“DEC and Partners Announce Effort to Prevent Spread of Hemlock Wooly Adelgid,” DEC

“DEC and Partners Announce Effort to Prevent Spread of Hemlock Wooly Adelgid,” DEC

“DEC and Partners Announce Effort to Prevent Spread of Hemlock Wooly Adelgid,” DEC

September 10, 2020
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced that DEC and partners, including Cornell University's NYS Hemlock Initiative, the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, and Lake George Land Conservancy, and The Fund for Lake George are developing a treatment plan to control and prevent the spread of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) on Forest Preserve lands in the towns of Dresden and Fort Ann, Washington County. DEC confirmed the HWA infestation in August. The affected hemlock trees were located in the Glen Island Campground on the shore of Lake George. This is the second known infestation of HWA in the Adirondacks.

The most effective treatment for HWA control is the use of insecticides. The treatment includes a basal bark application of the pesticides, involving spraying the pesticides at the base of the tree. Consistent with best management practices, treatments will consist of applications of dinotefuran, a fast-acting insecticide that will quickly knock back HWA populations, and imidacloprid to provide long-lasting protection to hemlock trees in the area and prevent the spread of HWA to un-infested trees. DEC and partners are planning treatments to start this fall before HWA has the opportunity to spread next spring. In addition, DEC and Cornell are evaluating the use of biological controls to supplement these treatments.
Link to press release