Resource Search

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets is asking the public to keep an eye out for the invasive pest known as spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) during the spring landscaping season. This is due to the risk of egg masses being accidentally brought in on shipments of nursery stock imported from other states that may have an established spotted lanternfly (SLF) infestation. This invasive bug is not yet known to have established a breeding population in Vermont. If you see any signs of spotted lanternfly, please report it. The Agency may contact you to determine if action is necessary to prevent establishment in Vermont.

An emerald ash borer (EAB) beetle was detected in a tree located in Londonderry, VT. The mapped area in Vermont [PDF, 1.25 MB] to which "Slow-the-Spread" recommendations apply now covers:

• All of Londonderry, Windham, and Landgrove;
• Most of Jamaica, Winhall, Peru, Weston, Andover and Grafton; and
• Extends into Chester, Townshend, Stratton, Athens, Mount Tabor, and Wardsboro.

October means that non-flight season Recommendations to Slow the Spread of Emerald Ash Borer are now in effect when moving ash from the infested area. With the heating season underway, and firewood deliveries actively occurring, it’s important to remember that untreated ash firewood should never move out of infested areas. Be sure that your purchase or transportation of both log length and split firewood will not unnecessarily spread EAB. There’s a lot of spread to slow: While the infested area map shows that high-risk areas for EAB include many towns, visibly infested trees still remain rare in Vermont. You can help by following the "Slow-the-Spread" recommendations.

Firewood is widely recognized as a major source of non-native forest insect and disease infestations. A rule governing the importation of untreated firewood into Vermont went into effect on May 1, 2016. Visitors to Vermont State Parks, Vermont State Forests, and the Green Mountain National Forest may only bring firewood originating from Vermont or that is heat treated and in its original, labeled package. To help slow the spread of emerald ash borer within Vermont, ash firewood that has not been heat treated should not be moved outside of the Emerald Ash Borer Infested Area in Vermont.

Many people in Vermont are encountering gypsy moths (GM) for the first time. This invasive species arrived in the United States over 100 years ago and has been expanding its range ever since. They can be significant defoliators (leaf eaters) of trees and shrubs. They prefer oak trees, but when there are a lot of caterpillars around they will eat any type of leaf, including maple and pine. Vermont has not seen an outbreak of GM since 1991. At that time a fungus called Entomophaga maimaiga became prevalent in the area and significantly decreased the GM population. But the dry weather that we’ve experienced over the last few years has not been good for fungi, and the absence of fungi has allowed the GM numbers to increase.

See also: Invasive Plants for more resources

For more than 30 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has worked with Vermont and New York to control this invasive species and protect Lake Champlain. Fortunately, sea lamprey woundings are now at an all-time low.

This summer, the Vermont Lakes and Ponds Program is seeking volunteers to help monitor and collect information about lakes and ponds in the state. With over 800 lakes and ponds, volunteers are key to the success of the program’s lake monitoring efforts. Volunteers can be found statewide greeting lake visitors, inspecting boats, collecting water samples, tracking algal or cyanobacteria blooms, reporting aquatic invasive species, and more. For general information, interested parties are welcome to visit the volunteer webpage.

As part of the ongoing response to the recent discovery of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) within the state, Vermont has joined the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s 31-state quarantine boundary. The quarantine will help reduce the movement of infested ash wood to un-infested regions outside of Vermont's borders. Ash wood may not be moved from Vermont to Maine, Rhode Island, or 7 counties in New Hampshire because the pest has not been identified in these states and counties. Vermont is also developing a series of slow-the-spread recommendations, initially including recommendations for handling logs, firewood, and other ash materials. To learn more about these recommendations, to see a map indicating where EAB is known to occur in Vermont, and to report suspected invasive species like EAB, visit vtinvasives.org

The newly launched Vermont Forest Invasive Pest Status Map offers an interactive platform to track the spread of invasive species such as beech leaf disease, elm zigzag sawfly, elongate hemlock scale, emerald ash borer, and hemlock woolly adelgid across the state. The application provides users with a comprehensive overview of town infestations and detection years for each invasive pest.
See also: Vermont Forest Health Program Launches Interactive Invasive Pest Status Map

Early detection is vital to protecting Vermont's water bodies from harmful invasive plants and animals. With more than 800 lakes and ponds throughout the state, volunteers play a key role in our surveying efforts. Vermont Invasive Patrollers (VIPs) monitor water bodies for new introductions of invasive species and report their findings to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).