Norfolk Woodlot Owners Association
P.O. Box 1146 N0E 1Y0 Waterford, ON, Canada

DYK? Oak wilt is creeping closer to Ontario. Our researchers have helped develop an early warning tool that helps to focus surveillance in areas at high risk of... infection. Oak wilt is caused by a fungus spread by tiny sap beetles, called nitidulids, and root to root contact of infected trees. An attractant specific to the nitidulids is placed on insect traps. Researchers collect and test the trap contents for fungus DNA. The amount of DNA tells them how close diseased trees are to the traps. Since prevention is the best way to manage oak wilt, learn the signs to ensure rapid response. Trees will have: Discoloured leaves that turn bronzy from the top down then drop Sweet smelling (like juicy fruit gum) fungal mat on stem under bark Red oak dies back faster than white oak and infected trees can die within a year. Oak wilt presence can only be confirmed by lab diagnostics. You can help by: NOT pruning oak in spring and summer when beetles are active not moving firewood reporting diseased trees to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency #MNRFScience See more

This is the time of year to monitor and manage you trees for European Gypsy Moth to help limit further infestation next year. The ISC and Eastern Ontario Model ...Forest are holding an egg mass scraping contest to help raise awareness of this invasive pest and encourage residents of Ontario to monitor and manage their trees and yards for European gypsy moth. Scrape some eggs and snap a photo, fill out the entry form, and be automatically entered into our draw to win a prize! The more eggs scraped, the more entries into the draw. Two winners will be randomly selected to win a Yeti prize pack. Help us reach our goal of 500 total egg masses scraped in Ontario! To learn more, submit your entry or read the terms and conditions, visit https://bit.ly/3iJusdX See more

Do you have a lot of Beech trees on your property? If you're noticing fewer leaves this year, it could be a result of an invasive nematode. Click the link below to learn more.

On August 18th the Invasive Species Centre hosted an excellent webinar on Gypsy Moth. If you missed it, don't worry! Just follow the link below to get the recording: https://www.invasivespeciescentre.ca/learn/webinar-series/

Happy National Forest Week everyone!

Do you suffer from seasonal allergies? Nose stuffy, eyes itchy, throat scratchy? The nefarious culprit is on the right - Common Ragweed, which relies on wind to... disperse it's microscopic pollen. The one on the left is Early (Common) Goldenrod which DOES NOT cause allergic reactions. It's pollen is heavy and the plant relies on insects to pollinate. Plus a field of Goldenrod just smells amazing! See more

On August 18th the Invasive Species Centre hosted an excellent webinar on Gypsy Moth. If you missed it, don't worry! Just follow the link below to get the recording: https://www.invasivespeciescentre.ca/learn/webinar-series/

Did you know that a parasitic wasp (Ooencyrtus kuvanae) was introduced into North America as a bio-control of gypsy moth? This tiny wasp has become well established since its introduction. It is a specialist that parasitizes the eggs of gypsy moth with up to three generations occurring from summer through fall after the gypsy moth eggs are laid. Due to their size they’re usually only able to attack the eggs in the upper layer of the egg mass, which can reduce the number of ...eggs by 20-30%! If you look carefully in this video you can see adult wasps crawling around the eggs masses. This video was taken in Charlotteville on August 21st by Norfolk County Forestry staff. Have a look through your woodlots and see if you have these beneficial insects. If the adults aren’t active, look for tiny holes in the egg masses that the wasps create when they emerge as adults. If you’re planning on scraping off and destroying egg masses, waiting until the winter will allow the wasps to complete their life cycle and overwinter in the surrounding leaf litter.

Ever wonder how trees manage to pull water up extraordinary heights into their crowns? Watch this video to find out!

If you’ve noticed a lot of gypsy moth defoliation this summer, you’re not alone - this invasive forest pest has been seen in abundance in many parts of Ontario this year. On August 18 the Invasive Species Centre will be hosting a webinar that will provide some useful background information and examine some best management options for landowners dealing with this pest. Click the link below to register! ... https://register.gotowebinar.com/regist/2378727844159323151