USDA Forest Service
Daniel Boone
National Forest
1700 Bypass Road
Winchester, KY 40391

Phone: 859-745-3100
FAX: 859-744-1568

Forest Service seeks public input on invasive insect suppression efforts

For Immediate Release

Contact: Kimberly Morgan

WINCHESTER, KY, June 29, 2009 –Forest Service officials are seeking public comments regarding management proposals to control the hemlock woolly adelgid, a non-native insect that invaded the eastern United States in the mid-1950s. The HWA was confirmed in eastern Kentucky in spring 2006. Since that time, the pest has spread to include the Daniel Boone National Forest.

“Public comments will help us determine the analysis needed before a decision is made concerning project implementation,” said Bill Lorenz, Acting Forest Supervisor in Winchester, Ky. “We want the public to have every opportunity to take part in the management alternatives to combat this most destructive pest.”

The adelgid presents one of the greatest threats to Kentucky’s forests since the chestnut blight, potentially eliminating eastern hemlock along rivers and streams. On the Daniel Boone National Forest, eastern hemlock is a major forest component in the lower elevations. The loss of hemlocks could lead to the loss of other species, including plants and animals associated with the hemlock environment. Stream temperatures may increase with the loss of hemlock, affecting habitat requirements for aquatic species.

White cottony sacs at the base of hemlock needles are evidence of a hemlock woolly adelgid infestation. These sacs resemble the tips of cotton swabs. They are present throughout the year but most prominent in early spring. By sucking sap from young twigs, the needles discolor from deep green to grayish green, and then the needles drop prematurely. Defoliation leads to tree death within several years. The insects are dispersed by wind, birds and mammals.

The Forest Service is proposing to designate up to 30 hemlock stands on each district of the Daniel Boone National Forest as “hemlock conservation areas,” or HCAs. These areas would be prioritized for various treatments in an effort to stop or slow the spread of the hemlock woolly adelgid. Since it is not possible to treat all hemlock areas of the forest, priority would be based on criteria such as accessibility, ecological value, aesthetic value, and degree of infestation.

In some HCAs, predator beetles that are known to prey exclusively on hemlock woolly adelgid would likely be released each year to reduce the number of adelgids in the area. The release of predator beetles would occur where adelgid populations were large enough to sustain establishment of predatory beetles. Their release would end when populations of beetles became self-sustaining where adelgids occurred.

In addition to biological control methods, insecticide treatments would occur at some infested HCA sites. Soil treatment with “imidacloprid” insecticide would occur around the base of each selected hemlock. Once the soil was treated (by injection, buried pellets, or soil drench), the chemical is drawn through the tree’s roots and sapwood into the needles where the adelgids feed. Treatments would occur in the late winter and spring when the insect is feeding on new growth. This treatment would continue until no longer needed or when other control methods, such as predator beetles, were shown to be effective.

The primary objective for treating hemlock stands is to maintain reproducing populations of hemlock trees throughout their historic geographic range of the Daniel Boone National Forest. The HCAs would potentially provide for future hemlock restoration by ensuring the survival of some hemlock trees.

The Forest Service will accept public comments concerning the proposed HWA management activities through July 27, 2009. Written comments may be sent to the Natural Resources Staff - HWA Project, Daniel Boone National Forest, 1700 Bypass Road, Winchester, Kentucky 40391. Electronic comments may be emailed to comments-southern-daniel-boone@fs.fed.us. Public comments, including names, become part of the project record and are available for public review.

“Any new ideas or approaches on how to manage this serious threat to the forest ecosystem are welcome,” said Lorenz. “I look forward to hearing from the public regarding potential treatments to help save our hemlock trees.”

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