A Report On The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

“The Condor’s Shadow,” written by David S. Wilcove, is a book about the conservation of wildlife in America. It describes multiple species that have been in danger of extinction, or gone extinct. The book goes into depth on how these animals came to the brink of extinction and why they couldn’t be saved or the measures taken to restore them. One of the major themes throughout the book was habitat destruction in forests and aquatic ecosystems alike. This led to the extinction of some species. When it comes to the destruction of forests it affects not only the animals but the trees as well. Many trees

The Hemlock trees in north Georgia and up and down the east coast are in danger of being totally wiped out due to a rapidly spreading infestation of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. This is a small invasive aphid-like insect from Asia with no local natural predator.

The emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis, is a beetle that was first discovered in 2002 in the US near the Detroit area and southeastern portions of Michigan. This beetle is believed to have originated in Asia. The theory is that they arrived in the states in packing material made of wood on cargo ships traveling on the St. Lawrence River, which then leads into the Great Lakes. Since 2002, this beetle has made its way into parts of Canada and now in at least eighteen states in the US (Emerald, n.d.). They are causing major destruction of Ash trees in all of these areas, and Vermont is starting to take precautions to be prepared if and when these beetles show up in The Green Mountain

Emerald Ash Borers has killed millions of ash tree and put billions more at risk. Emerald Ash Borers originated in Asia and eastern Russia was first discovered in Canada in 2002. It is now widespread in Quebec and Ontario areas. Emerald Ash Borers can be spread to various parts of Canada and USA through infested firewood trading. Therefore the government of Canada has decided to restrict infested areas. Emerald Ash Borer arrived to Canada through trading forestry products. If we had been more careful, Emerald Ash Borers would have never entered Canada. Therefore our interaction in cutting down trees to trade and trading with others has an important effect on the welfare of our forests. The interaction of receiving wood from outside our country

The ancient forests of the Northeast aren’t the only aspect of the bioregion that’s fate have been at perpetual risk since the early settlement of Europeans. There is no question that forests still dominate the landscape of Northeastern region accounting for “60% of the total land area, and in New England alone, the coverage is 80%”. Still the species that exist within the understory of the forests have undergone an equally dramatic transformation because of human interaction with the land and the harvest of its resources. Some species in the understory of the mixed forests of the Northeast have been driven out of the region, are under intense ecological pressure, are on the brink of extinction, or have already gone extinct in the region. Perhaps one of the most harmful and impactful effects colonization of the Northeast has had on the resources of the land is the introduction of non-native species and diseases into the region. Over time the overall makeup of the forests have changed drastically as an example, “…the American chestnut once made up as much as 25% of the trees in some areas and was economically the most important hardwood in the Eastern forests”. The introduction of chestnut blight at the turn of the century accounts for

The red necked cane borer, Agrilus ruficollis (F.), is a buprestid beetle that infests wild and cultivated blackberries and raspberries in the eastern states from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Adults are about 6-7 mm (1/4 inch) long, with an iridescent coppery pronotum. A related species, Agrilus rubicola, may occur concurrently. This species is uniform in color, ranging from copper-colored to iridescent green. On galled plants, there is less live vegetative growth and more dead wood. There is often reduced berry size and number, as well as vegetative growth with increasing number of galls per plant. Affected canes may not produce fruit. Canes weakened by galls are more subject to winter injury.

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) most likely came to the United States through solid wood shipments from Asia, and has established its habitat in 25 states - including Georgia - and two Canadian provinces. The female lays eggs and the cream-colored larvae chew tunnels through the wood. The adults are shiny green beetles about a half inch in length and burrow through the wood. Symptoms of EAB infestation in a tree include vertical

According to Silent Spring, the United States Office of Plant Introduction has introduced about 200,000 species of plants from around the world, and almost half of the 180 major insect enemies of plants are accidental imports. According to Campbell’s Biology Textbook, these imported animals are known as invasive species, organisms that become established outside their native range. Carson states that often when a species is brought to an area they are not native to, the lack of natural enemies causes the species to become dominant and extremely abundant. These invasions are likely to be permanent, however as a way to “buy time” humans have turned to quarantine and massive chemical campaigns, instead of trying to prevent new invasions. As Carson continuously stresses chemical use can have unwanted consequences and she urges people to use the basic knowledge of animal populations and their relations to their surroundings and other species to prevent them from becoming overly dominate. For example, according to Campbell’s textbook, higher diversity communities are more often resistant to invasive species because the species is less likely to dominate over the native species. This was proven by scientists working in Long Island Sounds off the Coast of Connecticut created communities of different diversity consisting of sessile marine invertebrates, and examined how vulnerable the experimental communities were to an invasive species: the exontic tunicate. They found the tunicate was four times more likely to survive in lower diversity communities than higher diversity communities. It was concluded the diverse communities captured more of the resources available, leaving fewer resources for the invader. It is firmly believed by Carson that people should do much more simple research before transferring a foreign species to a new habitat to not only prevent a

Present are hundreds of species of ferns, mosses, shrubs, and fungi. The most common tree species are the black and white spruce, jack pine, balsam fir, tamarack, eastern white cedar, poplar, and white birch. Animal species include, but are not limited to, predators, such as the black bear, wolf, and lynx; ungulates (hooved animals), such as the moose and caribou; birds, ranging from the great owl to the winter wren; and small mammals, including the pine marten, hare, red fox, and

The insect is an Asian import that has no known predators or chemical controls in this United States. The story goes further into the insect infestation and follows the people who try to save the trees and prevent any more deaths. An arborist, Will Blozan, discovered Woolly adelgid on the branches of a wild hemlock in the Ellicott Rock Wilderness in December of 2001. Preston takes this story further by describing the Cataloochee Valley, what it is like to climb 160-ft trees with an arborist and what it is like to witness such

In June of 2011, the Asian Longhorned Beetle was found in Clermont County, about 30 minutes from where I live now. Clermont County is home to East Fork State Park, a 4,870 acre state park which is comprised of about 50% woodland. The Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) is an invasive insect in Ohio that will host in about 10 different types of trees. This is an important topic to me because this invasive insect is not only single-handedly taking down forests in Ohio, but the introduction of an invasive species also disrupts the soil, air, and water quality. I chose this topic because more people need to be aware of the little things they are doing that can affect the environment. By moving firewood, different types of lumber, or nursery stock to a location that is not affected by the ALB will just make matters worse.

Georgia has been invaded by numerous species that are known as harmful exotic plants and animals. It is so costly to attempt to control invasive species and the damages they inflict cost the United States annually an estimated $137 billion (Georigia Invasive Species Task Force, 2005). For example, in South Georgia there is an estimate of 7 million acres of Kudzu vine that originated in Japan and China. The damage that arises with the Kudzu vine is that it grows up to one foot per day and overgrows and shades out trees, covers houses, barns and road signs (Georigia Invasive Species Task Force, 2005). In order to make this a top priority some things congress needs to change is the revision of current United States policy on importation of live plants and animals and when considering, reviewing, or approving trade agreements they address specific invasive species. In addition, the implementation of prescribed burnings in areas with invasive species will help eliminate and control the spreading of such invasive species.

“Hemlock wooly adelgid was first discovered in the eastern United States in Richmond, Virginia in the 1950’s, likely originating from a population in southern Japan”, according to the text “Eastern Hemlock Conservation Plan.” The insect is also invasive because it damages the ecosystem. Hemlocks are a major part of some forest ecosystems and provide some unique benefits, but the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid is killing Hemlocks throughout

Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), is a plant native to Europe, Eastern Australia, Asia and Northern Africa. Through history, this plant has been used as a medical herb for the treatment of dysentery, bleeding, wounds, ulcers and sores. The introduction of the Purple Loosestrife, through shipping, has caused disruption of waterflow and the crowding out of native species. Each individual Loosestrife plant can produce up to 2.7 millions seeds , this has helped it overtake native species, such as the cattail. Very costly and difficult to remove, Purple Loosestrife numbers show no sign of decreasing. The Water Chestnut (Trapa natans L.), is an aquatic plant species native to Europe. Introduced much like the Purple Loosestrife, the Water Chestnut is a plant that thrives in shallow depths of rivers and lakes, but can spread to deeper waters. Due to the coverage and over population of the Water Chestnuts, navigation, livable habitat and recreational activities are all affected by the plant. The beds of Water Chestnut also provide a perfect breeding ground for

In 1996, the Asian Longhorn Beetle made its way into the New York and New Jersey creating the decimation of the forests. The Asian Longhorn Beetle has so far caused the cutting of over 10,000 trees in New Jersey, and quarantine of 109 miles in New York today . The spread of this foreign beetle has created great impacts on the environment. The Asian Longhorn Beetle is an invasive specie, a harmful specie from another locations, mainly other countries, that has ended up in a foreign habitat. As time has progressed, invasive species have continued to come into our environment more frequently creating many unforeseen consequences. The relationship of invasive species within the United States’ environment and ecosystem has been changing ever