Progress 10/21/16 to 09/30/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project ranged from forest ecologists, forest managers, urban foresters, tree wardens, arborists, plant health care professionals, landscapers and the general public. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project provided many opportunities for professional development. New diagnostic skills were obtained in both pathology and entomology, as the various causal agents were identified from declining trees. The large size of the group afforded collaboration and discussion with pathologists, entomologists and foresters from many different states. This allowed for new professional relationships to develop, furthering the collaborative ability of the group. More specifically, during conferences and annual meetings the group held, there was direct training on identification of the insect pests and fungal needle blight pathogens that have plagued eastern white pine. Additional training was obtained on the stand conditions that help to facilitate disease and insect outbreak and the management options that are available to improve tree vigor. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated through almost every possible medium: in-person seminars, webinars, hardcopy fact sheets, web-based fact sheets, web-based newsletters, email/phone conversations and diagnostic samples. During the pandemic, allin-person events ended, making webinars and web-based material the primary outreach tools. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Over the course of this project, the group made tremendous strides in understanding why eastern white pine has been declining over the past decade throughout its natural range. Large-scale surveys of insect pests and fungal pathogens were carried out, which helped to elucidate the causal agents responsible. The linkage of decline to a changing climate, through detailed examination of weather data, also substantially improved our understanding of why decline is happening. I was able to share and disseminate this information to green industry professionals through a variety of outlets, such as: live presentations, webinars, web-based fact sheets and newsletters and diagnostic samples. We have reached thousands of interested parties that either directly manage white pines or own properties with declining trees and want to understand more about their health. The project provided the framework to seek additional funding for extension and outreach. Specifically, we were able to secure external funding provided by the Renewable Resources Extension Act - National Focus Funds. These funds are being used to develop new and innovative outreach products and delivery approaches for engaging natural resource professionals and landowners to understand eastern white pine health issues and how to minimize risks. We are also targeting stakeholders from rural communities and from the rural/urban interface to address concerns and implement strategies to improve the health and sustainability of eastern white pine.
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets/dieback-of-eastern-white-pine
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/forest-ecology-and-management/vol/423/suppl/C
|
Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Arborists, tree wardens, plant health coordinators and other green industry professionals that work with eastern white pine in landscape and urban settings. Changes/Problems:Due to the pandemic, we were unable to conduct our annual meeting in June of 2020. However, a virtual meeting was conducted in December and we were able to complete the basic functions required to move forward. However, the field meeting was ultimatelyrescheduled to 2022, creating a significant gap in time between our last in-person meeting. The in-person meetingsgreatly facilitate discussion, collaboration and planning for future work and this has been difficult to replicate with virtual. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Along with colleagues at the University of Maine and University of New Hampshire, we were able to secure external funding provided by the Renewable Resources Extension Act - National Focus Funds. The project, starting in January of 2021, has two major goals: 1)Develop new and innovative outreach products and delivery approaches for engaging natural resource professionals and landowners to understand eastern white pine health issues and how to minimize risks; and: 2)Involve stakeholders from rural communities and from the rural/urban interface to address concerns and implement strategies to improve the health and sustainability of eastern white pine. The work performed by the USDA NE1601 group provided the foundation to seek these funds and will continue to serve as the backbone for future work on the health of eastern white pine. By targetinglarge forest landowers, rural communitiesand stakeholders in urban areas, we aim provide educational outreach across all habitats of eastern white pine.
Publications
|
Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project continues to be arborists, landscapers, foresters, woodlot owners and the general public. Efforts to reach the target audience: (i) online newsletters published through UMass Extension which include the Landscape Message and Hort Notes. Both publications are disseminated to thousands of green industry professionals and homeowners each year; (ii) invited seminars for state and regional trade groups, such as the Massachusetts Arborist Association, Massachusetts Tree Wardens and Foresters Association and SavATree; (iii) fact sheets posted on the UMass Extension website. In 2019, the annual meeting of USDA NE1601 was held in Hadley, MA. In addition to members of the group, the meeting was opened to green industry professionals seeking to learn more about white pine decline. Half of the meeting participants were composed of industry professionals. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Yes, the results of various studies has been disseminated through various outlets described above. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
As the group continues to work on eastern white pine decline, the causal agents responsible and management strategies aimed at correcting the problem are becoming clearer. My role is to capture this information and share it with concerned stakeholders in the region through our network of outreach channels. Specifically, the latest information on white pine decline has been shared throughonline newsletters, a new fact sheet(https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets/dieback-of-eastern-white-pine), and invited seminars. In doing so,I have been able to share research findings and management strategies with thousands of people in the northeast and beyond. I also continue to provide diagnostics and support for arborists and foresters that submit samples to the UMass Plant Diagnostic Lab.
Publications
|
Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this work spans both traditional forestry (foresters and loggers), urban forestry (tree wardens, arborists and landscapers) and homeowners. All have a stake in the health of white pine, given the tree's importance in commercial forestry and in landscapes throughout the Commonwealth. For this particular componment of the project, tree wardens and arborists were targeted through invited seminars such as the annual meetings of the Massachusetts Tree Wardens' and Foresters' Association and the UMass Community Tree Conference. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results for each stakeholder group (city, town, college/University and homeowner) have be disseminated through direct communication, phone calls, emails, written reports and invited seminars. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Massachusetts DCR will continue to submitwhite pine needle samples to the UMass Plant Diagnostic Lab from permenant plots established in state forests in 2018. These will be used to better understand the regional variability in white pine needle blight pathogens in the northeast, in collaboration with other states.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Data on pathogen incidence was recorded from white pine samples submitted to the UMass Plant Diagnostic Laboratory. 29 white pine needle samples were processed from Massachusetts and Vermont as part of aregion-wide survey of white pine needle pathogens conducted through the USDA Forest Service.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Wyka SA, Munck IA, Brazee NJ and Broders KD. 2018. Response of eastern white pine and associated foliar, canker and root rot pathogens to climate change. Forest Ecology and Management 423: 1826.
|
Progress 10/21/16 to 09/30/17
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this work spans both traditional forestry (foresters and loggers), urban forestry (tree wardens, arborists and landscapers) and homeowners. All have a stake in the health of white pine, given the tree's importance in commercial forestry and in landscapes throughout the Commonwealth. For this particular componment of the project, tree wardens and arborists were targeted through invited seminars such as the annual meetings of theMassachusetts Tree Wardens' and Foresters' Association and the UMass Community Tree Conference. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results for each stakeholder group (city, town, college/University and homeowner) have be disseminated through direct communication, phone calls, emails, written reports and invited seminars. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Massachusetts DCR will be submitting white pine needlesamples to the UMass Plant Diagnostic Lab from permenant plots established in state forests in 2018. These will be used to better understand the regional variability in white pine needle blight pathogens in the northeast, in collaboration with other states.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Based on white pine samples submitted to the UMass Plant Diagnostic Laboratory, data on pathogen incidence from various tissues (needles, stems and branches) was collected and recorded.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Extension Landscape Message (http://ag.umass.edu/landscape/landscape-message-may-12-2017). As of 1/22/18, this issue has received 1,920 unique website views.
|
|