ACES - Forestry, Wildlife, & Natural Resources

Have you been wanting to attend one of our venomous snake workshops we've hosted recently but aren't a first responder? We still have spots available for our Bibb Co. training this Saturday, 6/27 and are opening them to the general public. In other words, anybody is welcome to attend. Registration is required. To register, please go to this link - www.aces.edu/go/BibbSnakeTraining
As long as you can still register at the link, spots are still available. We hope to see some of you there!

While many of us love watching Eastern gray squirrels scramble around, it's a different story when they decide to make themselves at home in your attic! 🐿️🏠 Because of their natural instinct to gnaw, they can accidentally damage wiring, cache food, and create a mess when they nest. ⚡📦

To keep them safely outside, keep an eye out for chewed siding, soffits, fascia boards, or ridge vents where they might be sneaking in. 🧐 roofline inspection is key!

Learn a few ways to manage the situation:
https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/forestry-wildlife/eastern-gray-squirrels-managing-and-preventing-attic-damage/

🦌 Want to improve the health of the deer herd and habitat on your land?

Join Alabama Extension on Wednesday, June 24, for the next installment of the Natural Resources Webinar Series focusing on Alabama’s Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP)!

During this lunchtime session, learn how the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) uses DMAP to partner with private landowners. Discover how active monitoring and tailored management strategies can lead to a healthier deer population, thriving habitats, and greater overall hunter satisfaction.

📅 Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2026

🕛 Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

📍 Location: Online via Zoom

📞 Contact: For questions or access link details, contact Norm Haley at [email protected].

Register here :
https://auburn.zoom.us/meeting/register/7rBe1aUgSpOlS26Rcxnzjw

Attention boaters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts – an invasive aquatic plant is spreading across the southeast and causing major problems for our waterways and aquatic habitats. Do you know how to identify giant salvinia?

Leaves of giant salvinia appear textured with tiny hairs that, if viewed under a microscope, have an egg-beater shape.

Leaves are 0.5-1.5 inches long and can vary in color from green to gold or sometimes brown, depending on environmental conditions.

In young growth, leaves lie flat on the water surface and are smaller, but can grow and overlap when mature, creating chains or clumps.

The plants do not produce flowers but reproduce vegetatively, via fragmentation and budding of broken stems and nodes. Growth is fast, potentially doubling biomass in two days.

Common salvinia (also known as water fern) has similar but smaller leaves and, when viewed under a microscope, does not form the egg-beater like hairs and typically does not create as negative an impact as giant salvinia.

Although this plant can be a problem in standing or slow-moving waters statewide, it has become an increasingly concerning issue in west Alabama.
Giant salvinia can form thick mats on the water surface, disrupting food webs and the habitats of aquatic species and waterfowl. Navigation through infested waters can also be difficult. Be sure to clean boats and other equipment after removal from water bodies to prevent the spread of this plant. To learn more about this species and treatment options, go to https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/fish-water/battling-giant-salvinia-in-alabama-know-it-report-it-stop-it/

🐍 Copperheads and cottonmouths are among Alabama’s most commonly encountered venomous snakes, but understanding their differences can help you stay safe and appreciate the important role they play in our ecosystems. Copperheads are often recognized by their distinctive hourglass-shaped bands and are commonly found in wooded areas, while cottonmouths are heavy-bodied, semi-aquatic snakes frequently found near water. Both species help control rodent and pest populations and generally prefer to avoid people when given the chance.

Before heading outdoors this summer, learn how to identify these snakes, where they are commonly found and what to do if you encounter one. Read more: https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/forestry-wildlife/alabamas-copperhead-and-cottonmouth-what-to-know-about-these-venomous-snakes/

🐍🌲

With storms moving into Alabama today and tomorrow—and soils already saturated—trees are more likely to uproot and fall even in moderate winds. 🌧️🌳 Learn why saturated soils increase tree failure risk and what to watch for around your home and community:

Learn why saturated soils increase tree failure risk and what to watch for around your home and community: https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/forestry/saturated-soils-and-wind-a-recipe-for-toppling-trees/
👉

Join Alabama Extension on Tuesday, June 23, for the comprehensive Tree Care and Maintenance Workshop in Etowah County! Running from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., this full-day event will dive into essential practices for keeping our local trees healthy, strong, and resilient.

If you are maintaining professional or volunteer credentials, this is the perfect opportunity to earn credits close to home! The following continuing education credits are available:

🌲 Forestry CEUs

📜 ISA CEUs

🌿 Master Gardener credits

📍 Location: Etowah County Extension Office (800 Forest Ave., Suite 400, Gadsden, AL 35901)
📞 Questions? Reach out to Jessica Baldwin at [email protected] or call (334) 752-1194.

Don't miss this chance to build your expertise and network with local tree care experts. We hope to see you there!

June is Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month, and we're celebrating with the Alabama Extension Homegrown Fruit & Vegetable Photo Contest!
Got a bumper crop of tomatoes? A giant squash? A funny-looking carrot? Show us what you're growing!

Submit your best homegrown fruit or vegetable photo in the comments for a chance to win Alabama Extension goodies and, of course, ultimate bragging rights.
Contest Rules:
• Photo must be taken in Alabama.
• Produce must be homegrown.
• Like and share this post.
• Submit your photo in the comments under this original post.
• Two winners will be selected:
Judges' Choice for the most unusual fruit or vegetable
People's Choice based on the most likes on a photo

Entries must be submitted by noon on June 18. Winners will be announced at 4:00 p.m. on June 18.

Happy growing, and we can't wait to see what's coming out of your garden!

Whether you are caring for backyard oaks, managing a forest of pines, or maintaining city streets, proper tree care requires deeply specialized knowledge. To help tree care professionals build that clinical expertise, Alabama Extension is hosting the Arborists Review this month! 🌳

Taking place June 29–30 at the Gulf Coast Research and Extension Center in Fairhope, this comprehensive, two-day event is the perfect opportunity to level up your skills.

Here is what you need to know:

Comprehensive Prep & CEUs: The review covers 16 core domains of knowledge—including tree biology, pruning, risk assessment, and safe rigging physics. Aspiring arborists will get exam-ready, while currently certified arborists will earn 12 valuable CEUs toward recertification. 🧗‍♂️

Incredible Value: Earning 12 CEUs usually requires attending a costly conference. This local event is just $25, which completely covers your lunch for both days.

Who Should Attend? This training is open to aspiring and certified arborists, landscape professionals, municipal employees, Extension Master Gardener volunteers, and anyone passionate about high-quality tree care.

Becoming a certified arborist shows a true commitment to safety and continuing education. Don't miss out on this affordable, expert-led training opportunity to protect our community's canopies.

⚠️ Registration is required to attend! Head over to the link below to view the full details and secure your spot.

Link: aces.edu/event/arborists-review-5

🌱Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum)
The annual grass typically grows 1–3 feet tall and often has multiple stems, branching near the base.
Leaves are pale green, 2–4 inches long, 0.5 inches wide, and grow alternately and well‑spaced along a delicate stem.
Leaf blades have pointed tips and bases, smooth edges, and often a silvery midrib.
This plant has a thin, weak root system. Rootlets (“stilt” roots) descend from nodes along lower sections of the stem into the soil.
In the fall or during droughts, the plant may turn a purple‑brown color, transitioning to a bright tan to orange thatch in some parts of its range.
Preferred habitat includes floodplain forests and streambanks, forest edges, road and trail edges, damp fields, ditches and lawns, and other shady areas prone to flooding.
This species can form dense infestations and crowd out native vegetation; however, it can be easily hand‑pulled due to the weak root system.
Repeated mowing or weed‑eating before seed set may be an effective control against this annual but the area will need to be monitored and treated for several years to eliminate seedbank reserves.
Learn more on how to recognize this plant and compare it to look‑alikes in the Field Guide to the Identification of Japanese Stiltgrass.
https://www.aces.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ANR-1457_FieldGuidetoStiltgrass_030119L.pdf
🌿 Join the 2026 Year of Alabama Invasive Plants Project to raise awareness, improve identification skills, and take action against invasive species. Visit ACES Year of Invasive Plants Project to learn more and take the pledge.