Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Risk Assessment - Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Historical Park

Machin, Ben; Ruddell, Daniel; Bergdahl, Dale

Scanned report on how to deal with Hemlock Woolly Adelgid - a small insect native to southeast Asia. Hemlock woolly adelgid is a small insect native to southeast Asia that has heavily impacted hemlock ecosystems throughout the eastern U.S., with several National Parks questioning their ability to maintain a hemlock component of their forests for the future. As of 2004, this pest had advanced close to the Massachusetts/Vermont border and eradication efforts have been required to address importations of infested stock in Vermont. Vermont has an extensive and valuable hemlock resource, and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (MABI) is home to some prime examples including a number of highly valued remnant old-growth specimens. To address pests and non-native invasive species (NNIS), the National Park Service (NPS) is strongly committed to implementation of a coordinated strategy based on cooperation among land managers and the principles of integrated pest management (IPM). In late 2004, a risk assessment for hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) was undertaken at MABI. This assessment was conducted by Redstart Forestry, which has developed a Geographic Information System (GIS)- based HWA risk assessment for the southern six counties of Vermont in cooperation with the University of Vermont; the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Dept. of Forests, Parks, and Recreation; the USDA Forest Service State and Private Forestry, and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. The work presented here incorporates methodology from this cooperative effort and offers an example of how systems that integrate spatial data can assist land managers in evaluating the threats of NNIS and developing response strategies. Based on this assessment, we concluded there is a risk for HWA impacts at the Park, although cold temperatures may limit northward spread of the pest. Unique resources present at MABI, along with proactive efforts by federal and state agencies, offer outstanding opportunities for cooperation to extend and strengthen education, prevention, early detection, and rapid response efforts that have shown good results to date.