Invasive Forest Pest Training Set

Invasive Forest Pest Training Set

Volunteers Sought to Help Survey Trees for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Keene Valley, NY (July 21, 2014) - On July 31, the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) will host a Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) citizen science monitoring training at its Lake George Office with the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP), NYS Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) and Cornell University.  Hemlock woolly adelgid is an invasive forest pest that is causing widespread mortality of hemlock trees in NY and the eastern U.S. Hemlocks are keystone species in streamside forests that play an important role in the ecology and hydrology of forest ecosystems. HWA has not been reported in the Adirondack Park, yet. Citizens are essential to help protect hemlocks by detecting early signs and symptoms of HWA.

The training will provide background on HWA to citizen scientist volunteers including ADK members, APIPP volunteers and other partners, as well as the general public. The session will include both indoor and outdoor activities. Biologists and forest ecologists will train participants in the basic protocols for surveying HWA in a field setting and will ask volunteers to adopt a study area to survey after the training.

The training is from 10:30 am to 3 pm. Please RSVP by July 28. For more information or to register, contact Cathy Pedler at cathy@adk.org, 518-449-3870.