{"id":3916,"date":"2013-04-01T08:21:24","date_gmt":"2013-04-01T08:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/?p=3916"},"modified":"2013-04-01T13:12:26","modified_gmt":"2013-04-01T13:12:26","slug":"april-is-invasive-plant-pest-and-disease-awareness-month-public-urged-to-help-prevent-spread-of-invasive-pests-that-feed-on-agricultural-crops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2013\/04\/01\/april-is-invasive-plant-pest-and-disease-awareness-month-public-urged-to-help-prevent-spread-of-invasive-pests-that-feed-on-agricultural-crops\/","title":{"rendered":"April is Invasive Plant, Pest and Disease Awareness Month; Public Urged to Help Prevent Spread of Invasive Pests that Feed on Agricultural Crops"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"MDA's<\/a>

MDA’s Emerald Ash Borer Survey Crew at work.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 1, 2013) \u00a0\u2013 April is Invasive Plant, Pest and Disease Awareness Month, a time when the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) urges residents to help stop the threat that invasive plant pests and diseases pose to America\u2019s agricultural and natural resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cInvasive pests are among the most dangerous risks to agricultural commodities anywhere,\u201d said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. \u201cMDA entomologist and invasive species experts expend a great deal of energy tracking and monitoring these pests that regularly cost the U.S. billions of dollars and wreak havoc on the environment. Invasive Species Month is not only a good time to help the public understand the threats these organisms pose to our economy and lifestyle, but also a time to recognize the very important work MDA staff performs every day on behalf of all Marylanders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Invasive pests often arrive in the county on international cargo ships or with people returning from foreign travel. Once here, they can grow and spread rapidly, disrupting the areas they invade by pushing out native species, reducing biological diversity, damaging and destroying crops, killing forest trees, placing other species at increased risk of extinction, altering wildfire intensity and frequency, closing foreign markets to U.S. products from infested areas, and costing industry and governments millions of dollars in treatments and other response and control efforts.<\/p>\n

Maryland\u2019s greenhouse and nursery industry is the second largest agricultural sector in Maryland. It accounts for 15 percent of farm cash receipts and uses more than 20,000 acres of open space. Invasive pests continually threaten this critical industry.<\/p>\n

MDA\u2019s Plant Protection and Weed Management Program and Forest Pest Management Program work together to combat these invaders.<\/p>\n

During April, MDA will highlight these pests on the agency\u2019s blog<\/a>\u00a0and Facebook page<\/a> to better educate Marylanders about these pests and what MDA is doing about them. You don\u2019t need to sign in or have an account. Simply visit and bookmark those sites. On the MDA blog over the next month, you can find information about some of Maryland\u2019s Most Unwanted Pests, such as:<\/p>\n

\u2022 The Gypsy Moth<\/strong> — by far the most destructive pest of forest and shade trees in Maryland. Large outbreaks have affected hundreds of thousands of acres statewide. For more information<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 The Emerald Ash Borer<\/strong> (EAB), an invasive beetle that can fit on a penny, has killed thousands of ash trees across the state since it was discovered in 2003. Losses from the EAB could exceed $227.5 million in the Baltimore metro area alone if it goes unchecked, according to the USDA. For more information<\/a>. (See the MDA Blog<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Hemlock Woolly Adelgid<\/strong> (HWA), an insect the size of a dot, threatens to wipe out Maryland\u2019s 42,000 acres of Hemlock forests, most of them from Baltimore County west to Garrett County. Several hemlock stands which have been infested for more than 10 years have extensive decline and some mortality. For more information<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Two highly destructive invasive species are not established in Maryland, but the MDA remains on the look out for them and urges residents to watch for them as well.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Sudden Oak Death<\/strong> (ramorum blight) is a fungus-like organism found in the Pacific Northwest and poses a serious threat to a wide range of host plant species found in Maryland. In California, Oregon, and Washington, thousands of Oak and tanoaks have been killed. It also affects rhododendron, viburnum, camellia and other plants found in nurseries and natural landscapes. USDA rates the environmental impact of sudden oak death as \u201chuge\u201d because of restrictions in international and domestic trade and direct costs of prevention, eradication or suppression, and ecological impact.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Asian Longhorned Beetle<\/strong> (ALB) is a very large invasive beetle with a long list of host trees it can kill, and is a serious threat in Maryland. It is currently devastating trees in Ohio, New York and Massachusetts where millions have been spent on eradicating this nuisance pest.<\/p>\n

If you suspect you have an invasive pest in your area, report it to the University of Maryland Home and Garden Information Center at 800-342-2507 or visit www.hgic.umd.edu.<\/p>\n

What Can Citizens Do to Help Prevent the Spread of Invasive Pests<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

To help reduce the spread of invasive pests, there are several easy steps you can take to help reduce the spread of invasive pests and plants. If you do anything outdoors, from camping to hunting to farming:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Learn where infested areas are and avoid passing through them.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Remove all seeds and other plant parts from your equipment, boots, gear, truck bed, tires, animals, and harvesting equipment before leaving an infested area or after working a site to make sure you are not spreading seeds, insects, or spores to a new location.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Remove or eliminate from your property any junk piles or other places bees can nest.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Don\u2019t move firewood. Buy or use firewood that is close to your campsite.<\/p>\n

\u2022 If hunting, don\u2019t use invasive plants for food plots.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Farmers and ranchers — be sure to control invasive plants along fencerows, ditches, and other areas adjacent to fields.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Always use weed-free hay and feed for your animals.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Report any invasive pest sightings to the local land manager, MDA or local APHIS office (www.aphis.usda.gov).<\/p>\n

Tips for Gardeners<\/span>:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Always declare any plant material brought in from travel abroad.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Buy Local! There is a wide variety of beautiful, easy-to-care-for plants available at local nurseries and garden centers.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Avoid using invasive plant species at all costs and remove invasive plants from your garden.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Until you are able to rid your garden of invasive plants, remove and destroy seed heads before they can spread.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Don\u2019t share invasives with other gardeners.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Talk to other gardeners about invasives and how you plan to help in the fight against them.<\/p>\n

\u2022 If you are worried that your garden will lose its luster after removing invasives, talk to your local nursery about suitable replacements.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Clean your boots, gear, truck bed, tires, and harvesting equipment after working a site to make sure you are not spreading seeds, insects, or spores to a new location.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Report any sightings to your county extension agent or local APHIS office (click on the \u201cReport a pest or disease\u201d link at www.aphis.usda.gov). The sooner invasive species are detected, the easier and cheaper it is to control them.<\/p>\n

# # #<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 1, 2013) \u00a0\u2013 April is Invasive Plant, Pest and Disease Awareness Month, a time when the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) urges residents to help stop the threat that invasive plant pests and diseases pose to America\u2019s agricultural and natural resources. \u201cInvasive pests are among the most dangerous risks to agricultural commodities  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3916"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3918,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3916\/revisions\/3918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}