Maine Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Department awards grants for invasive species education

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) recently awarded two grants to promote outreach and education about invasive species that could harm the state’s forests.

The Maine Association of Conservation District’s Employees Committee, in partnership with 12 county conservation districts in Southern and Central Maine, and the Saco Rover Recreational Council were both awarded grants under a competitive RFP issued by DACF.

“The outreach and education that these two conservation organizations will provide will result in increased public understanding of the economic and environmental threats associated with invasive forest pests, increased support for management and mitigation efforts, and increased reporting of potential pest sightings to federal or state authorities,” DACF Division of Animal and Plant Health State Pest Survey Coordinator Karen Coluzzi said

Invasive species like the Asian longhorned beetle, emerald ash borer, hemlock woolly adelgid and the winter moth stand to negatively impact the state’s economy and environmental health if allowed to infest its forests. The purpose of the two recently announced grants is to increase the chances of early detection, which makes it easier and cheaper to respond and eradicate the pests.