Due to high interest, the Browntail moth information session has been moved from Rising Tide to the Edgecomb Eddy School, 175 Boothbay Road in Edgecomb, from 5-6:30 p.m. on April 4.

The Browntail moth is an invasive forest pest that continues to expand its range in Maine bringing with it human health impacts. Browntail caterpillars cause a poison ivy-like rash and they are impacting a broad swath of Maine. Contact with this caterpillar’s hairs can cause severe reactions for some individuals. Maine Forest Service entomologist Tom Schmeelk and arborist Tom Hoerth will give an overview of the problem and offer strategies for dealing with it. Schmeelk and Hoerth will include an overview of the moth’s biology, its history in Maine and updates on current Browntail range and areas at risk. They will also talk about management options and ways to mitigate human health impacts.

Tom Schmeelk is a forest entomologist with the Maine Forest Service, originally from New York, where he worked for the forest health bureau of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for three years. Tom Hoerth is the former city arborist and tree warden for Bath from 1998 until 2015. He graduated from UMO in 1987 with a BS in plant & soil science, and taught 7th grade science for 10 years. He has been an adjunct instructor in the horticulture department at Southern Maine Community College since 2007. He is a consulting forester for the Bath Water District, and owns a private tree service called Winter Greens.

For more information, go to https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/events/browntail-moth-info-session/ or call 389-5150.