DAMARISCOTTA — A free presentation about invasive forest pests will be offered from 10 a.m. to noon  Tuesday, Sept. 17, at Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, 3 Round Top Lane, according to a news release from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

Invasive forest pests like emerald ash borer and hemlock woolly adelgid are having devastating impacts on Maine’s forests; browntail moth is affecting human health as well as tree health; Asian longhorned beetle, with a large host range could be the next invader on the horizon! Hildy Ellis of Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District will present a program about these invaders.

Using slides and an outdoor tree ID walk, this workshop will help landowners and users, as well as landscape and forestry professionals, learn to identify current and potential invasive forest pests and their host species, understand the threats to our forests and woodlands posed by these pests, limit their spread, and how to report suspected pest sightings or damage to trees that may be a result of pest infestations, according to the release.

Participants will receive an information packet with fact sheets about the major pest species, how to make decisions about treatment, current quarantine information for EAB in Maine, and other relevant information.

Knox-Lincoln SWCD, a member of the Maine Association of Conservation Districts, is presenting Invasive Forest Pest Outreach Programs through a grant from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Materials are funded in part by a Cooperative Agreement from the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. More information about invasive forest pests in Maine can be found at maine.gov.

For more information and to RSVP, call 596-2040 or email julie@knox-lincoln.org.