It’s happened! It’s officially spring and as the Earth prepares for rebirth, the Norfolk Conservation Commission is planning to play midwife.
The world is experiencing rapid climate change, and the commission is ready to help homeowners cull invasive plants and creatures that harm the landscape. Each month it posts “Wanted” posters for the “Invasive Plant of the Month,” providing pictures, descriptions of the plant’s properties and advice on how to get rid of it.
Copies are available at the Hub and more information can be requested at NCCInvasiveRemoval@gmail.com. Also available at the Hub is the NCC’s cheat sheet on Norfolk’s six worst invasive plants and what to do about them.
Not wanted at all are the invasive Asian Jumping Worms that constitute a serious threat to forest ecosystems across the U.S. The Conservation Commission will present a lecture about the worms at the Hub, March 26 at 5:00 p.m. Annise Dobson, a research scientist from Yale University, will be the speaker.
The program will be presented in-person and via Zoom. For more information and registration, visit the Hub’s website.
A second event event, this one sponsored by Aton Forest, looks ahead at a changing landscape and how to react to it. It will present “The Right trees for Tomorrow, Smart Planting in a Changing New England,” Sunday, April 6, at 2:00 p.m., also at the Hub.
Speakers Bill Gridley, Aton Forest head steward; Dave Beers, Connecticut DEEP western forester; Amanda Bunce, UConn research assistant, and Nash Pradhan of Ginger Creek Nursery and Aton Forest, will discuss species that can be planted to replace trees such as ash, sugar maple and beech that are under stress. Register here.