CISMA: Fighting the Spread of Invasives Through Education
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Regional organizations and foresters have banded together to form the Southeastern Vermont Cooperative Invasive Species Management Alliance (CISMA), a group looking at forest invasives and how to manage them. As part of the steering committee, WRC staff have been involved in helping form the CISMA and launch its fall and winter webinars focusing on forest invasives.
In the winter webinar series, WRC co-sponsored a program on Invasive Earthworms. As we learn more about earthworms, which are not native to our region, we are learning, contrary to popular thought, that they are doing harm to our forests. With the arrival of the new species of Asian earthworms (aka crazy worms and snake worms; see https://blog.uvm.edu/jgorres/amynthas/), the destruction of the forest duff layer, which leads to forest regeneration and diversity will increase. If you would like to learn more about the SE VT CISMA, contact WRC staff member, Margo Ghia at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave a message at 802-257-4547 ext. 116. If you would like to watch the presentation on earthworms and what we are now learning about their effect on Vermont forests, click here.
