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Protecting hemlock forests from hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA)
December 12, 2024 @ 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Free
Photo: Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), identified by its characteristic white “wool,” on the underside of a hemlock bough
A workshop for property owners with Maine Forest Service Entomologist Colleen Teerling
The Eastern Hemlock is an ancient tree species found across the Eastern United States and Canada, and an important part of our forest system. It offers shelter, food, and protection for deer and many other species of wildlife. These trees are not only highly effective at carbon sequestration but they also cool the temperature of air, soil, and water and provide critical soil erosion control on stream banks.
Eastern Hemlocks are increasingly at risk from an invasive insect called the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), an aphid-like insect that feeds by sucking sap from hemlocks. As our winters become warmer, these pests have been able to spread further north. Their feeding causes hemlock trees to lose their needles and stop producing new growth. Death of a tree typically occurs 4 to 10 years after infestation. HWA is currently present in many parts of Maine, including Lincoln County.
Property owners have a significant role to play in the control of HWA. Join Education Director Sarah Gladu and Stewardship Director Brad Weigel of Coastal Rivers and entomologist Colleen Teerling of the Maine Forest Service to learn how to identify HWA, how to determine appropriate control measures, and what Coastal Rivers and other groups are doing throughout the region to protect hemlock trees.
This program is focused on the use of biological controls to protect hemlocks, and participants will have an opportunity to purchase a colony of these beetles at a discounted cost through a bulk order with Coastal Rivers.
Although it may take a number of years for biological controls to successfully protect hemlock trees, it is likely the best option to save them on a landscape level. The predatory beetle Sasajiscymnus tsugae (commonly shortened to S. tsugae), feeds on both generations of HWA and is the only species available for landowners to purchase for use on their own property.
The cost for a colony of beetles at the discounted rate is $285. Please note: For those interested in purchasing a colony of beetles, two requirements must be met:
- Attend a mandatory, in-person, pre-release training at a field location to be determined (in the Damariscotta-Pemaquid area) on May 8, 2025
- The trained property owner must be in Maine between late May and June 15 (the exact arrival date of the live beetle shipment is uncertain and the beetles must be released within 24 hours of their arrival)
This program will take place in-person at Coastal Rivers’ Denny Education Center, and a Zoom option will be available. Please register for either option using the form below.
Colleen Teerling is an entomologist with the Maine Forest Service. She has a Master’s degree from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. She has worked for the state for about 16 years and much of her work has involved dealing with invasive insects, especially emerald ash borer and hemlock woolly adelgid.