The Invasive Species Network (ISN) is hosting a training this month to instruct landowners and community members on how to survey and treat invasive hemlock woolly adelgid.
Free to all community members, the event, is scheduled from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Mills Community house in Benzonia.
Many residents of the Lake Michigan’s coastline are familiar with hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) after the past six years of frequent outreach conducted by the State of Michigan and their partners. HWA is a small, aphidlike insect that is almost invisible to the naked eye. As they situate themselves at the base of hemlock needles and feed off the tree’s nutrient supply, eventually causing mortality of the tree. The effect on landscapes can be ecologically significant, as exemplifi ed in the Appalachian forests where HWA was first detected in the United States.
In an effort to stop HWA before it can become prolific in Michigan, the State has been working with local organizations like ISN to conduct surveys for HWA on private lands since 2018. These microscopic insects spend the winter in white ovisacs, which makes them visible to the naked eye, and cannot be spread during the winter season, which makes it a perfect time to survey for them. These surveys in 2023 yielded the result they had been expecting — a positive identification of HWA within ISN’s four county service area. HWA was found in Frankfort, Benzie County.
Private landowners and community members can be an incredible resource to help keep eyes on the forest, especially within 10 miles of the Lake Michigan shoreline. Whether you monitor trees on your own property or on public properties, your help could aid in efforts to keep forests healthy. Learn how to identify HWA, report suspicious finds, and learn about HWA treatment at an in-person workshop hosted by ISN.
Registration is required. Please register at www.HabitatMatters. org/Events or contact ISN Coordinator Audrey Menninga at [email protected] or 231-252-4148.
Don’t want to monitor your hemlock trees on your own? If your property meets the following criteria, you could get a free HWA detection survey from ISN:
• You live in ISN’s service area: Benzie, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, or Manistee counties
• You live within 10 miles of the Lake Michigan shoreline (which includes the Grand Traverse Bays) OR you live along the Manistee River or Mason-Manistee county line
• You planted a hemlock that was purchased from an online retailer If you meet the above criteria, consider filling out a survey request form: https:// www.habitatmatters. org/hemlock-woollyadelgid. html (Please note: Completing the survey form does not guarantee a site visit and/or survey. ISN will prioritize answers/properties and responses as personnel resources/funding allows).
