(WDNews) — Alabama forestry officials are taking steps to protect one of the state’s rarest tree species from an invasive insect threatening hemlock trees in north Alabama.
According to a statement from the Alabama Forestry Commission Facebook page, a hemlock woolly adelgid management area has been established at Pisgah Gorge Civitan Park. The action follows reports of heavy adelgid infestations affecting hemlock stands in Jackson and DeKalb counties.
The hemlock woolly adelgid is a small invasive insect that feeds on hemlock trees and can cause them to weaken and eventually die.
The Alabama Forestry Commission said the park was identified earlier this summer as a treatment site to demonstrate an integrated pest management approach using both chemical and biological control methods. Crews applied chemical soil drench treatments to some of the larger hemlock trees near the upper falls observation platform. Each treatment was calculated by measuring the size of the tree and applying the appropriate amount of solution.
According to the commission’s statement, forestry staff also worked with a USDA Forest Service ecologist to release biological control insects that feed on the adelgid. About 200 Laricobius beetles were collected from a research site in North Carolina and released onto infested hemlock trees at four locations within the park.
Forestry officials said if the beetles are able to establish, they could help lessen the severity of adelgid infestations over time.
The Alabama Forestry Commission noted the work is an important step in protecting hemlock trees in northeast Alabama and preparing for the possibility of the insect spreading to other parts of the state. Alabama is home to the southernmost stands of eastern hemlock in the United States, making the trees a unique part of the state’s forest landscape.
