Amherst Public Shade Tree Committee

A big THANK YOU to everyone who showed up on this beautiful morning to plant trees 🌳

Talking trees is more fun with you there!
Join us on this link tonight at 5:30

Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise cloud communications.

June marks that halfway point of the year, and the Public Shade Tree Committee shares its sixth installment of Amherst Arbor Spotlight. This month features the shagbark hickory, a tree with unusual bark and sweet edible nuts that are loved by animals and humans alike.

https://www.amherstma.gov/3886/SHAGBARK-HICKORY

GRANT OPPORTUNITY: Our Habitat Management Grant Program is now accepting applications! Private and municipal landowners of conserved lands can apply for funding for projects that improve habitat for wildlife, enhance climate resiliency, and promote public recreational opportunities. Since 2015, the program has funded 125 projects that have restored over 4,900 acres of wildlife habitat.

*Applications due July 6

To learn more about the application process, visit bit.ly/habitat-grant-MA

Answer some of your questions about spotted lantern flies with this short video

Spotted Lanternflies are The Ultimate Party Crashers They’re bright, bold — and can be bad news.Spotted lanternflies a...

We are all one

A tree stump vs a human fingerprint

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Act now to destroy spotted lanternfly egg masses!!

Spotted lanternfly is an invasive, sap-sucking insect that attacks and kills trees in Massachusetts, including here in Amherst.

Now is the time to destroy egg masses before they hatch! Egg masses can adhere to any flat surface. Check your plants, trees (especially trees-of-heaven, grapes, black walnuts, birches, and maples), outdoor furniture, play equipment, and automobiles.

IF YOU FIND SPOTTED LANTERNFLY EGGS: Immediately scrape and destroy the egg masses using a hard flat tool like an old credit card or putty knife and place in a container or plastic bag filled with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer. Leave for at least 24 hours before disposing.

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources published this helpful guide:
https://massnrc.org/pests/linkeddocuments/SLFHomeownerMgmtGuide.pdf

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🚨💧 Drought Declared 💧🚨

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs declared the Connecticut River Valley to be in a Level 2 Significant Drought. Precipitation in April was below normal in the Connecticut River Valley, worsening drought conditions that have built up over the past two years.

The Town of Amherst's water supply remains stable and not currently threatened by the drought situation. However, the Town of Amherst is required by the Massachusetts Water Management Act to implement water use restrictions during all declared droughts.

🚫 All nonessential outdoor water uses are banned.
🌼 Exception: watering of ornamental and flower gardens with drip irrigation, handheld hose, or water cans.

Learn more about what is considered essential versus nonessential outdoor water uses on our website: https://www.amherstma.gov/m/NewsFlash/home/detail/3953

‼️ADDED LEWIS’S & IVORY BILLED TO LINE UP‼️ADDED YELLOW BELLIED SAP SUCKER too 🥰🤗‼️ADDED AMERICAN THREE TOED‼️

Most people hear a pileated woodpecker long before they ever see one 🌲

The pounding sounds like someone swinging a bat against a dead tree deep in the woods.

Then suddenly she lands nearby — and everything changes.

She’s massive compared to the little downies and hairies most people know. Nearly crow-sized, with a bright red crest and powerful beak that can tear through dead wood like bark paper.

Those big rectangular holes in trees? That’s her signature. No other woodpecker makes them quite the same.

And when she’s done nesting, her abandoned cavities become prime real estate for owls, ducks, squirrels, and other wildlife that can’t carve homes of their own 🪵

That “dead” tree in your yard may actually be one of the most important parts of the forest ecosystem 🌿

We could not do the work we do without them!