Join the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) and its partners for a fascinating discussion on Adirondack forests and how they could be changed by hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), an invasive forest pest. Mark Lesser, associate professor with the Center for Earth and Environmental Science at Plattsburgh State University, will give a detailed overview of what makes Adirondack forests look and function the way they do. The talk will include foundational tree species, the roles hemlock and beech play, and what could happen if we lose those species to forest pests and pathogens. Jesse Webster, forester and resource manager at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, will present a case study on the impact hemlock woolly adelgid has had on the forests in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Hemlock woolly adelgid is an invasive insect that kills eastern hemlocks if left unaddressed. The first major infestation of this pest in the Adirondacks was discovered in the Lake George region in 2020. To wrap up the program, APIPP Manager Tammara Van Ryn will provide an overview of APIPP’s Forest Pest Hunters program, which trains volunteer citizen scientists to identify, monitor for, and report hemlock woolly adelgid and beech leaf disease, and will kick off the 2024 volunteer survey season.