• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar

New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Adirondacks & NNY
  • Capital-Saratoga
  • Mohawk Valley
  • Hudson Valley & Catskills
  • NYC & Long Island
  • Western NY
  • History
  • Nature & Environment
  • Arts & Culture
  • Outdoor Recreation
  • Food & Farms
  • Subscribe
  • Support
  • Submit
  • About
  • New Books
  • Events
  • Podcasts

Invasive Species

Balsam Woolly Adelgid: A Foe to Firs

December 23, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

balsam fir courtesy Wikimedia user Abies balsamea 2 ’Tis the season for balsam fir, the fragrant evergreen that adorns our homes through the winter holidays. Its scent and long lasting needle retention make this the most popular Christmas tree and wreath species. Balsam fir is also an important timber species used for lumber. Native to North America, balsam fir (Abies balsamea) grows throughout the more northern latitudes and highest elevations of the country, including in the Northeast.

However, researchers predict a northward shift of balsam fir in an increasingly warming climate. Warmer temperatures are also contributing to a rise in populations of an exotic invasive pest – balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae) – which feeds on fir trees, affecting their health and viability as lumber and Christmas trees. [Read more…] about Balsam Woolly Adelgid: A Foe to Firs

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature Tagged With: Christmas, Climate Change, Forestry, Hemlock Trees, Hemlock woolly adelgid, insects, Invasive Species, nature, trees

10 Organizations Unite to Call for Adirondack Investments

December 23, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Entering Adirondack Park sign photo credit, Eric Meier;A coalition of 10 conservation and educational organizations has sent a letter to New York State Governor Kathy Hochul urging her upcoming State of the State message and Executive Budget proposal to advance investments and strengthened policies to improve the protection and management of the Adirondack Park. [Read more…] about 10 Organizations Unite to Call for Adirondack Investments

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondack Council, Adirondack Experience, Adirondack Wild, Adirondack Wilderness Advocates, Adirondacks, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, conservation, Environmental Advocates of NY, Environmental Protection Fund, Forest Preserve, Invasive Species, Kathy Hochul, nature, New York League of Conservation Voters, NYS Budget, politics, Protect the Adirondacks, Sierra Club, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Wildlife

Firewood and Invasive Pests

November 12, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Stack of split firewood and a maul for splitting courtesy Wikimedia user Chmee2For many of us, this season involves hunting, gathering, and preparing for a long, cold winter. This often includes stacking (or restacking) the firewood that’s been seasoning while we enjoyed the laid back warmer months of summer. Humans have used wood as a source of heat since they learned to control fire more than a million years ago.

For many in the Northeast, it’s a secondary, cost effective, and efficient way to heat our homes. In addition to home heating, firewood is often a component of camping and recreating. Moving firewood, however – whether for home heating or camp site ambiance – can spread exotic invasive pests and cause harm to the forest. [Read more…] about Firewood and Invasive Pests

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: emerald ash borer, energy, fall, Forestry, insects, Invasive Species, Spotted Lanternfly

Kudzu Found in 14 Counties in New York State

October 29, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Kudzu leaf courtesy James H. Miller, USDAKudzu, a fast-growing invasive vine originally native to Asia, has been found in 14 counties in New York State, entirely in the Hudson Valley, New York City, and Long Island. [Read more…] about Kudzu Found in 14 Counties in New York State

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Invasive Species

Lake Ontario, St. Lawrence River Projects Funded

October 16, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

DEC LogoThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Syracuse-based Great Lakes Research Consortium (GLRC) have announced nearly $90,000 in grant awards for three research projects that will address priority issues identified by New York’s Great Lakes Action Agenda and support science needs of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2023 Cooperative Science Monitoring Initiative on Lake Ontario. [Read more…] about Lake Ontario, St. Lawrence River Projects Funded

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature, Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: DEC, Environmental Protection Fund, fish, Fisheries, Grants, Great Lakes Research Consortium, Invasive Species, Lake Ontario, nature, plastics, St. Lawrence River, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY ESF, Syracuse University, Trout, Upstate Freshwater Institute, Wildlife

Adirondack Conservation: 5 Things You Need To Know

October 11, 2022 by Justin Levine Leave a Comment

Notional Equipment LayoutAdirondack Council: Prohibit Private Weapons Testing in Adirondacks

The Adirondack Park Agency received an application for a private weapons testing range in the Town of Lewis earlier this year, while despite a perfectly functional and safe weapons range just outside of the Adirondack Park at Fort Drum. The Adirondack Council has called on the APA to develop a policy and hold a hearing on the proposal, which would lower property values, create dangerous conditions, and drastically impact the peace and quiet of the Adirondack Park. [Read more…] about Adirondack Conservation: 5 Things You Need To Know

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondack Council, Adirondacks, APA, development, hunting, Invasive Species, nature, Wildlife

Beetles, Silver Flies Being Used Against Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Infestations

October 8, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid provided by DECHemlock trees are being threatened by an invasive insect called the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). Only the size of a sesame seed, this tiny aphid-like insect has the ability to take down an entire forest by feeding on and weakening hemlock trees – causing mortality within 5-7 years if left untreated.

As a foundation species, hemlocks are an important component of forests and provide many beneficial ecological services, like filtering water, shading streams, and providing food and habitat for wildlife. [Read more…] about Beetles, Silver Flies Being Used Against Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Infestations

Filed Under: Nature, Western NY Tagged With: Forestry, Hemlock Trees, Hemlock woolly adelgid, Invasive Species, Lake Ontario, Mexico Point State Park, nature, Oswego County, Wildlife

Invasive Hydrilla Found Infesting Niagara River

October 7, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Hydrilla Cover courtesy DECThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that hydrilla, an invasive aquatic plant, was found at two additional locations along the eastern shore of the Niagara River. The aquatic invasive was found and treated at a marina in North Tonawanda last year.

This past summer, a hydrilla plant found by a boat steward during a routine inspection prompted another round of surveys along the Niagara River. [Read more…] about Invasive Hydrilla Found Infesting Niagara River

Filed Under: Nature, Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: boating, DEC, Erie County, fishing, Invasive Species, Niagara River, paddling, Tonawanda

DEC Releases Draft Great Lakes Action Agenda

October 7, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

DEC LogoThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released the draft New York’s Great Lakes Action Agenda 2022-2030, a multi-year action plan to guide restoration and conservation, and foster sustainable, resilient, communities in New York’s Great Lakes region. [Read more…] about DEC Releases Draft Great Lakes Action Agenda

Filed Under: Nature, Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: Climate Change, DEC, Environmental History, Environmental Protection Fund, fish, Great Lakes, Invasive Species, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, nature, Niagara River, St. Lawrence River, Wildlife

New Invasive Affecting NYS Elm Trees; Threatens Major Spread

September 30, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

elm zigzag sawfly courtesy Wikimedia user SigaThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that the elm zigzag sawfly (Aproceros leucopoda) was detected for the first time in New York State at three locations in St. Lawrence County, including Wilson Hill Wildlife Management Area, Brasher State Forest, and Lost Nation State Forest.

This exotic pest feeds exclusively on elm trees and can cause severe defoliation, branch dieback, and crown thinning. Although the sawfly has not yet been shown to cause tree mortality, repeated defoliation by established sawfly populations would put added stress on native elm trees already heavily impacted by Dutch elm disease. [Read more…] about New Invasive Affecting NYS Elm Trees; Threatens Major Spread

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Brasher State Forest, Canada, DEC, Forestry, Invasive Species, Lost Nation State Forest, nature, St Lawrence County, trees, Wilson Hill WMA

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 10
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Help Finish Our 2022 Fundraising

Subscribe to New York Almanack

Subscribe! Follow the New York Almanack each day via E-mail, RSS, Twitter or Facebook updates.

Recent Comments

  • Bob Meyer on Poetry: Stairway from Heaven
  • Carol Drew-Peeples on Manhattan Street Names Tied to Slavery Listed from A to Z
  • Edythe Ann Quinn on Poetry: Stairway from Heaven
  • Ellen Brown on How Does A Land Trust Protect A Watershed? One Parcel At A Time
  • Nell Rapport on Transforming The Niagara Falls Experience
  • Jimmy on World War II POW Camps in Upstate New York
  • Paul Huey on Advocates: Pass The Unmarked Burial Site Protection Act
  • NOEL A SHERRY on Adirondack Logging History: Wood’s Lake & Beaver River Stations
  • NOEL A SHERRY on Adirondack Logging History: Wood’s Lake & Beaver River Stations
  • Jim Fox on Adirondack Logging History: Wood’s Lake & Beaver River Stations

Recent New York Books

battle of harlem hights
Ladies Day at the Capitol
voices of wayne county
CNY Snowstorm book front cover
The Struggles of Boston's Black Workers in the Civil War Era
Expanded Second Edition of Echoes in These Mountains
historic kingston book
Buffalo Sports cover re-re-sized.indd
With an Ax and a Rifle Vol I

Secondary Sidebar

preservation league
Protect the Adirondacks Hiking Guide