Mariton: Camp – Forest Insects

By Tim Burris, Preserve Manager.  Photos by Carole Mebus.

Today our guest speaker was Tim Latz.  Tim is the Service Forester with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (DCNR) Bureau of Forestry.  As the Service Forester for District 17, his job is varied from fighting forest fires to helping landowners manage their woodlots.  But like all foresters, he loves trees and forests.

Tim led the childeren on a walk through the woods.  He taught them how to identify trees using their noses, as well as their eyes.  We also looked for insects.  We didn’t find many insects that affect trees adversely.  We did find a lot of insects that help recycle the nutrients of dead trees into a form that can be used by living trees.  (I  am happy about both of those things.)

Above is a Pine Bark Beetle found in a decomposing Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis).  Below is a “gallery” or tunnel from a beetle below the bark of a dead White Oak (Quercus alba).

So, what do Sassafras leaves smell like?