The July 31st show featured a conversation with Elizabeth Graham, entomologist with the Forest Service working out of the Southeast Field Office in Juneau.
Originally recorded and aired in August 2021, We spoke about the current western black-headed budworm defoliator outbreak affecting many places in Southeast Alaska, and how it fits into a pattern of prior outbreaks in the region. This outbreak has continued this year in parts of the region, though it seems not quite so extensive as last year.
We also talked about forest health, monitoring for potential introduced pests, and ways that folks can contribute to this work.
Use hashtag #AlaskaForestHealth to keep up and share your observations on social media, or join iNaturalist and add observations to contribute to the Alaska Forest Health project.
Information and Resources related to Forest and Grassland Health in Alaska
If you have questions or observations you want to share, please feel free to leave a comment here or on the page I’ve set up for that purpose.