing challenges to landowners, municipalities and Vermont's forest ecosystems and raises many questions: how should we manage the ash trees in our woods, yards and streets in light of the threat that EAB poses?

Join Ethan Tapper, the Chittenden County Forester, Elise Schadler of Vermont's Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) program, Vermont Woodlands Association and Vermont Coverts for a free, public walk at the Hinesburg Town Forest (HTF), where we will discuss how to manage our forests, yard and street trees and public lands for the threat of EAB. This will also be an opportunity to visit an active timber harvest at the HTF, supervised by Tapper, and discuss the role active forest management can play in creating healthier, more diverse forests in response to EAB and additional threats like climate change. We will also discuss the implications of EAB on our public spaces and recreational resources.

The HTF is an 864-acre forest owned by the Town of Hinesburg and managed for wildlife, recreation, water, air, carbon sequestration and as a site for the demonstration of modern, responsible forest management. For more information on the HTF, visit http://www.hinesburg.org/townforestcomm.html .

To attend this walk, meet at 1:00 PM on Saturday, February 8 at the plow turnaround at the end of Economou Road, Huntington. If you put "Hinesburg Town Forest" into your GPS it will take you to a different location, so please make sure you use "Economou Road" Instead. This walk will happen "rain (snow, mud) or shine." Participants should be ready to spend a couple hours outdoors walking over uneven and potentially slippery surfaces in whatever weather we find ourselves in, and also to spend extended periods of time standing and talking. Please bring an open mind, warm clothes, and questions about EAB, logging and forest management.

Posted on behalf of
Ethan Tapper, J. Ethan Tapper, Chittenden County Forester, Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation, 111 West Street, Essex, VT 05452,
(802)-585-9099
Ethan.Tapper@vermont.gov

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