Evaluation of hemlocks for resistance to hemlock woolly adelgid

Abstract

The hemlock woolly adelgid has become firmly established in the Hudson River Valley and Long Island, and is responsible for the loss of vast acreage of virgin hemlock forests and countless hemlocks in managed landscapes. Replanting with susceptible hemlocks is doomed to failure because these trees will be equally susceptible to the adelgid. We plan to evaluate a number of species of hemlock under two fertility regimes for their susceptibility to A. tsugae in hopes of identifying species that might be suitable for replanting trees lost to this invasive exotic pest.