HWA Survey Season
Once again it’s that time of year to brave the cold for conservation sake! That’s right, the season for surveying Eastern Hemlock trees (Tsuga canadensis) for the presence of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae) has officially begun. Commonly referred to as HWA, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is an aphid-like invasive insect that specifically attacks species within the Tsuga genus. Within the United States, four species of hemlock exist: Western and Mountain hemlock in the Pacific Northwest and Eastern and Carolina hemlock throughout the east. Each of these species are fair game for...
Read MoreForest Pest Project Continues
As National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW) continues, we are continuing to work on our Collaborative Forest Pest Outreach Project in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County. Today we erected Help Me! signs on Ash trees in a park in Kennedy, New York, an active fishing area and trail-head for the snowmobile trails. Through this project we hope to reach those that visit the park, and other areas where these signs are posted, educating about forest pests such as Hemlock Woolly Adelgid and Emerald Ash Borer in a fun and empowering way.
Read MoreCollaborative Forest Pest Project Update
They always say, pictures are worth 1,000 words. And in most cases I would agree with that. There is always an interesting story behind each photograph we take or view. Photographs can capture a joyous or disheartening scene, appeal to our emotions or bring our attention to someone or something in need. This past weekend, as a part of our joint Forest Pest Outreach Project with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County, Betsy Burgeson, my husband Tyler and I all got out to North Harmony State Forest to erect signs on Eastern Hemlock trees along the main snowmobile trail and cross...
Read MoreHWA Here to Stay?
It’s official friends, HWA has been found in Chautauqua County. Over the holidays, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) was encountered on a number of Eastern Hemlock trees (Tsuga canadensis) near Fredonia. These trees exhibited the signs and symptoms of the invasive insect’s presence, having twigs covered in white woolly masses and dying needles, discolored due to loss of nutrients. Due to its small size and discrete nature, HWA can easily go undetected until it is too late, and death of the attacked hemlock is inevitable. However, it CAN be stopped and we CAN help the hemlocks...
Read MoreThanks Attendees! Collaborative Forest Pest Project Information Session
A big “thank you!” to everyone who attended our Collaborative Forest Pest Project Information Session this past Thursday night at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History in Jamestown, New York. Here you can see RTPI Conservation Technician Elyse Henshaw who did a terrific job educating over 20 members of the public on devastating forest pests like Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA), an aphid-like insect targeting Eastern Hemlock trees, and Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), a wood boring insect targeting all of our Ash trees. As these pests threaten Chautauqua County organizations...
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