Did you know that most invasive insect infestations are first discovered not by professionals, but by alert community members? Birding provides the perfect opportunity to keep an eye out for early outbreaks.

The Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program is offering a free on-line Forest Pest First Detectors course. This introductory course will train participants to identify the signs and symptoms of common forest invasive pests of concern: emerald ash borer, hemlock woolly adelgid, Asian longhorned beetle, spotted lanternfly and tree-of-heaven; jumping worms, oak wilt, and beech leaf disease.

There will be the opportunity to have hands-on experience through three field trips: 

• Monitoring for hemlock woolly adelgid (Jamaica State Park)
• Managing Forests for Birds and Forest Health (Green Mountain Audubon Center Forest) - hosted by Steve Hagenbuch, Audubon Vermont
• Emerald ash borer infestation and biocontrol site (South Hero) 

For this special version of the course, we are partnering with Audubon Vermont, Vermont Center for Ecostudies, VT Fish and Wildlife and the VT Dept. of Forests, Parks, and Recreation to include content exploring the relationship between invasive insects, forest health, and bird populations.

The 8 week course is free and self-paced and runs February 21st - April 17th. It will include six optional live webinars and three optional field trips. Click here to learn more about the course.

Who should participate?

The course is designed for anyone who wants to learn more about invasive forest insects, look for them, and educate others about them. It is appropriate for people with little to no prior experience with invasive insects or who are looking for a refresher to a previous Forest Pest First Detector course. 

Click here to Register for the course.

Course Schedule

February 21 - April 17

This is a self-paced course, hosted online and accessible when you have time to complete the materials. All events below are optional. Webinars will be offered via Microsoft Teams Platform.

• Feb. 22, 12pm: Live webinar
• March 2, 7pm: Live webinar
• March 5: Field trip (Jamaica State Park)
• March 20: Field trip (Green Mountain Audubon Center, Huntington)
• March 30, 12pm: Live webinar
• April 2: Field trip (South Hero)
• April 5, 12pm: Live webinar
• April 13, 12pm: Live webinar

Questions? Contact Ginger.nickerson@uvm.edu