The Western Mountains Chapter of the Maryland Native Plant Society will hold its regular meeting at the Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg on Tuesday June 16^th at 7 pm.  The guest speaker will be Becky Wilson, Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forest Service.  Ms. Wilson will give her PowerPoint presentation called "Insects and Disease in the Lives of Forests and Trees".  Her program will begin immediately following a brief business meeting.  The public is welcome to attend.

 

According to Ms. Wilson, "trees and forests draw us to their beauty, solitude and splendor.  We appreciate these and all of the products and services they provide including wood and wildlife, clean water and air.  There are many exotic and invasive pests and diseases that are threatening the health of our forests and urban trees.  There is little natural resiliency because these invaders have not historically been part of the local forest systems".  During Becky Wilson's presentation you'll learn about significant pest and disease threats to our forests and tree resources.  Information on Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, Emerald Ash Borer, and others will be presented.  With Ms. Wilson's help, you will learn to identify these insects and diseases and the current level of threat in our region.

Becky Wilson is a native of Cumberland, Maryland.  She studied Biology and Forest Management at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania and Duke University School and Forestry and Environmental Studies.  Her career with the Department of Natural Resources began in the Maryland Park Service in 1989.  She then joined the Maryland Forest Service in 1991 and has served in a variety of roles since then.  Starting as a watershed forester in Harford County, she was almost immediately assigned to write regulations for the Forest Conservation Act of 1991.  After finishing that assignment, she served three years as Project Forester preparing forest management plans and planting streamside forest buffers in Baltimore County.  Returning to work in her home town in 1995, she is currently the Western Region Coordinator of Urban and Community Forestry Programs.

Directions to the program: From I-68 take exit 33 (Braddock Rd & Midlothian Rd exit).  Follow Braddock Road approximately .2 miles to the entrance to the Appalachian Lab on the left side of the road (301 Braddock Road).  There is plenty of parking in front of the building.  

 

The Maryland Native Plant Society uses education, research, and community service to increase awareness and appreciation of native plants and their habitats leading to their conservation and restoration.  Membership is open to all who are interested in Maryland's native plants and their habitats.  Preserving Maryland's natural heritage, increasing knowledge about native plants, and helping to further the Society's mission are our goals.  MNPS sponsors monthly meetings, workshops, field trips, and an annual fall conference.  For more information, visit  HYPERLINK "http://www.mdflora.org" www.mdflora.org

 

The Western Mountains Chapter has formed to expand the efforts of MNPS on the Allegheny Plateau and Ridge & Valley physiographic provinces of the central-Appalachians.  Residents of western Maryland, nearby Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and anyone else interested in learning more about and conserving the native plants of this region are invited to join.  For more information call Liz McDowell at 301-895-3686 or visit the chapter web site at  HYPERLINK "http://www.mdflora.org/chapters" www.mdflora.org/chapters.