Introducing the Hemlock Restoration Initiative

Until recently, landowners with hemlock trees had few options available for prevention or treatment of the exotic invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA), an aphid-like insect that feeds on hemlocks and ultimately kills them. However, the Hemlock Restoration Initiative (HRI) is stepping forward to connect landowners, HWA researchers, government agencies and landowners, among others, to comprehensively address the adelgid invasion.
 
So, how can you help in restoring hemlocks on your property and elsewhere? HRI recommends the following:

• Educate yourself – Visit the HRI website to learn more about the HWA, including how to identify it and what your treatment options may be.
• Protect high value trees – For those interested in do-it-yourself management, soil injections may be an option; injection prices have continued to drop while treatment effectiveness has increased.
• Look for resistant hemlocks – If you have noted previously untreated, healthy hemlocks on your property, you may have found a HWA resistant strain. Learn how to identify and report potentially resistant trees here.
• Follow the beetles – Researchers have introduced predatory beetles (Laricobius nigrinus) that prey on the HWA as a long term biological control. Visit the HRI beetle page for up-to-date information on past releases and locations.