0 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:04,253 All right, thank you everyone. 2 00:00:05,090 --> 00:00:08,960 We're going to use this opportunity 3 00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:13,550 to give updates about the State Coordinator Program, 4 00:00:13,550 --> 00:00:16,310 and what our partners across the region 5 00:00:16,310 --> 00:00:20,783 have been doing with us in collaboration with the FEMC, 6 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:23,603 as members of the FEMC. 7 00:00:25,910 --> 00:00:28,040 And so I just wanna explain to you a little bit 8 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:30,800 about what the State Coordinator Program is. 9 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:35,800 We have representatives in each state of the cooperative, 10 00:00:35,900 --> 00:00:38,270 and this is actually a cost-sharing program. 11 00:00:38,270 --> 00:00:42,740 So we provide funding source for the state coordinators, 12 00:00:42,740 --> 00:00:45,500 and they contribute matching funds back to us, 13 00:00:45,500 --> 00:00:47,750 which is very important about, 14 00:00:47,750 --> 00:00:50,813 the way that FEMC is structured. 15 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,580 And some of the things that the state coordinators do 16 00:00:55,580 --> 00:00:56,413 and support us with, 17 00:00:56,413 --> 00:00:58,460 is they lead the state partnership committees 18 00:00:58,460 --> 00:01:03,460 in their states, and support on the Sprint Projects. 19 00:01:03,710 --> 00:01:06,020 And the Sprint projects are smaller, 20 00:01:06,020 --> 00:01:09,420 six to eight month projects that may have 21 00:01:10,340 --> 00:01:15,340 a very state-focused goal that they're trying to achieve. 22 00:01:15,683 --> 00:01:18,774 And so for one example that was completed this past year, 23 00:01:18,774 --> 00:01:23,203 was work on the Pisgah State Park Carbon Storage report 24 00:01:24,089 --> 00:01:25,412 for New Hampshire. 25 00:01:25,412 --> 00:01:27,390 And so we worked very closely 26 00:01:28,460 --> 00:01:32,453 with our state cooperative coordinators in New Hampshire, 27 00:01:33,519 --> 00:01:34,819 in developing this report. 28 00:01:36,751 --> 00:01:38,383 Another one, for example, 29 00:01:38,383 --> 00:01:40,932 is a spongy moth data rescue project 30 00:01:40,932 --> 00:01:42,531 that we did with Rhode Island. 31 00:01:42,531 --> 00:01:46,331 And so there was data that was at risk of being lost. 32 00:01:46,331 --> 00:01:48,681 And so we digitized that and developed a report 33 00:01:49,882 --> 00:01:52,463 with our coordinator, 34 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:57,743 to make sure that, that data wasn't lost, 35 00:01:58,700 --> 00:02:02,213 and share the information with others. 36 00:02:04,862 --> 00:02:07,490 And another way that we work with them, 37 00:02:07,490 --> 00:02:10,013 is that they do a lot to help us, 38 00:02:10,851 --> 00:02:12,730 in the Forest health monitoring program. 39 00:02:12,730 --> 00:02:16,583 So, as Allison mentioned, this has expanded in recent years. 40 00:02:18,670 --> 00:02:21,563 We have had plots in Vermont for a very long time, 41 00:02:21,563 --> 00:02:24,063 but over the past several years we've added plots. 42 00:02:25,313 --> 00:02:27,450 In fact, this past year was the first year 43 00:02:28,301 --> 00:02:30,851 that we completed plots in all seven of the states. 44 00:02:31,832 --> 00:02:34,432 And some of these state coordinators 45 00:02:34,432 --> 00:02:36,182 do a lot in supporting that effort. 46 00:02:37,863 --> 00:02:40,583 And I will also put a plug in at this time, 47 00:02:40,583 --> 00:02:43,133 because Mathias Search and Ben Porter have a poster 48 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:45,070 in the Poster Hall, 49 00:02:46,901 --> 00:02:48,763 about our Forest Health Monitoring Program. 50 00:02:51,772 --> 00:02:54,480 And so I'm going to just give a quick introduction 51 00:02:55,690 --> 00:02:57,440 for the state coordinators. 52 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:00,353 These are all of the people that we work with, 53 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:04,373 and we we meet regularly, and talk about these projects. 54 00:03:05,692 --> 00:03:08,259 And then they are going to have a chance 55 00:03:08,259 --> 00:03:10,931 to tell you about what they've been been doing 56 00:03:10,931 --> 00:03:12,130 in their states. 57 00:03:12,130 --> 00:03:13,710 And so here in person today 58 00:03:14,623 --> 00:03:17,102 we have Alana Russell from Rhode Island. 59 00:03:17,102 --> 00:03:19,002 We also have Josh Halman from Vermont. 60 00:03:20,353 --> 00:03:22,517 And then virtually Savannah Ferreira, 61 00:03:22,517 --> 00:03:24,353 also from Vermont is in attendance. 62 00:03:25,826 --> 00:03:27,984 Virtually, Jeff Ward from Connecticut 63 00:03:27,984 --> 00:03:29,573 will be sharing his updates. 64 00:03:30,905 --> 00:03:33,607 Aaron Bergdahl and Jeff Harriman in Maine 65 00:03:33,607 --> 00:03:35,105 will be sharing their updates. 66 00:03:35,105 --> 00:03:36,855 And Eric Peterson in Massachusetts. 67 00:03:38,646 --> 00:03:41,525 And then I will actually be sharing some information 68 00:03:41,525 --> 00:03:43,827 from Jerry Carlson because he retired. 69 00:03:43,827 --> 00:03:46,440 And as his last hurrah with FEMC 70 00:03:47,377 --> 00:03:49,877 he sent me his updates so that I could share them. 71 00:03:52,744 --> 00:03:54,953 And so, in this process, 72 00:03:56,044 --> 00:03:59,445 some of the things that I asked for the state coordinators 73 00:03:59,445 --> 00:04:00,743 to share with me was, 74 00:04:02,004 --> 00:04:04,504 share a little bit about themselves and their work 75 00:04:07,388 --> 00:04:10,025 within their state, their organization, 76 00:04:10,025 --> 00:04:11,175 and what their role is. 77 00:04:12,116 --> 00:04:14,366 Some of the activities that they led in 2022, 78 00:04:15,448 --> 00:04:18,447 any trends, concerns, or gaps that they saw. 79 00:04:18,447 --> 00:04:21,047 And then looking ahead what they plan to do in 2023. 80 00:04:22,977 --> 00:04:24,110 And so like I said, 81 00:04:24,110 --> 00:04:28,973 I'll share Jerry's updates and notes from him. 82 00:04:31,177 --> 00:04:33,383 He just retired like last week I think, 83 00:04:34,536 --> 00:04:36,053 but he was the invasive species, 84 00:04:36,053 --> 00:04:38,448 and ecosystem health section chief, 85 00:04:38,448 --> 00:04:41,228 and he was with the New York DEC Lands and Forest. 86 00:04:41,228 --> 00:04:42,688 And he wanted to share that 87 00:04:42,688 --> 00:04:45,056 their mission is to conserve, improve, and protect, 88 00:04:45,056 --> 00:04:47,837 New York's natural resources and environment, 89 00:04:47,837 --> 00:04:49,776 and that they have legal authority 90 00:04:49,776 --> 00:04:51,926 to act on lands with forest health threats. 91 00:04:54,156 --> 00:04:58,713 And this section employs many people, 92 00:04:58,713 --> 00:05:01,160 to work on these projects that are are focused on 93 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:04,310 pest threats, and trapping, and surveillance. 94 00:05:04,310 --> 00:05:07,313 And some of the highlighted projects, 95 00:05:08,649 --> 00:05:12,593 working on Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, spongy moth, 96 00:05:13,631 --> 00:05:15,792 Asian Longhorn Beetles, spotted Lantern fly, 97 00:05:15,792 --> 00:05:18,923 among others that they have been working on. 98 00:05:20,635 --> 00:05:24,173 And then the way that they are connected with FEMC is, 99 00:05:26,235 --> 00:05:29,700 Jerry in particular has been supportive of FEMC 100 00:05:30,622 --> 00:05:32,534 way back when we were VMC, 101 00:05:32,534 --> 00:05:35,450 and has very much promoted the interest in FEMC, 102 00:05:37,473 --> 00:05:40,163 and the regional emphasis on ecosystem health. 103 00:05:41,006 --> 00:05:43,354 And especially with the emphasis 104 00:05:43,354 --> 00:05:47,333 on data accessibility, and analysis, and analytical reports. 105 00:05:49,173 --> 00:05:51,413 He had struggled, and New York, 106 00:05:52,252 --> 00:05:54,874 we've had challenges in establishing 107 00:05:54,874 --> 00:05:56,174 a formal manager position, 108 00:05:57,322 --> 00:06:00,717 but he was very committed to supporting FEMC 109 00:06:02,313 --> 00:06:03,342 in ways that he could. 110 00:06:03,342 --> 00:06:06,774 And so we worked as well as we could, 111 00:06:06,774 --> 00:06:11,084 to develop some of these state sprint projects for example, 112 00:06:11,084 --> 00:06:14,303 and making sure that the forest health monitoring sites, 113 00:06:15,145 --> 00:06:19,013 were established, and monitoring was conducted over there. 114 00:06:20,584 --> 00:06:22,884 So, we've been working very closely with them, 115 00:06:24,044 --> 00:06:25,880 in a little bit of an informal capacity. 116 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:30,880 But they are working on formalizing this position, 117 00:06:33,975 --> 00:06:38,031 and that has included dealing with staff's shortages, 118 00:06:38,031 --> 00:06:40,043 including Jerry's own retirement. 119 00:06:41,843 --> 00:06:44,873 So those were certainly some of the things that 120 00:06:44,873 --> 00:06:46,733 we've worked with Jerry with. 121 00:06:47,683 --> 00:06:49,710 And then some of the New York priorities 122 00:06:50,571 --> 00:06:52,373 that he wanted to mention are, 123 00:06:54,001 --> 00:06:56,123 the focus on regional ecosystem threats, 124 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:02,400 especially in the regional capacity of how FEMC works, 125 00:07:04,163 --> 00:07:06,883 and bringing these priorities, 126 00:07:06,883 --> 00:07:09,100 from all over, from other states, 127 00:07:09,100 --> 00:07:11,100 to each other's awareness and knowledge. 128 00:07:12,202 --> 00:07:13,035 And then also, 129 00:07:13,035 --> 00:07:17,021 the New York Partnership committee relationship, 130 00:07:17,021 --> 00:07:19,463 has been to identify priorities, 131 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:24,501 and that are specific to New York, 132 00:07:24,501 --> 00:07:27,502 such as the New York Forest Health Dashboard, 133 00:07:27,502 --> 00:07:30,353 which is a tool that was developed by FEMC, 134 00:07:31,259 --> 00:07:34,703 in support of New York priorities and questions. 135 00:07:37,751 --> 00:07:39,533 And then again, looking ahead, 136 00:07:40,433 --> 00:07:42,633 some of the things that New York DEC, 137 00:07:42,633 --> 00:07:45,923 and some of the work that FEMC supports with, 138 00:07:47,091 --> 00:07:49,462 will include regional collaboration, 139 00:07:49,462 --> 00:07:52,080 on many of these detection and intervention 140 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:53,423 of pests and diseases, 141 00:07:55,048 --> 00:07:59,213 but with the specific need for more regional data resources, 142 00:08:00,827 --> 00:08:02,933 to describe the short and long-term risks. 143 00:08:04,297 --> 00:08:07,253 Additionally, more regional assistance on education. 144 00:08:08,089 --> 00:08:08,939 Jerry was very... 145 00:08:10,178 --> 00:08:11,577 Every time that I spoke with him, 146 00:08:11,577 --> 00:08:16,223 he really gets excited about outreach and education 147 00:08:17,086 --> 00:08:20,610 to inform and get people to understand 148 00:08:21,536 --> 00:08:24,036 the impacts of climate change and ecosystem health 149 00:08:24,990 --> 00:08:27,113 on themselves, and on their forests. 150 00:08:28,831 --> 00:08:30,690 And then also a need to focus on 151 00:08:31,641 --> 00:08:34,673 early detection and different resources. 152 00:08:36,048 --> 00:08:37,820 For example, using satellite, 153 00:08:37,820 --> 00:08:42,803 remotely sense data analysis in that early detection mode. 154 00:08:44,249 --> 00:08:46,103 And then additionally, 155 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:49,343 more understanding and emphasis on restoration, 156 00:08:50,710 --> 00:08:55,429 and how there can be expertise, 157 00:08:55,429 --> 00:08:58,271 in identifying and propagating genotypes, 158 00:08:58,271 --> 00:09:01,673 and target pests, and impacts of climate change. 159 00:09:03,087 --> 00:09:05,080 So those are some of the things that, 160 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:09,939 Jerry has shared, and has been doing, 161 00:09:09,939 --> 00:09:13,350 and that New York DEC will continue to do 162 00:09:14,661 --> 00:09:15,611 in the coming year. 163 00:09:17,790 --> 00:09:19,980 And so now I'm going to ask Josh Halman 164 00:09:20,919 --> 00:09:23,010 from our Vermont State coordinator 165 00:09:23,859 --> 00:09:25,920 to come up and tell us a little bit about 166 00:09:26,756 --> 00:09:27,906 what he has been doing. 167 00:09:31,314 --> 00:09:33,936 (shoes clacking) 168 00:09:33,936 --> 00:09:34,938 [Josh Halman] Great, thanks Alyssa. 169 00:09:34,938 --> 00:09:35,771 Thanks everybody for being here. 170 00:09:37,102 --> 00:09:38,002 I realize time's short, 171 00:09:38,002 --> 00:09:40,160 so I'll just go right through these slides here. 172 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:41,975 As Alyssa mentioned, 173 00:09:41,975 --> 00:09:43,906 we have two state coordinators for Vermont. 174 00:09:43,906 --> 00:09:47,177 We have myself, I'm the Forest Health Program manager 175 00:09:47,177 --> 00:09:48,472 for the Vermont Department of 176 00:09:48,472 --> 00:09:50,472 Forest Parks and recreations team there. 177 00:09:51,421 --> 00:09:54,483 Savannah Ferreira is another state coordinator. 178 00:09:54,483 --> 00:09:56,172 She is a Forest Health Specialist, 179 00:09:56,172 --> 00:09:58,192 and she runs our forest biology lab 180 00:09:58,192 --> 00:09:59,025 down in Randolph, Vermont. 181 00:10:01,290 --> 00:10:03,662 Let's see, our background and interest really, 182 00:10:03,662 --> 00:10:06,350 both individually and as a program, 183 00:10:06,350 --> 00:10:09,293 are in pretty much all things forest health, 184 00:10:09,293 --> 00:10:12,442 pests, pathogens that are in the state, 185 00:10:12,442 --> 00:10:13,541 or that are surrounding the state 186 00:10:13,541 --> 00:10:14,374 that we're concerned about. 187 00:10:15,339 --> 00:10:18,172 But additionally, of course we're interested in, 188 00:10:18,172 --> 00:10:20,764 those factors that influence those pests and pathogens, 189 00:10:20,764 --> 00:10:22,851 abiotic factors, climate change, 190 00:10:22,851 --> 00:10:24,183 and that kind of holistic vision 191 00:10:24,183 --> 00:10:26,840 is where we see the cooperative here really excelling. 192 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:29,423 So we're thrilled to be part of it. 193 00:10:31,822 --> 00:10:35,194 We also, of course are engaged in some long-term monitoring, 194 00:10:35,194 --> 00:10:37,156 and that's particularly exciting, 195 00:10:37,156 --> 00:10:39,493 with the cooperative and the longevity of it at this point. 196 00:10:40,655 --> 00:10:43,054 As was mentioned earlier, Vermont, 197 00:10:43,054 --> 00:10:45,050 FEMC really started as the Vermont Monitoring Cooperative 198 00:10:45,050 --> 00:10:46,283 over 30 years ago. 199 00:10:47,556 --> 00:10:50,535 And so, Vermont has had a role to play here 200 00:10:50,535 --> 00:10:52,095 for quite a while. 201 00:10:52,095 --> 00:10:54,315 And as such we've had some data sets 202 00:10:54,315 --> 00:10:55,395 that are fairly long-term, 203 00:10:55,395 --> 00:10:57,944 and I'll showcase a couple of those in a couple slides here. 204 00:10:57,944 --> 00:11:01,125 But we've been with FEMC for quite a while, 205 00:11:01,125 --> 00:11:02,263 and really value the partnership. 206 00:11:04,454 --> 00:11:05,287 Activities this year, 207 00:11:06,264 --> 00:11:08,886 the state partnership committee meetings 208 00:11:08,886 --> 00:11:09,719 were kind of mentioned, 209 00:11:09,719 --> 00:11:12,836 these are meetings with, as the the name implies, 210 00:11:12,836 --> 00:11:15,199 certain partners throughout the state, 211 00:11:15,199 --> 00:11:18,988 and that have shared goals or shared concerns, 212 00:11:18,988 --> 00:11:20,566 and ecologically within the states. 213 00:11:20,566 --> 00:11:22,329 So we have 15 members 214 00:11:22,329 --> 00:11:24,253 currently on our state partnership committee in Vermont, 215 00:11:25,139 --> 00:11:27,133 from five different organizations you can see up there. 216 00:11:28,009 --> 00:11:30,537 But some of the activities on the ground 217 00:11:30,537 --> 00:11:33,187 that we actually are engaged in year in and year out, 218 00:11:34,148 --> 00:11:36,098 include tree phonology monitoring. 219 00:11:36,098 --> 00:11:37,727 So this is a long-term data set, 220 00:11:37,727 --> 00:11:40,827 where we're looking at spring phonology, 221 00:11:40,827 --> 00:11:41,953 as well as fall phenology. 222 00:11:42,857 --> 00:11:44,548 For multiple species sugar maple 223 00:11:44,548 --> 00:11:46,428 has the longest record in the state, 224 00:11:46,428 --> 00:11:49,148 but we're looking at the timing of bud break in the spring, 225 00:11:49,148 --> 00:11:52,048 and we're looking at the timing of peak color, 226 00:11:52,048 --> 00:11:53,383 as well as leaf drop in the fall. 227 00:11:55,085 --> 00:11:57,269 The forest health monitoring plots, 228 00:11:57,269 --> 00:11:59,563 it's a large network that Alyssa showed a little earlier. 229 00:12:00,799 --> 00:12:02,737 It's extensive throughout Vermont, 230 00:12:02,737 --> 00:12:05,959 and FEMC conducts the work on those plots. 231 00:12:05,959 --> 00:12:08,008 But we're engaged in some of the training 232 00:12:08,008 --> 00:12:09,709 that goes on pre-season, 233 00:12:09,709 --> 00:12:11,007 to ensure that the field crew 234 00:12:11,007 --> 00:12:13,493 is taking those metrics properly, 235 00:12:15,315 --> 00:12:17,233 and can provide us with that data in the end. 236 00:12:18,147 --> 00:12:19,468 We have a couple other projects, 237 00:12:19,468 --> 00:12:23,418 that are not within FPR, this is a partnership committee, 238 00:12:23,418 --> 00:12:25,925 so we have other partners and other interests. 239 00:12:25,925 --> 00:12:28,973 So, air quality monitoring occurs in the state. 240 00:12:30,255 --> 00:12:31,454 Mercury is included in that, 241 00:12:31,454 --> 00:12:32,577 which is pretty exciting 242 00:12:32,577 --> 00:12:35,603 for tracking that chemical in the air, 243 00:12:37,092 --> 00:12:39,763 as well as avian and amphibian monitoring in the state, 244 00:12:41,434 --> 00:12:43,451 by some partners at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, 245 00:12:43,451 --> 00:12:44,383 and Vermont Family Forests. 246 00:12:45,422 --> 00:12:48,312 And finally, I'll mention this long-term soils project, 247 00:12:48,312 --> 00:12:51,473 that we are the 20th year of working on right now. 248 00:12:52,381 --> 00:12:53,723 It's a long-term project, 249 00:12:53,723 --> 00:12:55,333 it's supposed to be a 150-year project, 250 00:12:56,988 --> 00:12:59,358 but this year we actually were able to get out there 251 00:12:59,358 --> 00:13:02,303 for our fifth sampling period on these plots. 252 00:13:03,229 --> 00:13:05,150 And I'll show you some of those results 253 00:13:06,391 --> 00:13:07,832 here on this slide here. 254 00:13:07,832 --> 00:13:10,502 Just real briefly, I want to touch on two things. 255 00:13:10,502 --> 00:13:12,433 We have a number of concerns in the state, 256 00:13:13,422 --> 00:13:14,255 forest health wise, 257 00:13:14,255 --> 00:13:16,830 which could range from the current spongy moth outbreak, 258 00:13:16,830 --> 00:13:19,820 to the expansion of Emerald ash borer in the state, 259 00:13:19,820 --> 00:13:22,478 to the detection of each leaf disease in the state, 260 00:13:22,478 --> 00:13:23,503 which seems to be surrounding Vermont, 261 00:13:24,419 --> 00:13:26,083 yet we we haven't found it here quite yet. 262 00:13:27,328 --> 00:13:28,767 But what I want to show you here, 263 00:13:28,767 --> 00:13:30,613 is a couple things that we're fortunate enough to have, 264 00:13:31,804 --> 00:13:32,854 that are due to FEMC, 265 00:13:33,957 --> 00:13:37,943 and that are long-term data sets, that are pretty unique, 266 00:13:38,865 --> 00:13:41,265 that I don't think we'd be able to to have in our hands 267 00:13:41,265 --> 00:13:42,853 without the cooperation here. 268 00:13:42,853 --> 00:13:43,693 And one of those is, 269 00:13:44,684 --> 00:13:45,973 the results of our phenology monitoring. 270 00:13:46,815 --> 00:13:49,325 Like I mentioned, we're looking at spring and fall, 271 00:13:49,325 --> 00:13:52,634 and what we're able to do with those two metrics is, 272 00:13:52,634 --> 00:13:54,985 calculate the length of the growing season, 273 00:13:54,985 --> 00:13:56,323 based on sugar maple phenology. 274 00:13:57,197 --> 00:14:00,334 And what we've seen over this, 30-year period of monitoring, 275 00:14:00,334 --> 00:14:02,645 is that the length of the growing season, 276 00:14:02,645 --> 00:14:04,566 when you take those factors into consideration, 277 00:14:04,566 --> 00:14:06,270 has extended by over a week 278 00:14:07,265 --> 00:14:09,103 since we began monitoring this in 1991. 279 00:14:10,261 --> 00:14:11,970 So long-term data, 280 00:14:11,970 --> 00:14:14,340 and a very real indication of climate change 281 00:14:15,369 --> 00:14:16,393 occurring right in our backyard here. 282 00:14:17,845 --> 00:14:19,199 And finally, just wanna talk about, 283 00:14:19,199 --> 00:14:20,861 the long-term soils project. 284 00:14:20,861 --> 00:14:23,029 We had a paper come out this year on this study, 285 00:14:23,029 --> 00:14:26,309 wasn't really expected to have significant results, 286 00:14:26,309 --> 00:14:28,738 this early in into a 150-year study, 287 00:14:28,738 --> 00:14:29,803 but with 15 years of data, 288 00:14:30,819 --> 00:14:32,407 there are some significant differences, 289 00:14:32,407 --> 00:14:33,968 that are that are starting to show up. 290 00:14:33,968 --> 00:14:36,020 And I'd encourage you to look at the poster 291 00:14:36,020 --> 00:14:37,423 that we have available for that as well today. 292 00:14:41,269 --> 00:14:42,979 Some of the goal of this project, 293 00:14:42,979 --> 00:14:44,623 is to monitor both the chemical composition, 294 00:14:45,681 --> 00:14:48,143 and the makeup of soils in the state, 295 00:14:50,519 --> 00:14:53,069 especially in response to chronic acid deposition, 296 00:14:53,069 --> 00:14:54,731 and see how those soils may be recovering. 297 00:14:54,731 --> 00:14:57,400 So, interesting to see that we have some results, 298 00:14:57,400 --> 00:14:58,479 and seeing increases, 299 00:14:58,479 --> 00:15:00,050 in both carbon and some exchangeable cations 300 00:15:01,230 --> 00:15:03,601 in some of those sites. 301 00:15:03,601 --> 00:15:04,434 Looking ahead to next year, 302 00:15:05,308 --> 00:15:06,913 we will again be engaging our state partnership committee, 303 00:15:07,749 --> 00:15:10,072 and revisiting some of our priorities, 304 00:15:10,072 --> 00:15:11,593 assessing needs for new projects, 305 00:15:12,611 --> 00:15:15,983 continuing the training for the FHM plots in early summer. 306 00:15:17,912 --> 00:15:19,952 We'll be continuing some of our long-term projects, 307 00:15:19,952 --> 00:15:21,013 of course phenology, air quality. 308 00:15:22,111 --> 00:15:23,852 We also measure down Woody material 309 00:15:23,852 --> 00:15:24,685 in some of these plots as well. 310 00:15:26,102 --> 00:15:26,935 And looking forward to using FEMC 311 00:15:28,414 --> 00:15:29,413 as a great data warehouse, 312 00:15:30,954 --> 00:15:32,923 putting more of our data there that's publicly accessible, 313 00:15:34,393 --> 00:15:35,714 so that folks can take a look at 314 00:15:35,714 --> 00:15:37,754 what's going on in the state. 315 00:15:37,754 --> 00:15:38,593 And with that, I will pass it to Alana. 316 00:15:40,633 --> 00:15:43,633 (audience applauds) 317 00:15:48,885 --> 00:15:50,035 Okay, thank you Josh. 318 00:15:50,934 --> 00:15:52,676 Hi everyone, I am Alana Russell. 319 00:15:52,676 --> 00:15:53,845 I traveled up last night, 320 00:15:53,845 --> 00:15:55,363 all the way from teeny tiny Rhode Island. 321 00:15:56,893 --> 00:15:58,832 So I am a research assistant, 322 00:15:58,832 --> 00:16:00,572 and the Bio-control lab manager 323 00:16:00,572 --> 00:16:01,603 at the University of Rhode Island, 324 00:16:02,854 --> 00:16:03,687 and I'm the Rhode Island State coordinator. 325 00:16:05,343 --> 00:16:06,683 So, I am an entomologist. 326 00:16:08,015 --> 00:16:11,374 My professional interests are definitely biological control, 327 00:16:11,374 --> 00:16:13,243 invasive species, and pets, and pathogens. 328 00:16:14,954 --> 00:16:17,273 My professional experiences, 329 00:16:18,464 --> 00:16:20,464 have definitely been focused on 330 00:16:20,464 --> 00:16:23,004 basic biology and applied research. 331 00:16:23,004 --> 00:16:25,523 So yay data, I'm aligned with FEMC's mission, 332 00:16:27,085 --> 00:16:29,134 but I definitely don't have as much experience 333 00:16:29,134 --> 00:16:30,995 with the long-term monitoring, 334 00:16:30,995 --> 00:16:33,223 so I'm excited to be contributing to that, 335 00:16:33,223 --> 00:16:34,056 and get more experience with that. 336 00:16:36,113 --> 00:16:38,853 So Rhode Island, we definitely have small state power. 337 00:16:38,853 --> 00:16:40,263 We're very close-knit. 338 00:16:40,263 --> 00:16:42,323 There's a lot of overlap, 339 00:16:42,323 --> 00:16:44,326 I work closely with the state agencies, 340 00:16:44,326 --> 00:16:45,503 academia, and our NGOs, 341 00:16:47,025 --> 00:16:48,643 and that's the same amongst those different groups. 342 00:16:49,536 --> 00:16:50,703 So we have a lot of overlap, 343 00:16:50,703 --> 00:16:52,255 we're able to communicate a lot, 344 00:16:52,255 --> 00:16:53,855 and I think that's really worked in our benefit, 345 00:16:53,855 --> 00:16:54,922 and that's really been, 346 00:16:54,922 --> 00:16:55,854 I've been able to see that, 347 00:16:55,854 --> 00:16:57,283 through working with the other states of FEMC. 348 00:16:59,064 --> 00:17:00,350 And so my role, I've definitely been able 349 00:17:00,350 --> 00:17:02,393 to liaise between these close-knit groups, 350 00:17:02,393 --> 00:17:04,192 to really make the the most, 351 00:17:04,192 --> 00:17:05,902 and have our voices heard, 352 00:17:05,902 --> 00:17:07,852 and see where we can help FEMC as well. 353 00:17:10,233 --> 00:17:12,231 Some state priorities for Rhode Island, 354 00:17:12,231 --> 00:17:14,023 definitely forest health monitoring, 355 00:17:14,023 --> 00:17:17,023 and similar to one of the regional priorities for next year, 356 00:17:18,714 --> 00:17:20,983 monitoring trends of tree mortality, 357 00:17:20,983 --> 00:17:22,423 that's definitely very important to some in Rhode Island. 358 00:17:24,290 --> 00:17:25,490 Also though, given that, 359 00:17:27,352 --> 00:17:28,460 we have one of the most densely populated states 360 00:17:29,351 --> 00:17:31,243 but still 50% of our state is forested, 361 00:17:32,193 --> 00:17:34,123 land use and development is very important, 362 00:17:34,123 --> 00:17:35,403 and it's a state priority for us. 363 00:17:35,403 --> 00:17:36,703 And also community and urban forestry, 364 00:17:37,583 --> 00:17:40,654 which maybe is a different perspective, maybe not, 365 00:17:40,654 --> 00:17:41,721 maybe we can talk a little bit more 366 00:17:41,721 --> 00:17:42,883 about that amongst FEMC. 367 00:17:45,012 --> 00:17:47,333 Our contributions towards FEMC, 368 00:17:47,333 --> 00:17:48,433 and the forest health monitoring efforts. 369 00:17:49,333 --> 00:17:51,013 We've supported the establishment of 370 00:17:51,013 --> 00:17:53,614 seven forest health monitoring plots in 2021. 371 00:17:53,614 --> 00:17:54,733 And also have facilitated the measurement, 372 00:17:57,082 --> 00:18:00,013 which was done by Connecticut Ag Experiment Station in 2022. 373 00:18:01,093 --> 00:18:03,782 We also have our state-led annual forest health surveys 374 00:18:03,782 --> 00:18:05,443 that are conducted every year, the canopy surveys. 375 00:18:07,213 --> 00:18:09,413 we have a state partnership committee, 376 00:18:09,413 --> 00:18:11,444 that is comprised of 11 members. 377 00:18:11,444 --> 00:18:12,693 Again, I say we're close-knit, 378 00:18:12,693 --> 00:18:15,375 and we have representation from academia, 379 00:18:15,375 --> 00:18:17,023 from the state agency and some NGOs. 380 00:18:18,042 --> 00:18:20,780 So I like that we are able to really work together, 381 00:18:24,461 --> 00:18:26,803 and have a good perspective but also be unified. 382 00:18:29,061 --> 00:18:30,715 New connections that we've made. 383 00:18:30,715 --> 00:18:32,633 So, previously before I came along, 384 00:18:33,931 --> 00:18:35,474 the Rhode Island Woodland Partnership 385 00:18:35,474 --> 00:18:37,153 was the state partnership committee for Rhode Island. 386 00:18:38,745 --> 00:18:43,745 That's a partnership of foresters, state land owners, 387 00:18:46,182 --> 00:18:48,375 researchers, and conservationists, 388 00:18:48,375 --> 00:18:50,076 that all converged together. 389 00:18:50,076 --> 00:18:51,471 So, maintaining that connection 390 00:18:51,471 --> 00:18:53,270 between FEMC and the Woodland partnership 391 00:18:53,270 --> 00:18:54,193 has been one of my priorities. 392 00:18:55,459 --> 00:18:56,759 And then also I'm trying to forge a connection 393 00:18:56,759 --> 00:18:59,303 between FEMC and the URI NRS department, 394 00:19:00,521 --> 00:19:03,071 and get a little bit more of academia in our voice. 395 00:19:04,956 --> 00:19:06,643 Alyssa mentioned the state sprint project, 396 00:19:08,498 --> 00:19:10,190 that was conducted between 2021 and 2022 397 00:19:11,090 --> 00:19:12,387 which was the data rescue 398 00:19:12,387 --> 00:19:14,053 of historical spongy moth egg mass data, 399 00:19:15,302 --> 00:19:17,291 that I think is a very clear example 400 00:19:17,291 --> 00:19:19,642 of the resources that FEMC has, 401 00:19:19,642 --> 00:19:21,823 and the direct benefit that they are giving to our state. 402 00:19:22,941 --> 00:19:24,032 I realized through that process, 403 00:19:24,032 --> 00:19:26,083 just how close that data was to being lost. 404 00:19:26,940 --> 00:19:28,413 It was in paper form. 405 00:19:28,413 --> 00:19:30,033 We really didn't even know where it was. 406 00:19:30,033 --> 00:19:31,252 And so I'm really, really thankful 407 00:19:31,252 --> 00:19:32,413 to have FEMC's support with that. 408 00:19:35,643 --> 00:19:37,863 Some topics of concern that we have seen recently 409 00:19:37,863 --> 00:19:40,464 within our state, we are seeing stress immortality 410 00:19:40,464 --> 00:19:42,214 from multiple damage causal agents, 411 00:19:43,152 --> 00:19:45,094 simultaneously on their respective hosts. 412 00:19:45,094 --> 00:19:48,083 So that's the Emerald ash borer, beach leaf disease, 413 00:19:49,453 --> 00:19:51,433 spring defoliators, all together at once. 414 00:19:52,270 --> 00:19:53,244 So we're seeing a lot, 415 00:19:53,244 --> 00:19:55,394 and oftentimes our change of greenness maps 416 00:19:56,620 --> 00:19:58,124 are like lit up like a Christmas tree. 417 00:19:58,124 --> 00:19:58,963 So I think we're seeing a lot overlapping. 418 00:20:00,651 --> 00:20:02,623 And also irregular precipitation patterns of drought, 419 00:20:03,653 --> 00:20:05,070 or weird delusions, 420 00:20:05,070 --> 00:20:06,080 are definitely contributing or wondering 421 00:20:07,072 --> 00:20:08,512 if that's contributing to stress, 422 00:20:08,512 --> 00:20:09,763 and that's a priority for us to be looking at. 423 00:20:11,272 --> 00:20:12,105 So with that, I think there's a gap, 424 00:20:13,092 --> 00:20:14,314 we'd like to further incorporate 425 00:20:14,314 --> 00:20:15,373 the antibiotic conditions drought, 426 00:20:16,363 --> 00:20:18,223 and warm winters into our forest health monitoring, 427 00:20:20,032 --> 00:20:21,643 just to kind of get a more holistic view there, 428 00:20:22,672 --> 00:20:23,623 of what's going on and help with predictions. 429 00:20:25,171 --> 00:20:26,221 Also emerging pathogens, 430 00:20:26,221 --> 00:20:27,596 we've seen how beach leaf disease, 431 00:20:27,596 --> 00:20:29,803 really just spread like wildfire through Rhode Island. 432 00:20:30,716 --> 00:20:32,203 So keeping that up there on the priority list. 433 00:20:33,124 --> 00:20:34,393 But also are there any other emerging pathogens? 434 00:20:35,407 --> 00:20:37,513 Like I said, I'm an entomologist. 435 00:20:37,513 --> 00:20:38,533 Plant pathology is a little bit not in my wheelhouse, 436 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:40,723 but I think it's very important for us to keep that there. 437 00:20:42,682 --> 00:20:45,383 And then, stress and mortality, and many different, 438 00:20:47,593 --> 00:20:48,643 are we losing different species of trees? 439 00:20:49,703 --> 00:20:52,703 What is going to grow under our increasing opening canopies. 440 00:20:54,771 --> 00:20:55,604 And then I mentioned just a bit, 441 00:20:56,541 --> 00:20:57,770 but the major trend that we saw this past year 442 00:20:58,881 --> 00:20:59,752 in terms of forest health 443 00:20:59,752 --> 00:21:00,800 was increasing spring defoliate activity 444 00:21:01,981 --> 00:21:02,814 particularly winter moth for us 445 00:21:03,751 --> 00:21:04,584 down in southern New England. 446 00:21:07,153 --> 00:21:07,986 Looking ahead, so we want, 447 00:21:08,932 --> 00:21:09,982 I am pleased to hear, 448 00:21:11,443 --> 00:21:12,470 and Josh has been giving me a lot of perspective 449 00:21:13,431 --> 00:21:14,293 on the Vermont Phonology monitoring. 450 00:21:15,319 --> 00:21:16,580 We are interested in initiating 451 00:21:17,611 --> 00:21:18,613 a state-led phenology monitoring program. 452 00:21:19,861 --> 00:21:21,221 So that's a little bit of a plug too, 453 00:21:21,221 --> 00:21:23,090 because I am co-leading a working session 454 00:21:24,090 --> 00:21:25,490 at three o'clock with Alyssa Rose Martin 455 00:21:26,492 --> 00:21:27,673 from the National Phenological Network. 456 00:21:29,032 --> 00:21:30,341 Please come and give your perspective 457 00:21:30,341 --> 00:21:31,880 because I wanna see what we can be doing 458 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:32,713 in Rhode Island or region-wide. 459 00:21:34,580 --> 00:21:36,050 And then just to wrap that all together. 460 00:21:36,050 --> 00:21:37,790 So we wanna see how our climate and abiotic conditions 461 00:21:38,751 --> 00:21:40,372 are impacting phenology, 462 00:21:40,372 --> 00:21:41,923 and then the pests pathogen and beneficials, 463 00:21:42,890 --> 00:21:43,723 that we have in our forests. 464 00:21:45,353 --> 00:21:46,333 There's probably a lot on the horizon. 465 00:21:47,283 --> 00:21:48,461 There's a bit, there's going to be maybe, 466 00:21:48,461 --> 00:21:49,513 a little bit of staff change and restructuring, 467 00:21:50,452 --> 00:21:51,883 and our Rhode Island division of Forest environment. 468 00:21:52,812 --> 00:21:55,279 So there's maybe a lot on the horizon, 469 00:21:55,279 --> 00:21:56,623 that we can be discussing other state priorities, 470 00:21:57,531 --> 00:21:58,579 and how that's gonna change, 471 00:21:58,579 --> 00:21:59,503 and how that involves with FEMC, 472 00:22:00,521 --> 00:22:03,691 and the support we can give them. 473 00:22:03,691 --> 00:22:04,963 And that's it so I'll pass it back to Alyssa. 474 00:22:07,043 --> 00:22:10,043 (audience applauds) 475 00:22:19,866 --> 00:22:23,044 (shoes clacking) 476 00:22:23,044 --> 00:22:26,913 All right, and as timekeeper, I'm looking at the time. 477 00:22:30,045 --> 00:22:32,483 And the next session is supposed to start. 478 00:22:36,995 --> 00:22:38,895 And I forgot to put an extra slide in. 479 00:22:40,423 --> 00:22:41,713 The next session is starting in five minutes, 480 00:22:42,973 --> 00:22:45,273 and so I am going to have to deeply apologize, 481 00:22:46,724 --> 00:22:48,463 but our three virtual participants, 482 00:22:50,296 --> 00:22:51,646 Jeff Ward from Connecticut, 483 00:22:53,294 --> 00:22:54,163 Eric Peterson from Massachusetts, 484 00:22:55,514 --> 00:22:56,353 and Aaron Bergdahl from Maine. 485 00:22:57,445 --> 00:23:00,433 I'm going to have to push your presentations off, I'm sorry. 486 00:23:05,577 --> 00:23:07,758 But we will make sure that, 487 00:23:07,758 --> 00:23:09,050 that information is made available 488 00:23:10,050 --> 00:23:11,593 so that you can all stay up to date, 489 00:23:12,518 --> 00:23:13,783 on what is happening in each of your states. 490 00:23:15,307 --> 00:23:16,428 But I don't want to, 491 00:23:16,428 --> 00:23:18,823 because this room is being used for the next session, 492 00:23:19,779 --> 00:23:23,907 so I don't want to get too far off schedule. 493 00:23:28,608 --> 00:23:33,550 So, I think that Allison is letting our presenters know. 494 00:23:35,119 --> 00:23:38,457 And that's all I have to say. 495 00:23:40,237 --> 00:23:41,983 So, (laughs) I'm going to say go ahead, 496 00:23:42,846 --> 00:23:45,346 and you can start transitioning to the next rooms, 497 00:23:46,749 --> 00:23:48,233 either staying in here for, 498 00:23:51,428 --> 00:23:53,378 I believe disturbance is in this space. 499 00:23:54,922 --> 00:23:55,843 And then there's also tools and techniques, 500 00:23:56,848 --> 00:23:59,713 carbon storage and restoration in each of the other rooms. 501 00:24:01,306 --> 00:24:03,696 (audience laughs)