According to NH Fish and Game, a new invasive algae has been found in the northern part of the Connecticut River, which is the first official report of the algae here in the northeast. This algae is didymosphenia geminata (didymo), which often goes by the name of "rock snot". Didymo forms large mats by attaching to rocks and plants in lakes and rivers. It is not considered to be a human health risk, however it does affect river and lake habitats.. These mats can grow to be 10 to 12 inches thick and up to 2 or 3 feet in length. It only takes a single didymo cell attached to the hull of a boat or on your equipment to spread this algae to other waters. It is very important that if you do paddle any waters that contains this algae, make sure you clean all of your equipment before heading out on your next trip. The NH Department of Environmental Services recommends that all boaters do the following:
• Remove all visible clumps of algae and plant material from your boat and from anything else that has been exposed to the water.In New Hampshire
NH DES Limnology CenterIn Vermont
Didymo identification, Water Quality Division
A very destructive and invasive species of beetle has been found in
Worchester Massachusetts and in areas around New York City. The Asian
Long Horned Beetle is a very serious threat to hardwoods, especially our
maples.
The Asian Longhorned Beetle is native to Eastern China, Korea and Japan and is thought to have arrived in this country in solid wood packaging material. The beetle has no predators in this country and the only way to control their spread at his time is cut down the trees in the infected area, chip the trees and then burn the chips. For more information about the Asian Longhorned Beetle; visit the links provided below the picture.
NHDRED bans firewood from out of state
If you are planning a vacation in NH this summer, you will need to leave your firewood at home and purchase it locally. On May 29, 2009, the NH Department of Resources and Economic Development banned all out-of-state firewood from state owned properties, which includes state owned campgrounds. On the federal level, nobody can possess, transport or store firewood grown outside of NH or Maine within the White Mountain National Forest. The ban may seem a little strict, but it was imposed to help prevent the spread of invasive insect species from other areas of the country. The greatest of these threats right now is the Asian Long Horned Beetle.
Maine and Vermont have also imposed similar firewood bans. In Vermont, firewood brought in from out of state is banned from all state parks and National Forest. Maine has banned all firewood from out of state unless it has been treated against the Emerald Ash Borer and Asian Longhorned Beetle. All out of state firewood being brought in to the state of Maine must be accompanied by a treatment certificate or label from a USDA qualified treatment facility.
