BAD air today! Exercise caution and common sense outdoors

Pollen count is also high

Air Quality Forecast | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management

URI Farmland to Be Transformed Into Hybrid of Forest and Pasture

The word for today is "Silvopasture"

By Rob Smith / ecoRI News staff

Driving past Peckham Farm on Route 148, you’ll see a 20-acre parcel that looks like any other agricultural parcel.

The farm, just outside the University of Rhode Island’s main campus, is owned and operated by the university for research, teaching, and extension programs. It is actively farmed. Eighteen acres of the property are used for pasturing cattle, sheep, and other animals.

Bottom of Form

But if a new project planned for 54 acres that were recently made available to farm goes well, Peckham Farm may look more like a forest than it does bare fields in the next decade.

In recent years, URI natural resources professor Laura Meyerson and Peckham Farm manager Coleman Replogle have been teaming up to bring a new kind of pasture to the farm, one that combines forestland with pasture into a hybrid called silvopasture.

“It’s a bit like the savanna,” explained Meyerson to ecoRI News on a recent Zoom call. “You are integrating trees into a grazing pasture, but also creating a forested edge, just this continuum of forest.”

Silvopasture is an agroforestry practice that integrates trees, forage, and other vegetation with livestock into a single farming and habitat system. Traditional pasture, such as the 18 acres already extant on Peckham Farm, usually just consists of grasses and other herbage for farm animals like cattle to feed on.

The practice is rooted in traditional ecological knowledge from the Indigenous tribes of the Americas, according to Myerson. It’s still used in the southeastern United States and South America. 

Farms such as Wild Harmony Farm in Exeter practice silvopasturing, but Meyerson said the Peckham Farm project is the first to study the practice as a method of ecological restoration.

Under silvopasture, grassland is peppered with trees and other foliage to provide ecological benefits and new, traditional habitats for species such as birds and bats, while still providing a nutritious, varied grazing diet for cattle.

URI forester offers tips on tree safety, protection and observation

On keeping your trees healthy

Kristen Curry 

URI’s Plant Diagnostic Laboratory assesses symptoms of beech leaf disease and other plant issues. (URI Photo / Keiddy Urrea-Morawicki)

A forestry extension specialist at the University of Rhode Island, Christopher Riely works with faculty and students across campus, and off-campus partners, to help improve Rhode Island’s forests and the wildlife they support. A certified arborist and forester, Riely answers some questions about local trees for Arbor Day which was on April 24.

Do you have any tips for tree safety for residents — things to check for tree weakness after the winter, or safety tips for home yard work as people start getting out in their yards more?

The early spring before trees have fully leafed out is a good time to check for damage that trees may have sustained over the winter. However, as bark is more easily damaged during this time of higher sap flow, pruning at this time can make trees more susceptible to disease. The dormant season is the best time for pruning, especially the late winter when cuts will heal soon thereafter when trees start growing again. 

April and May are good months for planting trees and shrubs so they can start to get established before the hot summer months that usually bring drought stress. Planted trees should be watered regularly at least through their first growing season in a new location. While it’s best to avoid planting during the summer months, larger trees, such as those that come from nurseries balled and burlapped, can be also planted in the early-to-mid fall.

Pollen allergies are brutal this year

Why you are sneezing and wheezing more this spring

Levi Keller, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Pollen.com can give you specific daily and weekly information on pollen levels and types via a daily email if you register.

Spring means beautiful flowers, fragrant lilacs – and lots of tree pollen coating cars and setting off sneezing, wheezing and headaches.

As an allergist and immunologist at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, I help patients with seasonal allergies and associated allergic diseases manage their conditions, and one question comes up year in and out: Will this season be worse than last year?

With a record warm start to spring 2026 in much of the U.S., the answer is a teary-eyed “yes.”

What are allergies?

More than 1 in 4 U.S. adults suffer from seasonal allergies. That number is expected to increase as climate change results in longer and more intense pollen seasons.

When someone talks about having allergies, they are referring to a condition called allergic rhinitis or allergic conjunctivitis – inflammation of the nose or eyes related to allergen exposure. This results in itchy, watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, congestion and nasal passage itching. They show up when allergens are in the air, during spring, summer and fall.

The big driver of seasonal allergies is a protein in pollen. Pollen is the male reproductive material that plants release to spread their species.

Those pollen proteins become problems when the immune system develops an allergic antibody known as IgE to these proteins. When several IgE molecules bind to the allergen when it lands on the tissues of the eye or nasal passages, the cells release molecules such as histamine, prostaglandins and leukotrienes. These molecules interact with blood vessels and nerves to trigger the symptoms that allergy sufferers know all too well.

Legislators’ Annoyance at Underfunded Green Bonds Grows

It takes real money

By Rob Smith / ecoRI News staff

Rockville is probably a farther drive than most Rhode Islanders prefer to make, but the ones who visit the area in Hopkinton are treated to some of the most beautiful forestland in the state.

Having an unbroken block of forest along the state’s western border has long been the conservation goal for environmental officials and environmental groups. 

The Department of Environmental Management, with The Nature Conservancy of Rhode Island, recently announced the state bought nearly 70 acres of forestland on the Princess Pine Estate in Hopkinton to be incorporated into the Rockville Wildlife Management Area.

The North Road purchase borders DEM, Nature Conservancy and Audubon Society lands, in a 2,140-acre block of preserved open and recreational space. It will also boost public access for boating and fishing along Wincheck Pond.

Environmental Council of RI seeks to protect Rhode Island's climate goals, expand conservation funding, decarbonize buildings, and save RIPTA

ECRI pushes green agenda

Steve Ahlquist 

The Environment Council of Rhode Island (ECRI), a coalition of more than 60 organizations “advocating for policies to protect and enhance the environment for all Rhode Islanders,” introduced its 2026 legislative priorities at a State House event on Tuesday. “These priorities were chosen by the membership of ECRI through a month-long democratic process and represent the diversity of the environmental community in Rhode Island,” said ECRI Executive Director Jordan Miller at the opening of the event.

Here’s the video: The Environment Council of RI 2026 Lobby Day; April 14, 2026

This year, ECRI announced four legislative priorities for the 2026 legislative session. As described by ECRI Vice President Tina Munter, “[T]hese priorities, in no particular order, include urging our legislators to oppose the rollback of state clean energy and energy efficiency programs that have been proposed in the governor’s FY2027 budget, the Green Bond plus crucial additional funding for conservation and open space measures, the Save RIPTA legislative package as put together by the Save RIPTA Coalition, and building decarbonization legislation, both building benchmarking and reporting and building performance standards.”

Free Tree Registration is Open!

 

Neighborhood Forest is a nonprofit organization that provides free trees for kids to plant in celebration of Earth Day. Since 2020, they have facilitated the planting of over 280,000 trees! Neighborhood Forest’s mission is to inspire children to plant trees, care for nature, and help create greener, healthier neighborhoods.

Click here to register your child(ren) for this year’s program. An email will be sent out when they arrive, around April 22nd. Those who are interested may also purchase trees to plant.

The deadline for registration is March 15th.

When forests disappear, mosquitoes don’t—they adapt, and increasingly, they bite us.

When the trees are gone, they come for you

Frontiers

https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcelinodias/

In the rapidly disappearing Atlantic Forest, mosquitoes are adapting to a human-dominated landscape. Scientists found that many species now prefer feeding on people rather than the forest’s diverse wildlife. This behavior dramatically raises the risk of spreading dangerous viruses such as dengue and Zika. The findings reveal how deforestation can quietly reshape disease dynamics. 

Running along Brazil's coastline, the Atlantic Forest supports an extraordinary range of life, including hundreds of species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and fishes. Much of that richness has been lost. Human development has reduced the forest to roughly one third of its original size. As people move deeper into once intact habitats, wildlife is pushed out, and mosquitoes that once fed on many different animals appear to be shifting their attention toward humans, according to a study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.

"Here we show that the mosquito species we captured in remnants of the Atlantic Forest have a clear preference for feeding on humans," said senior author Dr. Jeronimo Alencar, a biologist at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro.

"This is crucial because, in a environment like the Atlantic Forest with a great diversity of potential vertebrate hosts, a preference for humans significantly enhances the risk of pathogen transmission," added co-author Dr. Sergio Machado, a microbiology and immunology researcher at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Turn Your Christmas Tree into Fish Habitat

Here's a smart way to dispose of your xmas tree

Spruce up wildlife habitat this holiday season! For the eighth year, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the Rhode Island Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU) team up for  “Trees for Trout,” recycling donated conifer trees to restore habitat for wild brook trout and other aquatic life. 

Drop off your trees Saturday, Jan. 10, between 10 AM – 3 PM at the Arcadia Check Station, Wood River Arcadia Management Area, 2224 Ten Rod Rd, Exeter.

If you walk in RI woods between Dec. 6 and Jan. 2, beware of shotgun-toting hunters

DEM requires you to wear orange to keep from getting killed 

Orange hats and vests are so chic this season – shotgun deer season, that is. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) reminds the public that starting this weekend on Saturday, Dec. 6, it’s time to make a bold fashion statement in hunting areas by adding plenty of orange into your winter wardrobe. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: "bold fashion statement" my ass. DEM wrote this cutesy news release, not me. While I have no problem with subsistence hunting, I am no fan of killing such magnificent creatures for sport. Unless the deer are armed so they can shoot back.   - Will Collette

Anyone in state management areas and undeveloped state parks during shotgun deer season must wear 500 square inches of solid, fluorescent orange, such as an orange vest and hat worn above the waist, through Friday, Jan. 2.  

Rhody grown: Real trees support local farmers

Tips and trends when picking out this year’s Christmas tree

Kristen Curry 

Local choices can have a big impact: Real trees support local farmers.

It’s that time: One of the particular joys of the season is heading outdoors to pick out a Christmas tree.

Some good news for tree shoppers this season: If you are buying from a big-box store or pop-up lot where the trees are likely shipped from Canada—live trees imported from our northern neighbor are exempt from tariffs.

However, a better option might be to buy local, advises URI forestry extension specialist Christopher Riely. He will be heading to a local tree farm to make his selection, keeping his decorative dollars in the local economy. Plus, it’s a magical experience.

“It can be a fun expedition to pick out a Rhody-grown tree,” says Riely.

Riely likes to vary the type of tree he puts up from year to year. He enjoys buying fresh-cut trees from local farms, and in recent years has been drawn to “character” trees that are far from the perfect conical shape but unique in appearance (and also offer a good value). Last year, he brought home a white fir.

Supporting Christmas tree farmers helps ensure the continued economic viability of local agriculture and reduces the likelihood that productive open space will be developed or converted for another use.

How tiny woodpeckers deliver devastating strikes to drill into wood

Pecking with power

Brown University

Photo by Will Collette

It’s one of nature’s mysteries: How can woodpeckers, the smallest of which weigh less than an ounce, drill permanent holes into massive trees using only their tiny heads? New research shows that there’s much more at play, anatomically: When a woodpecker bores into wood, it uses not only its head but its entire body, as well as its breathing.

In a study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, a team led by biologists at Brown University reveals how woodpeckers combine breathing and whole-body coordination to drill into trees with extraordinary force. 

“These findings expand our understanding of the links between respiration, muscle physiology and behavior to perform extreme motor feats and meet ecological challenges,” said lead author Nicholas Antonson, a postdoctoral research fellow in ecology, evolution and organismal biology at Brown.

Photo by Will Collette

The team studied downy woodpeckers, the smallest species of woodpeckers in North America, which populate forested areas throughout the United States and Canada. Most scientists who investigate woodpecker physiology focus on neck muscles, said study co-author Matthew Fuxjager, a professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology at Brown who has been studying woodpeckers for over a decade.

“We’re left to wonder, where does all the power come from?” Fuxjager said. “Where does the protection come from? Those questions stimulated our study, which took a more whole-body approach.”

In experiments conducted in Fuxjager’s lab, the scientists offered woodpecker study subjects some of their favorite types of wood and then measured the muscles the birds employed while drilling. The team used high-speed video to observe frame-by-frame, every 4 milliseconds, how the birds’ head positioning coordinated with activation of various muscles. They also measured air pressure and airflow in the birds’ airways.

Liberty Tree dedication added to tomorrow night's Town Council meeting

Fellow Charlestown Residents, The Charlestown Town Council will have their first regular meeting of the month on Monday, September 8. Activities will start at 5 pm outside the Town Hall with a Liberty Tree dedication which will be part of the 250th Semi-Quincentennial activities next year. The agenda packet for that event can be read here. Participating in the event will be Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore, Senator Elaine J. Morgan, Representative Tina L. Spears. Charlestown Town Council President Deborah A. Carney, and Philip Gingerella, Chair, Charlestown 250 Committee Here is the press release about this project, from the Governors office:   RI250 Commission to Host First ‘Liberty Tree’ Commemorative Plantings   On Monday, September 8, the RI250 Commission, in coordination with the Little Compton 350 Committee and the Charlestown 250 Committee, will host the first two commemorative Liberty Tree plantings in Rhode Island.   Throughout this fall and into 2026, a Liberty Tree will be planted in each of Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns to mark the Semiquincentennial (250th) anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Red Maple tree, Rhode Island’s state tree, will serve as an ongoing reminder of both Rhode Island and the country’s spirit of defiance, unity, and freedom during the American revolution.   “The Liberty Tree project allows us to leave a lasting, visible legacy throughout Rhode Island as we commemorate the nation’s Semiquincentennial,” said Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore, chair of the RI250 Commission. “It’s an honor to work with two excellent municipal partners, Little Compton and Charlestown, for these first planting ceremonies.”   Liberty Tree plantings are still being scheduled throughout the state. For a complete list of RI250 events and to see new plantings as they are added, visit the Upcoming Events page of RhodeIsland250.org. Then, at 6:15, the Council will meet in Executive Session for a routine discussion of the Town Administrator’s annual performance review. The agenda packet for that can be read here. The regular meeting will start at 7 pm - the agenda packet is here. A couple notable items on the agenda: There will be a continuation of discussion about zoning for fish processing that could potentially affect plans for a new business on the property containing the former Wilcox Tavern. Details starting on page 338 of the agenda packet. Discussion and Potential Action Concerning a Request from the Block Island Sound Ad Hoc Bikeway Committee to Apply for Grant Funding from the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program (RTA) for the King Tom Pond By-Pass Trail and a Signalized Route 1 Crossing at Cross Mills. Details starting on page 362 of the agenda packet. I hope to see you there! With Thanks, Tim Quillen, Chair Charlestown Residents United Paid for by Charlestown Residents United P.O. Box 412 Charlestown, RI 02813 Visit our Website   Charlestown Residents United | PO Box 412 | Charlestown, RI 02813 US

Don't you just hate ticks!?

Ticks carry decades of history in each troublesome bite

Sean Lawrence, West Virginia University

When you think about ticks, you might picture nightmarish little parasites, stalking you on weekend hikes or afternoons in the park.

Your fear is well-founded. Tick-borne diseases are the most prevalent vector-borne diseases – those transmitted by living organisms – in the United States. 

Each tick feeds on multiple animals throughout its life, absorbing viruses and bacteria along the way and passing them on with its next bite. Some of those viruses and bacteria are harmful to humans, causing diseases that can be debilitating and sometimes lethal without treatment, such as Lyme, babesiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

But contained in every bite of this infuriating, insatiable pest is also a trove of social, environmental and epidemiological history.

In many cases, human actions long ago are the reason ticks carry these diseases so widely today. And that’s what makes ticks fascinating for environmental historians like me.

Forestry Bills Pass Through Both General Assembly Chambers

Legislation provides tax breaks to Rhode Island logging operations

By Rob Smith / ecoRI News staff

Will a small tax break for forestry vehicles lead to greater clear-cutting of Rhode Island’s forestland, or will it boost a flagging industry?

It’s been a minor, but lasting debate in the General Assembly this year. Legislation (H5098/S0679) introduced by Rep. Megan Cotter, D-Exeter, in the House and Sen. Jacob Bissaillon, D-Providence, in the Senate would provide foresters and logging companies with a tax break on their vehicle registration, similar to an existing break already given to the state’s agricultural sector.

Forestry businesses reporting gross revenue less than $2.5 million would be eligible, receiving a special license plate to affix to company vehicles used actively in forestry operations. Both pieces of legislation were approved by both chambers on Wednesday.

The tax break given to forestry businesses is far narrower than what was originally proposed, at least in one chamber. A previous draft of the Senate bill, for example, expanded the tax break to forestry product operations equipment, parts, and other related industrial goods used by forestry businesses.

Supporters say the legislation would provide relief to a small industry of micro-businesses and large landowners, such as the Department of Environmental Management, who contract out logging work to help manage woodlands.

“If we want our forests to survive the next hundred years, we need to support the people who are willing to do that work now,” Cotter said during a House floor debate Wednesday. “We do not protect our forests by ignoring it, we protect our forests by actively managing it and that means protecting the people who do the work.”

Some environmental groups expressed concerns about any tax breaks to boost the state’s logging industry. In a letter submitted to lawmakers about both parity bills, some groups protested equating logging to agriculture, and warned lawmakers it could mean destroying Rhode Island’s biodiversity, expand invasive species populations, and damage soil health.

“Our native forests are not crops on a farm,” the letter read. “They are not tree plantations. Forests are shaped by nature, self-perpetuating, and able to survive without human interference. Logging natural forests is not farming.

“We are not opposed to logging taking place in areas that are not old growth forests, natural heritage areas, or other rare forest habitats,” the letter continued. “Nor are we opposed to logging planted tree farms. However, taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay more taxes so the timber industry pays less in taxes.”

The letter was signed by the Old Growth Tree Society of Rhode Island, the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, the Rhode Island Nursery and Landscape Association, and the North Smithfield and Cumberland Land trusts, among others.

Despite its Ocean State moniker, Rhode Island contains vast tracts of forest. The latest Forest Action Plan completed by DEM estimated Rhode Island has some 366,958 acres of forest, about 53% of the total land area of the state. Most of it is considered second-growth forest, and almost all of it, 96% is classified as timberland, meaning it exceeds the minimum level for productivity and can be harvested.

Much of the forestland in Rhode Island, about 70%, is held in private hands. DEM only owns and manages some 57,000 acres of state-owned forests. Nearly 60% of all woodlands in the state is classified as core forest, unbroken, unfragmented areas greater than 250 acres in size.

While the numbers sound, and are big and impressive, compared to other New England states, Rhode Island’s forests, and by extension, the logging industry, remains a dwarf among giants. The state only has about 90 jobs in the forestry and logging sector, and as of 2019 gross annual sales were only $11.6 million.

That’s not to say Rhode Island forests aren’t under threat. A key point of controversy over the past decade in many municipalities across the state has been the clear-cutting of forestland for ground-mounted solar installations. A 2024 study by the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program estimated the state had lost nearly 4,000 acres of undeveloped forestland to solar development.

There is some protection for state forests, at least from solar development. In 2023 lawmakers passed protections that prohibited core forest areas, which typically carry stronger local protections as well, from being axed to build solar projects.

Meanwhile, supporters of the parity legislation, which includes members from both parties, characterized opposition to the bills as misinformation, and maintained on the floors Wednesday it would boost the state’s smallest businesses.

Rep. Michael Chippendale, R-Foster, said the bill was hardly going to attract new logging companies to start chopping down Rhode Island’s forests.

“It would cost more to set the corporation up than you would save under the tax break,” he said. “These are small businesses that are using the byproduct of other businesses.”

Rep. Megan Cotter calls for boosted state wildfire prevention funding

Growing risks justify the costs

Rep. Megan L. Cotter and Sen. Linda L. Ujifusa have introduced legislation to address the growing wildfire risk in Rhode Island and strengthen forest management resources.

The proposed legislation (2025-H 5781, 2025-S 0108) calls for 10 new full-time equivalent positions within the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) to focus on woodlands, forests and forestry projects.

The legislation, which the sponsors also introduced in 2024, was based on recommendations made last year by a special commission Representative Cotter led that studied ways to improve forest management and prevent forest fires. Although last year’s bill was not enacted, the push did result in the funding of two additional forest ranger positions in the 2025 state budget. The sponsors renewed their call, saying more rangers are necessary.

Representative Cotter (D-Dist. 39, Exeter, Richmond, Hopkinton) emphasized the importance of increased resources for wildfire prevention and management.

How to Help Wild Birds During Their Spring and Fall Migrations

Human-related causes leave birds susceptible to injury and death.

Jairus James

During their spring migration, billions of birds fly from their southern wintering habitats. 

After the spring breeding season ends and as fall and winter approach in the northern latitudes, they begin the journey to warmer areas—unless they’re hardy, resident birds like cardinals or blue jays. 

With migration occurring twice a year, birds in urban and suburban regions consistently face multiple threats, including being attacked by cats, collisions with windows, and habitat loss. A deeper understanding of the dangers birds face at various stages of their development can help us protect them.

Forensics in Charlestown Forest

Clues left behind by glaciers

By Mike Freeman / ecoRI News contributor

Pitch pines in the Francis Carter Preserve in Charlestown, R.I.
 (Tom Mooney/TNC)

Surrounded by pitch pines, The Nature Conservancy’s Tim Mooney looked across the Pawcatuck River’s south bank in the Francis Carter Preserve. Pointing at the forest 10 feet closer to sea level than the pines, he noted the different tree composition across the river.

“That’s a floodplain forest,” he said. “Pin oaks mixed with red maple. When the glacier retreated, a meltwater river likely piled sand here before the moraine, which these pines tolerate, while the lower plain became swampy and friendlier to the forest community across from us.”

Later, Mooney pointed to shade-tolerant hemlocks growing along one of the Charlestown Moraine’s north-facing nooks. Along a 2-mile line he showed a series of vernal pools strung along the same side. Atop the moraine he noted ghostly oak trunks lingering from spongy moth outbreaks. The moraine, he said, provides much of southern Rhode Island’s meek incline along with the well-drained soils favorable to its prominent oak forests.

Though the Wisconsin ice sheet departed around 15,000 years ago, vestiges are especially visible in southern Rhode Island, not far from where the ice pushed up Long Island, Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket before retreating. When the glaciers left, returning plant communities sorted themselves according to the soils and landscape features they found.

URI forester says forests are part of the solution to climate change

Rhode Island woodlands offer test sites for researchers and foresters looking to future

Kristen Curry

A forestry extension specialist at the University of Rhode Island, Christopher Riely works with faculty and students across campus, and off-campus partners, to help improve Rhode Island’s forests and the wildlife they support. A certified forester, Riely is also involved with research and practice in the emerging field of climate-adaptive forest management, taking place in Rhode Island, just five miles away from campus.

At URI, Riely frequently works with students in the University’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences, often accompanying students to the 1800-acre Hillsdale Preserve to study Rhode Island’s other main ecosystem: its woods.

Rhode Island is still more than half woodland.

URI faculty and staff are working with students and Rhode Island DEM in the emerging field of climate-adaptive forest management, just miles from campus. Oak trees are a particular focus of study.

Previously managed as a gentlemen’s hunting preserve for a Wall Street banker, the site was deeded to the state for scientific forest management and is now managed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) in research partnership with URI. It’s a place full of history and beauty, but also damage and warning, including scores of dead trees.

Pollen count in Charlestown today and tomorrow about as high as it gets

From Pollen.com: