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Thread: What's up with the Maple Trees?

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    Default What's up with the Maple Trees?

    I was driving on route 118 in Vermont the other day and I noticed in the distance pockets of maple trees looking brown. The pockets were anywhere from 50-150 acres if I had to guess. Are the leaves still developing at that altitude? I'm thinking they are around 2000 feet of so. I also noticed the same thing while driving to Newport the other day on the Jay mountain road. Even from my house I am looking at one a pocket of brown colored maples towards Montgomery. I have never noticed this before. Does Dr. Tim or anyone know what this is.

    Spud

  2. #2
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    Apr 2011
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    Eastern Ontario
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    Forest tent caterpillar stripping the leaves off the trees.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Profirefighter View Post
    Forest tent caterpillar stripping the leaves off the trees.
    Likely the Eastern tent caterpillar. That's what's stripping trees all over eastern Ontario and Western Quebec.
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  4. #4
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    smithville flats ny near binghamton
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    We suffered through 5 years of severe deformation. It took 3 years of recovery to see a sugar content of 2 percent again, and that was only for the first couple of loads. Our average sugar content for the entire year is now between 1.3 and 1.2. I do not know what it was before the caterpillars, but I do know that we saw considerably more sugar.
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  5. #5
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    Mar 2009
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    Same observed in southern CT. Havent seen any gypsies , only a few tents on an apple tree. Tons of seeds and early browning on leaves.
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  6. #6
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    May 2006
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    Chaplin, Connecticut
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    Actually, it Gypsy Moth defoliation. It has devastated Eastern Connecticut the last 2 years. We have had some relief this year with the wet weather that has activated a fungus in the soil that is lethal to the caterpillars.
    Most trees re-leaf if they are strong enough. I am really concerned about the Sugar Maples as they have been 75% defoliated and don't appear to be sending out new leaves. I think this is because instead of totally defoliating the tree, the caterpillars consume most but not all of the leaf, so the tree does not try to replace it.
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  7. #7
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    May 2009
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    UVM Proctor Maple Research Center, Underhill Ctr, VT
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    Quote Originally Posted by batsofbedlam View Post
    Actually, it Gypsy Moth defoliation.
    Depends where you are. Some areas are gypsy moth, other areas are forest tent caterpillars.
    Dr. Tim Perkins
    UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
    http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
    https://mapleresearch.org
    Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu

  8. #8
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    May 2006
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    The Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar) was first brought to the U.S. (specifically, to Medford, MA) from France in 1869 by Etienne Leopold Trouvelot, who was interested in seeing if he could cultivate them for silk production. It wasn’t long before they escaped and started wreaking havoc on the trees of Massachusetts. They were first discovered in Stonington CT in July of 1905, and were present in all 169 Connecticut town by 1952.



    If you live in Connecticut, you’ve likely encountered a Gypsy Moth. In fact, it’s very possible that you’ve suffered the impacts of an infestation on your property or a nearby park: defoliated or dead trees, caterpillars clinging to your clothes, and frass (caterpillar waste) falling from the trees into your hair, your coffee, or your picnic. You can go ahead and blame Etienne and his silk dreams for this.



    So how did we fare this season? According to Brad, we still need some time to assess this years’ damage, but the spread of a virus (Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus, or NPV) and a fungus (Entomophaga maimaiga) that kills Gypsy Moths certainly did a number on the population. As rain helps to spread the fungus, the wet spring we had was a key factor in slowing the population growth this season. Anecdotally, attendees of Brad’s lecture reported seeing trees in their various towns covered with hundreds of dead Gypsy Moth caterpillars.



    So when will have more definitive information on this years’ infestation? We’ll have to wait for the results of Connecticut’s Forest Aerial Survey, conducted each year from late June to early August. Though the survey originally focused on Gypsy Moth defoliation, it has expanded to include other types of forest damage, such as Emerald Ash borer and Hemlock Woolly Adelgid.



    During the presentation, Brad answered a number of questions regarding the control of Gypsy Moths, including some regarding the manual removal of egg masses from trees. Many participants were surprised to learn that scraping the egg masses off the trees isn’t enough - - they will still hatch! Putting egg masses in soapy water, or in a mix of oil and water works best for successfully killing the egg masses. For more information on control and natural predators of Gypsy Moths, visit the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Website: http://www.ct.gov/caes/cwp/view.asp?...&Q=588414&PM=1
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  9. #9
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    Mar 2011
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    Potsdam in far northern New York
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    With the start of a new season, I think we should re-visit this topic. Last summer(2017) our trees were still reacting to the drought of 2016. We had what tree people call a "mast year", with bumper crops of seeds and nuts on just about any kind of tree you could name. The sugar maples were covered with seeds/keys and in late summer they turned the trees golden as those keys matured. So much energy went into seed production that the leaves were only about half their normal size, and we know that the leaves make the sugar. Now that we're bringing in the sap, I'm testing at 2.5% sugar instead of the 3.5 % I've seen in past years. It's early yet, and I'll test my sap to see if it improves. Anyone else seeing lower sugar content?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    DeKalb, NY
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    Yes, but I was one of those here in SLC who had 90% defoliation from tent caterpillars. My test is 1.7, normally just above 2%. I do have about 40% soft maples that were not affected. Sap flow appears about normal.

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