Great Bear Hemlocks Surveyed for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Article by Megan Shaw (SLELO PRISM)
As part of their annual Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Survey Training Series, Education Outreach Coordinator, with SLELO-PRISM, and Linda Gibbs with THTLT, led a survey training at the Great Bear Recreation Area on November 15th, 2024 with Friends of Great Bear and community volunteers.

The purpose of the training was to show volunteers how to survey for and report hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) an invasive insect that kills hemlock trees. HWA has been present in New York state since the 1980s and has more recently been confirmed present in Oswego County and seems to be spreading along the Eastern Lake Ontario shoreline. The feeding habits of HWA causes infested trees to wall of the flow of nutrients to the needles, causing the needles to die which reduces the ability of the tree to photosynthesize eventually leading to tree mortality if not treated.

In the fall and winter, HWA forms a white woolly mass around its body that make it easier to see. Masses look like small balls of cotton and can be found on the underside of infested hemlock tree branches where the needle connects to the branch. Volunteers who joined the training held at Great Bear learned where to look for these masses and checked hemlock trees for signs of presence. They also learned how to report observations using a smartphone app called iMapInvasives which serves as New York’s invasive species observation database. Reporting observations to this app helps conservation professionals strategize management efforts for HWA. No signs of HWA were found during the survey training, and the hemlock trees looked healthy. However, the upper portions of the trees couldn’t be surveyed, and HWA could spread so monitoring efforts at the site will continue annually and trained volunteers are hoped to visit the site frequently to keep an eye out for HWA.

Image shows two Woolly Adelgid eggs on Hemlock branch

Image shows cluster of Woolly Adelgid eggs on Hemlock branch

Image of Hemlock wooly adelgid eggs on a Hemlock bough

More trainings will be held through February 2025 in Oswego and Oneida Counties. Registration is required to attend. For a full schedule and to register please visit www.sleloinvasives.org/events or contact the SLELO PRISM Education, Outreach, and Communications Coordinator at 315-522-1258

SLELO PRISM is one of eight Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management that span the state of New York. PRISMs are an integrated approach to invasive species management and are funded by the New York Environmental Protection Fund in coordination with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. SLELO PRISM encompasses the 5 counties of Oneida, Oswego, Jefferson, Lewis, and part of St. Lawrence and is hosted by The Nature Conservancy. For more information about SLELO PRISM visit www.sleloinvasives.org. The Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust (THTLT) protects lands in the Tug Hill region and promotes appreciation of the region’s natural and cultural heritage, for present and future generations. Learn more about THTLT at https://tughilltomorrowlandtrust.org/.

Print this entry