Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Forest Pest Workshop With Vermont State Forester Jim Esden

Saturday 03/11/23, 10:00AM - 12:30PM

Indoors and outdoors at The Nature Museum

Free/Sliding Scale

Hemlock woolly adelgid damage: needles yellow and fall out, leading to crown thinning and tree mortality.

Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is a small, aphid-like insect of Asian origin that feeds on hemlock species in North America. Identifying this forest pest in our local forests is key in protection efforts and monitoring. Vermont Protection Forester Jim Esden will teach about important HWA background, biology, and identification. He will also touch on infestation boundary, mode of damage, and control options.

After the indoor discussion, we’ll  head outside to the nearby Grafton Village Park to practice Eastern hemlock tree ID and HWA ID. This data will be recorded and entered into a monitoring database. We’ll discuss this important database further and how you can continue to contribute. This event will happen rain, snow, or shine!

You can learn more about the HWA in Vermont here.

Presenter Bio:

Jim has been with the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation since 2007. As a Protection Forester, he deals with forest pests, diseases, and fire. In his off time, Jim  enjoys hiking, gardening, and is a call firefighter and EMT for his local fire department.