Association Updates
Dear MAA Members,
Thank you to those who attended this year’s 37
th
Annual Safety and Pesticide Recertification Winter Seminar. The over 250 attendees enjoyed hearing presentations from key note speakers, Don Blair and John Ball, as well as presentations from Dr. Bruce Fraedrich of Bartlett Tree Research Lab, Duane Pearce of MDOT, Dr. Gail Linn of Potomac Audiology, and others. This workshop allowed for many Licensed Tree Experts to meet their full CEU requirements early in the year. A special thanks to MAA Programs Director, Danielle Bauer, and the MAA Board for all their hard work to make this one of our most successful events yet!
Keep an eye out for more information regarding our upcoming
Arborist Day,
which will be held on
April 21, 2018 at Federal Hill Park in Baltimore
. Members of the board met on site back in the fall to create a work plan and had a chance to speak with visitors of the park, who were excited about the tree work to be completed this spring.
Best,
Lindsay Thompson
MAA Executive Director
(443) 262-8491
|
|
Thank You to our White Oak Sponsors
|
|
Maryland is Bracing for an Invasion of Lanternflies, and Racing to Slow their Spread
|
|
Washington Post - Mary Kay Malinoski has seen plenty of harmful insects swarm into Maryland during her long career, from the
tree-eating gypsy moth
, which invaded in the 1980s, to the malodorous brown marmorated
stink bug
, which arrived in 2006. But Malinoski, a veteran entomologist with the University of Maryland’s agricultural extension program, has never seen anything like the spotted lanternfly, a leaf-hopping pest that recently overran southeastern Pennsylvania and is poised to invade Maryland for the first time this spring.
The speckled, four-winged insect, native to China, Vietnam and parts of India, first appeared in the United States a little more than three years ago, when a shipment of stone from Asia arrived in Berks County, Pa., with lanternfly eggs attached.
Since then, the invader has harmed important crops including grapes, fruit trees, hop plants and hardwoods, and left gardens, decks and patio furniture in more than a dozen Pennsylvania counties covered in goo. It feasts on more host plants than expected, reproduces more quickly than anticipated, and faces no known native predators. It also latches onto a wide variety of hard surfaces, allowing it to travel to parts unknown aboard cars, trucks and trains.
The spotted lanternfly appears to have caused more damage in less time than any other invasive insect in the Mid-Atlantic region, and it is proliferating more rapidly than the researchers trying to learn about it can handle.
|
|
Natural Resources Careers Camp Accepting Applicants
|
|
High school students interested in forestry, fisheries, wildlife, and arboriculture are invited to join teens from across the Mid Atlantic at the week-long Natural Resources Careers Camp, (NRCC) held July 22 to 28th at the Hickory Environmental Education Center in Garrett County. Students will explore related college studies and professions through hands-on activities with experts from a variety of conservation fields.
“This program is perfect for young adults who are planning a career in conservation, and those who may be interested in forestry or natural resources and want to see if this line of work is a right fit,” said Donna Davis, project forester for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Students work in groups of six or eight led by wildlife biologists, foresters and other natural resources professionals throughout the week.
Another exciting part of the program is College Night, where representatives from West Virginia University, Penn State, University of Maryland, Frostburg University, Allegany College of Maryland and Garrett College speak about their programs. Professors and department heads will share information and material with interested students.
The NRCC is sponsored by Maryland’s Forest Conservancy District Boards, Allegany College of Maryland, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources- Forest Service and the Maryland Forestry Foundation. The camp has been held annually for over 45 years. Students who will be entering grades 9 through 12 next year and are interested in natural resources careers are eligible to apply. Local Forest Conservancy District Boards interview, recommend and offer scholarships for students to attend the camp. Space is limited so interested participants are encouraged to apply online today!
|
|
New LTE's - Congratulations!
|
|
Congratulations to the following individuals who passed the January & February exams:
Jason Beach, Adam Bodmer, Kathy Dove, Jason Elmo
Samuel Esh, Zachary Frankian, Franklin Gonzalez, Robert Hopkins, Eric Johnson Jr., Jerry Lee Johnson, Augustus Mahar, Michael Moran, Joel Munoz, Josh Reisberg, Phillip Sprecher, Richard Shortridge Jr., Michael Stevens, and Aaron Tribbitt.
|
|
|
Arborist Safety Training Institute
|
|
The Arborist Safety Training Institute provides grants to fund job and safety training that seek to minimize consequent deaths and injuries, and promote overall workforce safety that is critical for the tree care industry.
Y
ou can learn more online here
.
|
|
Warmer weather is here again and so are the ticks. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in Maryland and is transmitted by the bite of an infected black-legged tick (sometimes called a deer tick). The tick must be attached for 36-48 hours before the tick can transmit the Lyme disease bacterium so it is very important to check for ticks every and remove them quickly.
The tick bite site must be monitored for 3-30 days after the bite to watch for the development of a “bull’s eye” rash which is a telltale sign of Lyme Disease but does not develop in every case. From 2000-2015 there have been 21,833 confirmed cases of Lyme disease in Maryland, while the CDC estimates that incidence may be 10-fold greater due to missed or misdiagnosed cases of Lyme disease than what is reported.
|
|
Join fellow MAA volunteers at our 40th Arborist Day! This year’s project will be held on
April 21, 2018 at Federal Hill Park
in Baltimore. Registration and more details coming soon!
|
|
Maryland Licensed Tree Expert exams are administered on the second Wednesday of each month at the Department of Natural Resources Headquarters in Annapolis. Upcoming exam dates are March 14, April 11, and May 9, 2018. To register, please contact Ms. Romcesa Estep, 410-260-8531.
|
|
Vermeer Mid-Atlantic Events
|
|
Vermeer Mid-Atlantic will be hosting multiple Arborist Training Seminars in the Mid-Atlantic region. Lunch will be provided and 6.5 ISA credits are available at each event.
|
|
- June 16, 2018: Day of Safety, Northern Virginia Community College
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
