RIDEM Division of Forest Environment

04/07/2025

03/17/2025

The local Congress of the Birds now has a 2nd rehabilitation location in Chepachet, so is ready for rehabilitation for baby birds or injured birds. State licensed and federally permitted to care for all species of wild birds, it is good to know your local resources. Check out their website:

Dedicated to the rehabilitation and release of all species of wild birds in Rhode Island.

03/10/2025

14-story wooden structure building being built will be one of the tallest mass timber and steel hybrid buildings in North America.

"Mass timber offers a wealth of structural advantages, including a high degree of fire safety and a low carbon footprint. Wood naturally sequesters carbon, taking it out of the atmosphere and reducing greenhouse gases. It is also one of the only major building materials that is a renewable resource."

Revising and updating building codes to promote and permit the use of mass timber for building is an important aspect to taking advantage of the benefits of wooden construction.

The Academic Wood Tower will serve as a beacon for green architecture and provide spaces for three of U of T's faculties and schools.

02/24/2025

A new GRANT opportunity!!

The Urban Forestry Program is partnering with URI to offer conceptual design assistance to municipalities, non-profits, and educational organizations. Application for services by the Regenerative Community Design Lab (RCDL) are being accepted now, until April 18, for up to 3 Summer 2025 projects. Check out the information about the services, and the application and eligibility requirements, here, in the banner at the top of the page: www.dem.ri.gov/urbanforesty

Note: the application is for assistance and services by RCDL, you will not receive direct funding nor be required to manage a contract, spend funds or invoice for payment.

State funding for this project is through the RI Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4).

02/24/2025

Browntail moths are not known to be in RI but they are present in Maine, NH and Cape Cod which is close enough to ask people to keep an eye out. They eat valued hardwoods like oak and their poisonous hairs can cause painful rashes. We’re not talking about spongy moth, but the browntail moth. The caterpillars can cause considerable damage to their host trees: oaks, apple, cherry, birches, and other hardwoods. The poisonous hairs become airborne when the caterpillar sheds it skin, causing rashes and respiratory problems. This is not an insect we want within our borders!

December through March is the time to look for their “winter webs”. These webs look similar eastern tent caterpillar or fall webworm webs but are distinct because they are present during the winter season only. Report photos or samples of suspect winter webs to https://ri.accessgov.com/demcaps/Forms/Page/demcaps/dem-caps/0 and please include photo(s).

https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/forest_health/documents/browntail_moth_brochure.pdf

02/17/2025

When it is wet and rainy, we can overlook that increasing variability in amounts and timing of precipitation means less predictability in our water replenishment and stormwater management - just like the 2024 fall drought that affected much of New England and resulted in a high number of wildfires. Corporations need to be cognizant about their water use and the impacts as well (google how much water AI uses!!).
Why Trees Are An Integral Part Of Corporate Water Stewardship

Private sector leaders simply can’t afford to ignore global water scarcity concerns.

02/10/2025

The DFE Fire program continues its efforts to address wildfire by using prescribed burning to mitigate risk by reducing fuels . Other prescribed fire benefits include reducing invasive species and restoring habitat - a variety of habitat types are necessary to support the plants and wildlife we value.

https://whatsupnewp.com/2025/01/prescribed-burns-set-for-prudence-and-dutch-islands/

Planning and careful monitoring of weather and dryness are essential to making a final determination of when/whether a prescribed fire will occur on a specific day. As well as having sufficient staffing on-site and engaging with the local fire departments. Assistance from trained DEM staff from other divisions as well as local fire departments are essential to carry out these operations safely and successfully.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management is gearing up for prescribed burns on state lands, including Prudence Island and Dutch Island. These controlled fires are part of ongoing efforts to maintain diverse habitats and protect communities from severe wildfires. Weather permitting, th...

02/03/2025

With spotted lanternfly spreading throughout the state - it is time to do your part. Winter is the best time to observe, scrape and destroy egg masses to reduce the population levels. We know it won't solve the problem but reducing the rate of spread and population levels is helpful.

www.rochesterfirst.com/news/local-news/spotted-lanternflies-why-scraping-egg-masses-now-can-save-your-spring/

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Spotted lanternflies continue to be a growing problem, but taking action now can help control their spread. Scraping their egg masses during the winter months is key. Chris…

01/27/2025

Heavy rain events don't just affect humans and our habitats, but forests are also affected. Read Dr. Ali Kosiba's latest article.

The other articles in the series are here:
https://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/climate-change-forests
https://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/climate-adapted-tree-species
https://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/managing-forests-resilience

This article is the last in a four-part series that focuses on climate change impacts and adaptation in forests, supported by the Virginia… This content is av

01/20/2025

Massachusetts has its first mass-timber building - this is a great way to utilize wood of all sizes using cross-laminated timber panels and glulam timber beams - which retains carbon sequestration benefits.

Harvard's first mass timber building has topped out with the David Rubenstein Treehouse, named after the noted philanthropist, promising to be a venue "for shar

01/13/2025

This article is about biological control releases in NY for EAB.

Since 2019, URI (supported by DFE) has released a total of 76,729 EAB parasitoids at 10 sites in seven towns within Washington, Kent, Providence, and Bristol Counties. All three parasitoid species suited for the northeastern US have been released: Spathius galinae, Tetrastchus planipennisi, and Oobius agrili. Recovery efforts are ongoing, but Spathius glaniae was recovered in Washington County. Recovery and spread of all three parasitoids have been demonstrated in Connecticut; we anticipate to have similar successes in Rhode Island.

In the Adirondack Park, scientists released parasitic wasps in a nationwide experiment using biological controls against emerald ash borer.