Master Forest Owner Program - Northwest Region

07/30/2026

Have you checked your oak trees recently? 👀 Now is a great time to look for signs of oak wilt, a non-native fungus that affects both red and white oaks. Symptoms are more noticeable in red oaks, however, which can die in as little as six weeks after infection.

🍂 Signs of oak wilt are most obvious in July and August.
🍂 Infected red oaks will drop more than half of their leaves, and leaves may begin to turn brown from the outside edge moving inward.
🍂 While it is normal for oaks to change color and drop their leaves in fall, when observed during summer, these could be signs of oak wilt.

Oak wilt was recently reported by a homeowner in Greece, NY (Monroe County). DEC staff responded and are working to contain the spread. Our Forest Health staff inject the infected tree with herbicide to prevent oak wilt from spreading to surrounding trees, enter data about the infected tree, and train new staff on procedures.

Check the comments below to learn more about identifying and reporting oak wilt.

07/20/2026

Description: Interest in tree planting is growing as forest steward...

06/09/2026

is here and the Partnerships for Invasive Species Management across the state have events, webinars, and activities all week long! Check out the ones in your region or join one of the online options to learn more about what is happening in your area.

New York Invasive Species Awareness Week is here! Tune into our Facebook Live on Friday, June 12th at 2pm for a watercraft inspection steward demo and learn more about how stewards across New York State prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.

In the meantime, you can check out what our PRISM partners are doing this week as well! Visit their pages and tune in to their Facebook lives.

Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management ( -Network) is a state-wide collaborative approach to invasive species management, prevention, outreach, and restoration in collaboration with the . The PRISM network includes .prism . Visit rebrand.ly/NYIS_PRISMs to connect with your local PRISM.

06/05/2026

Ticks are on the rise and so are invasive species. Learn about both during this webinar from the Finger Lakes PRISM

Join us for a timely spring webinar exploring the growing risks of ticks and tick-borne diseases in our region. Guest speaker Harold Nugent will cover tick biology and practical prevention tips. Then, our Terrestrial Invasive Species Program Manager Lydia Martin will dive into how invasive plants create ideal tick habitat and what landowners and communities can do to reduce risk. This is one you don’t want to miss! 🌿🪳

Register here: https://hws.zoom.us/meeting/register/7bRD7gyARpSggRVcKyxjFA

04/08/2026

04/02/2026

Prescribed fire is NOT DIY (cannot emphasize that enough) but it can be incredibly useful tool in forest management.

04/02/2026

The weather is getting warmer (we hope!) and the Finger Lakes PRISM has just the opportunities for you to enjoy the gradual journey into spring. Join us and our partners for Trail Survey Program workshops across the region, starting as soon as April 3rd!
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Register here: https://forms.office.com/r/LDuRtaLVnu
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While we have many more workshops planned, these are only the first four! Stay tuned for additional workshop opportunities later in the season.
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You can also register for our virtual training via the link above!

03/18/2026

SAF CFE credits have been requested or have been approved. You are able to request CEU credit documentation via the registration link below. You must connect as a participant to one of the live webinars. The webinar documents the duration of your participation. All webinars are recorded and archived at www.youtube.com/ForestConnect

Fundamentals of Northeastern Forest Pathology
Dr. Nicholas J. Brazee, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
March 18, 2026
Presentations at 12:00 to 1:00 PM and again at 7:00 to 8:00 PM (webinars may run long with questions)
Forest pathogens are important components of our ecosystems, yet many people are unfamiliar with their basic features and how they impact trees. This talk will highlight the fundamentals of forest pathology in the northeast. Specific topics will include recognizing symptoms and signs of disease, how environmental conditions influence disease development, the cascading effects of certain insect and disease outbreaks, and diseases that may appear this spring season.

Instructions:
1. Read all these instructions.
2. You need to register for each monthly webinar. There is unlimited space for participants, the ID simply provides you the necessary access. Obtain your registration ID via: https://cornell.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5IRFqn7oSYm5D-Vyqb8-3Q If prompted for a password use “Cornell”.
3. The registration page prompts you for information if you want CEU credits. You must register and attend the webinar > 20 minutes if you want to receive documentation for CEU credits.
4. After registration you will receive the link to the webinar and a password. Your registration is valid for either the noon or 7PM presentation. It should go without saying that you should retain that email.
5. The registration email you receive provides the link you will use the day of the webinar.

Future Webinars
• April 15 – Kelsey McLaughlin NYSDEC. Adapting to Beech Leaf Disease: Understanding the Biology, Impacts, and Future of New York’s Forests
• May 20 – Rob Cole NYSDEC. Managing Eastern White Pine Health in New York
• June 17 – Dr. Xiangtao Xu Cornell University. How much does a forest weigh – applications of terrestrial LIDAR (working title)
• July 15 - TBD
• September 16 – Dr. Pete Clark, Univ VT. Ecological Aspects of Tree Planting (working title)

03/13/2026

Calling all citizen scientists!

Registration for the 2026 Trail Survey Program is now live! Whether you've volunteered with us before, or this is your first season, please join this year's Trail Survey Program! The program runs from April 1st - September 30th.

All training materials and resources will be available on our website on April 1st, which is also the day of the first virtual training! Register in advance so you can start as soon as materials drop!

Just like with our Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Survey Program, we will be offering virtual trainings and in-person workshops in collaboration with our partners across the region. Although the schedule is still being finalized, you can go ahead and register for workshops as early as April 3rd by scanning the QR code or visiting our website! https://fingerlakesinvasives.org/citizen-science-programs/

Whether you’re an experienced hiker or someone just looking for a reason to get outside more, the Trail Survey Program is a great way to connect with nature and give back to the Finger Lakes. We hope to see you join us!