The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid strikes

It was after we acquired this property that I was finally able to walk the woods and wetlands we had purchased. With limited time slots during viewings prior to purchasing it was just not doable. Never mind the fact that it took me a while to figure out the boundaries and the way around the woods without getting lost. One of the things I fell in love with on first sight was the amazingly giant mature Eastern Hemlock Trees on the property. Hemlock trees like wet feet and as such the areas they grow hadn’t been touched (can’t grow crops in wet). Leaving these trees to flourished and grow massive.

I soon learned there is a correlation between the salamanders on the property and the hemlock. Both like moisture, so they happily coexist. I also learned that Hemlock are extremely slow growing trees. I spend a great deal of time imagining what things the mature oak and hemlock on the property have seen change over the many years they adorned this magnificent landscape.

Hemlock trees aren’t very common in this area particularly in quantity and as large as we have them. The environment has to be just right for hemlock to grow and when they die it changes the environment in such a way that they are not likely to regrow.

Imagine my devastation when I learned our hemlock trees are slowly being killed by an imported pest.

As a member of the Ontario Woodlot Owners Association I received an email in Mach 2023 requesting woodlot owners with Eastern Hemlock stands to sign up for a research study. I am supportive of research and when I looked into it I learned it involved a new E-DNA collection tool. I am fascinated by E-DNA, so I signed up and our property was selected.

Full of enthusiasm I deployed the devise on the requested date in April and send away the slides for testing on the requested date in July. I never could have suspected that this little act could cause me so much heart ache.

I soon was notified the research team had found Wooly Adelgid DNA on the slides I had send in. A team from CFIA was deployed to take samples to confirm the presence of these little aphid like creatures and of course it was confirmed.

So many questions came to my mind immediately, but mostly what do we do to save these trees? I can’t bare the thought of just sitting back and watching them die. I soon learned that nobody had any answers for me.

CFIA gave us an order banning us from moving hemlock and hemlock materials from our property. This was pointless because we never had any intention of taking down any of these magnificent trees to begin with. Aside from that CFIA had nothing helpful to add.

After making many inquiries I learned that there are some pesticides who can kill this adelgid insect and prevent the trees from dying, but the who’s, how’s and where’s of that are vague as well. Never mind figuring out some financial assistance for landowners who need to combat this imported tree disease.

As I mentioned the salamanders love where the Hemlock are, so in the decision making process this has to be kept in mind. Salamanders are highly sensitive to any toxins in their environment and saving the trees, but losing the salamanders is also not an option.

It became clear lots of money has been invested in early detection, but there is no plan or money available for treatment or prevention which seems counter intuitive to me, but than again what do I know. Although I feel the weight of responsibility to take the best possible care of this little piece of Haldimand County and all the inhabitants of the land I have the benefit to reside on I have to defer to people who have greater expertise in this area than I do and it is frustating when they too have no useful answers.

Potential help did come in a way. In conjunction with the foresters from Trees Unlimited Canada we have applied for a three year grant that will help us inventory, treat, preserve and carefully diversify the habitat in an effort to save as many of the mature hemlock as possible and with that the unique habitat they live in.

We are waiting with baited breath to learn if we get the grant. Stay tuned!