Hemlock Hunters Wanted
If you’d like to spend time outdoors AND help the environment, consider becoming a Hemlock Hunter! This volunteer program offered by OCCA and our partners at Mohican Farm will train you to search for and report on finding hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), an insect pest that threatens our native eastern hemlock tree. Learn how to identify hemlocks and HWA, and either join us in the field or “adopt” a hemlock stand to visit on your own. For information, contact Jeff O’Handley at programdirector@occainfo.org
New York’s lands are under attack from numerous invasive species. Chestnut blight, European gypsy moth, Dutch elm disease beech bark disease and the Hemlock wooly adelgid have all had devastating impacts on our forests. These pests have been introduced on nursery stock, in shipping crates and as ornamental species. Fungi, plants, insects and other invaders threaten our environment. Three species of particular concern in our forests are the Asian long-horned beetle, emerald ash borer, and Hemlock Wooly Adelgid.
Asian Longhorn Beetle
The Asian long-horned beetle (ALB) threatens urban and suburban shade trees and recreational and forest resources valued at hundreds of billions of dollars. While the Asian long-horned beetle has largely been confined to urban and suburban parts of the state, this species could have significant impacts on our upstate forests should it spread further. The beetle could impact industries such as maple syrup production and hardwood lumber processing, nurseries and tourism.
Emerald Ash Borer
The emerald ash borer (EAB) is an invasive beetle to eastern Asia that kills all species of ash trees in North America, and has caused severe economic and ecological damage. It was first detected near Detroit in 2002, and has now spread to 28 states, the District of Columbia, and two Canadian provinces. Ash mortality is 100% near Detroit and is widespread in all the affected areas. Since the establishment of EAB in New York State we have seen economic impacts in forests where ash is a common timber species and in urban areas where ash are frequently planted as street trees.
Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), is an exotic pest native to Asia and western North America. It was first described in western North America in 1924 and first reported in the eastern United States in 1951 near Richmond, VA. This pest is now spreading through eastern forests at an alarming rate, and has the potential to remove a major component of these forests that is important in maintaining clean water and providing valuable habitat for myriad wildlife. This pest is now found in at least 19 states, and Otsego County stands at the crossroads of the current invasion spreading north into the Adirondacks. It is currently found on only a handful of sites in Otsego County, but surveys and programs are being done to determine the extent of the invasion.