The Maryland Department of Agriculture is aware that people across the country, including in Maryland, have received unsolicited packages of seeds from China in recent days. MDA is working closely with its partners at USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to monitor this situation.

If you live in Maryland and have received a package of seeds that you did not order, please report them immediately to the Maryland Department of Agriculture's Plant Protection and Weed Management program at ppwm.mda@maryland.gov or 410-841-5920.

Please hold onto the seeds and packaging, including the mailing label, until MDA or USDA APHIS contacts you with further instructions. Do not plant any seeds from unknown origins.

A recent University of Maryland Extension pest report shares that a "significant population" of Spotted lanternfly (SLF) has been identified and verified by the Maryland Department of Agriculture in Hagerstown City Park and the adjacent apartment complex in Washington County. The MDA and USDA SLF team is working on delimiting the area, surveying for SLF and marking all Ailanthus in the area. USDA is planning on treating the Ailanthus soon. They will continue to monitor this site and set-up traps. Remember to be diligent to scout

your vineyard/orchard edges and surrounding/local woods, concentrating on the Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus). 

The next Woodland Wildlife Wednesday webinar will be at 12 noon, July 29th. The program, "Landowner Liability & Recreation Access in Maryland," will feature two speakers from the University of Maryland Extension: Jonathan Kays, Forestry Extension Specialist, and Paul Goeringer, Extension Legal Specialist.

Landowners face questions about their rights to control use by recreationists, their liability, insurance needs for leasing land, options to deal with trespassing, and many other issues. Given the need to manage deer populations, it is critical to understand this issue.  

This webinar is free, but registration is required.