E-mail: rturcotte@fs.fed.us
E-mail: dwanner@fs.fed.us

Survey Results Indicate Invasive Pest Not
Present on Allegheny National Forest

MORGANTOWN, WVa— No evidence of an invasive pest called hemlock woolly adelgid was found during an Allegheny National Forest survey conducted in late May through early September of this year. One hundred and four hemlock stands with road and trail access were selected for this survey.

USDA Forest Service State and Private Forestry Entomologist Rick Turcotte from Morgantown , West Virginia , adopted a survey plan designed at the Entomology Research Laboratory at the University of Vermont . Turcotte trained the Allegheny National Forest crew that conducted the survey and selected the sample sites with the assistance of Geographic Information Specialist Ann Steketee from Morgantown . Steketee combined road and trail access information with vegetation data provided by the Forest to help identify forested areas that will potentially become infested first because of higher rates of human activity.

The hemlock woolly adelgid is an insect that causes significant tree mortality within 4 to 7 years after infestation. The insect was introduced into the Eastern United States from Asia in the early 1950s and has been spreading throughout the Northeast since the 1960s. In 2003, the hemlock woolly adelgid was reported in Clinton and Centre Counties , approximately 40 miles from the Allegheny National Forest . Although the adelgid is not predicted to impact the Forest until 2018, detection surveys are one of the best tools to locate and eradicate new infestations.

Those areas of the Allegheny National Forest that have the highest likelihood of becoming infested will continue to be monitored. These areas include campgrounds, trailheads, and other highly visited areas.

The survey was conducted by Mike Williams, Tom Hebda, and Angela Yuska of the Allegheny National Forest .