{"id":81,"date":"2013-07-18T01:04:32","date_gmt":"2013-07-18T01:04:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gosplatypus.com\/riwoods\/?page_id=81"},"modified":"2026-09-25T13:54:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T17:54:48","slug":"forest-health","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rhodeislandwoods\/landowner-toolbox\/forest-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Forest Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Working for Healthy Trees and Forests<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

As living organisms, trees are susceptible to damage from a number of different factors. Non-native insects and diseases top the list in terms of causing abrupt damage, but factors like lack of sunlight, nutrients, and space can heighten the susceptibility of trees to insects and disease over time. Forests provide us with clean air and water, wildlife habitat, privacy, income, and much more, making it important to monitor for symptoms of poor health. You can do this yourself by looking for widespread sudden loss of leaves, open wounds or cracks, or mushroom shelves. A forester will thoroughly assess these factors if hired to manage your woodland.<\/p>\n

Non-native insects cause enormous damage to trees in Rhode Island.  In 2016, the Department of Environmental Management estimated that 200,000 acres of forest, approximately half of Rhode Island\u2019s forests, suffered severe defoliation from spongy moth.  The extent of this damage  was visible in remote sensing images<\/a> captured nearly 450 miles above the Earth in space.<\/p>\n

According to aerial canopy surveys conducted by DEM in 2025, 18,246 acres of forest showed defoliation by winter moth, a species that has spread throughout the state. Beech leaf disease contributed to another 7,678 acres of damage in the same year. Other non-native pests including emerald ash borer, hemlock woolly adelgid, and Southern pine beetle are threats to Rhode Island\u2019s trees as these species spread more widely. Non-native invasive plants can also out-compete native species, causing imbalances in the forest. See Invasive Species for more information on invasive plants.<\/p>\n

Many native insects and diseases also threaten Southern New England, most notably the forest tent caterpillar, which has caused both defoliation and mortality of oaks in Rhode Island. Factors that affect tree stress, such as water, light, and nutrients, can make trees more or less susceptible to an attack. Tree threats also go through cycles of population booms and busts, making it difficult to anticipate an outbreak.<\/p>\n

For information about specific threats, see the fact sheets below.<\/p>\n