Copyright: (c) Lumpkin Coalition 2012
Design and Maintenance:
Beth Sanders
Beth Sanders
About Hemlocks:
Hemlock trees have short, soft green needles. The Eastern and Carolina
Hemlock trees are dying due to a spreading infestation of the Hemlock
woolly adelgid, an aphid-like insect native to Asia. Hemlock stands are
among the only old growth forests in the east and are of great importance
to wildlife, water quality, economy, and basic quality of life.
Hemlock trees have short, soft green needles. The Eastern and Carolina
Hemlock trees are dying due to a spreading infestation of the Hemlock
woolly adelgid, an aphid-like insect native to Asia. Hemlock stands are
among the only old growth forests in the east and are of great importance
to wildlife, water quality, economy, and basic quality of life.
Why You Should CareHemlock stands keep streams cool enough for the fish (particularly trout) to live,
and the trees help keep stream banks
stable, preventing erosion. The hemlock
also provides food and shelter for wild
animals and birds, a source that will be
gone if we can't stop the HWA.
Lumpkin Coalition Brochures
Brochure - Hemlock Help for Lumpkin
Property Owners
Help Agreement
Instructions - Treating Hemlocks with
Imidacloprid
HWA Control Options
Save Our Hemlocks
Homeowners Alert
Treatment Options for Homeowners
and the trees help keep stream banks
stable, preventing erosion. The hemlock
also provides food and shelter for wild
animals and birds, a source that will be
gone if we can't stop the HWA.
Lumpkin Coalition Brochures
Brochure - Hemlock Help for Lumpkin
Property Owners
Help Agreement
Instructions - Treating Hemlocks with
Imidacloprid
HWA Control Options
Save Our Hemlocks
Homeowners Alert
Treatment Options for Homeowners
The Problem
The Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is killing Georgia's beautiful Hemlocks.
This exotic aphid-like insect from Asia infests Hemlocks, sucks their sap,
and kills them in 3-6 years. Hemlocks provide cooling shade for trout
streams, food for birds, and they hold soil in place so it doesn't runoff into
rivers.
The woolly adelgid is native to Asia where predator beetles hold HWA
populations in balance. Hemlocks in the western U.S. are unharmed
because a native predator beetle keeps the adelgid in check. Eastern
Hemlock species have no natural adelgid predators.
The Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is killing Georgia's beautiful Hemlocks.
This exotic aphid-like insect from Asia infests Hemlocks, sucks their sap,
and kills them in 3-6 years. Hemlocks provide cooling shade for trout
streams, food for birds, and they hold soil in place so it doesn't runoff into
rivers.
The woolly adelgid is native to Asia where predator beetles hold HWA
populations in balance. Hemlocks in the western U.S. are unharmed
because a native predator beetle keeps the adelgid in check. Eastern
Hemlock species have no natural adelgid predators.
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The Plan
With an unprecedented degree of collaboration, citizen groups,
government agencies, scientists and Georgia’s conservation community are
working together to combat the Hemlock woolly adelgid and hopefully
check its populations before it is too late for these beautiful evergreens. A
three-pronged plan has been adopted at the state and federal levels to
combat the HWA:
Evaluating and implementing biological controls (such as beetles)
Chemical controls for short-term treatment and in locations/situations
where these are the best option (such as landscape and some forest
settings)
Preservation of genetic material for both the Eastern and Carolina Hemlock
so that, in the event of a catastrophic impact by the HWA, we may be able
to restore the Hemlock species in the future
Thanks to the hard work of all concerned, there are now three labs in
Georgia -- one at Young Harris College, another at UGA, and the newest
Predator Beetle Lab at NGCSU -- for rearing predator beetles for release on
Hemlocks within our public forests. With these successes, Georgia has
joined a multi-state effort to find an effective biological control for Hemlock
woolly adelgid.
With an unprecedented degree of collaboration, citizen groups,
government agencies, scientists and Georgia’s conservation community are
working together to combat the Hemlock woolly adelgid and hopefully
check its populations before it is too late for these beautiful evergreens. A
three-pronged plan has been adopted at the state and federal levels to
combat the HWA:
Evaluating and implementing biological controls (such as beetles)
Chemical controls for short-term treatment and in locations/situations
where these are the best option (such as landscape and some forest
settings)
Preservation of genetic material for both the Eastern and Carolina Hemlock
so that, in the event of a catastrophic impact by the HWA, we may be able
to restore the Hemlock species in the future
Thanks to the hard work of all concerned, there are now three labs in
Georgia -- one at Young Harris College, another at UGA, and the newest
Predator Beetle Lab at NGCSU -- for rearing predator beetles for release on
Hemlocks within our public forests. With these successes, Georgia has
joined a multi-state effort to find an effective biological control for Hemlock
woolly adelgid.