RTPI Joins the High Allegheny Hemlock Conservation Partnership to Offer Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Early Detection Training
Although autumn is just beginning in Western New York and Pennsylvania, the winter season will soon be upon us. The colder months, November through March to be exact, are the best time of year to search the area’s forests for an invasive forest pest known as Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA). HWA is an aphid-like insect, originating from Asia, which feeds off of the food storage cells below the needles of an Eastern Hemlock tree and hides itself under white woolly masses for protection. Within only a matter of 4-10 years an individual tree can succumb to an HWA infestation if left unnoticed. This...
Read MoreThe Search for HWA Begins
Join us this Friday afternoon for our first hemlock woolly adelgid survey of the season! As a part of the Hemlock Conservation of the High Allegheny Plateau Project, led by the U.S. Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy, RTPI and JCC adopted South Valley State Forest to survey and contribute information to these agencies as well as the Department of Environmental Conservation. Join us as we survey two sites on the state forest lands. We will meet in the RTPI parking lot promptly at 12:30 to carpool and meet on-site around 1:00pm. For those meeting on-site, please meet near the bridge on...
Read MoreForest Pest Task Force
Please join us at RTPI on Wednesday, September 13th from 1:00-3:00PM for the fall Chautauqua County Forest Pest Task Force meeting! The task force will discuss ongoing forest pest issues such as the spread of Emerald Ash Borer, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, Oak Wilt and other new diseases or pests impacting our local, regional and state forests. The public is welcome to attend and contribute to the discussions!
Read MoreProtecting Our Trails by Protecting Our Trees
Snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing or hiking through Chautauqua County’s trails is an experience like none other. The area features beautiful rolling hills, deep valleys, wide open fields and thick forested tracts, tickling anyone’s sense of adventure. One such feature that is especially captivating is the large stands of thick conifers that darken the forest floor and create a cathedral effect for anyone blitzing beneath them. Of these trees, the Eastern Hemlock forms dense patches around streams and along steep slopes while nearly touching the trails with their long, snow...
Read MoreSoggy HWA Survey
Our first two Hemlock Woolly Adelgid surveys have been successful in the fact that we haven’t found any evidence of the little invasive pests! However, this past week’s survey was rather wet due to the massive amount of rain and snow melt Chautauqua County has experienced. As you can see it looks as though the salamanders should be coming out soon and checking out these pools, but hopefully this wacky weather won’t wake them up quite yet!
Read More
