State forest entomologist summarizes summer pest trends, urges inventories and reporting

Allison, a state forest entomologist presenting a Forest Service summer conditions update, reviewed several invasive and native pests affecting municipal and forest trees and urged local inventories and public reporting to guide management.

She opened by stressing the value of urban and municipal tree inventories for prioritizing limited resources and targeting monitoring and treatment. “An inventory of urban and municipal trees is really important to understanding both what concerns are most relevant to your town and also where to focus your limited resources,” she said.

On emerald ash borer (EAB), Allison described the trap network in place (purple prism traps, green funnel traps and trap trees) and noted the second servicing cycle is underway for the season, with trap removals and peeling of trap trees scheduled later in the fall to better summarize year‑end results.

For brown‑tail moth Allison said populations appear reduced in many areas this year, aided by fungal disease in caterpillars and lower overall damage observed in aerial surveys; she listed upcoming field days and municipal outreach events in September and October to share identification and response guidance.

Allison reviewed spongy moth impacts and two‑line chestnut borer effects, noting that high defoliation in 2021–2022 left significant hardwood mortality in some stands and that municipalities should consider targeted removal of hazardous dead trees to reduce public‑safety risk.

She described winter‑moth biological control work, noting biocontrol releases have shown promise and can reduce winter‑moth damage over a decade or more, although release coverage currently lags the area affected. She also highlighted jumping‑worm detections across much of southern Maine and cautioned that soil and mulch movement can spread the species.

On beech leaf disease Allison reported compiled detections to date: "we've had 174 confirmed positive towns in the state since 2021," with 77 detections in the current year alone, and she emphasized how public reports supplement staff surveys to fill geographic gaps.

Allison closed by flagging white‑pine needle damage as a chronic stressor that can cause crown dieback and increase vulnerability to secondary pests and safety hazards; she recommended municipalities monitor high‑use areas and consider selective removals where dead trees threaten infrastructure.

The presenter pointed listeners to a conditions report to be released later that day and noted a scheduled follow‑up briefing in December.