For Release: Friday, November 21, 2008
Forest Pest Information Session Schduled
An informational meeting on the non-native Hemlock Wooly Adelgid will be held at the Cornell Cooperative Extension building in Montour Falls on Thursday, Dec. 4, beginning at 7 p.m. This insect was recently discovered in Schuyler and Yates counties. It is the single greatest threat to the health and sustainability of eastern hemlock as a forest resource in the eastern United States. This pest has the potential to destroy hemlocks, a major ecological component from eastern forests. Its impact may be comparable to that of the gypsy moth, Dutch elm disease, chestnut blight and the emerald ash borer.
Dr. Jerry Carlson, a research scientist with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Lands and Forests, will present up-to-date information on this pest including: the history of infestation in New York; the biology of the insect; potential for damage to forests; and research and experience in other parts of New York state.
The meeting is open to the public, but pre-registration is recommended. For more information or to register, please contact Brett Chedzoy at Cornell Cooperative Extension at (607) 535-7161 or Jim Bagley at the DEC, at (607) 776-2165, ext.26. See photo of the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid.
