The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) is set to host a series of informational and training sessions for the terrestrial invasive pest, the hemlock woolly adelgid. The sessions are free and open to the public.

There are two opportunities to hear from LGLC staff and Charlotte Malmborg of the NYS Hemlock Initiative to learn about the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), including its threat to our forests and water, current research, and what residents can do to help.

The 1-1/2-hour sessions will take place on Friday, October 19 at 6 pm, at the Darrin Fresh Water Institute in Bolton Landing, and again on Saturday, October 20 at 10 am at the Queensbury Activity Center in Queensbury. On Saturday, November 3, from 10 am to noon, LGLC staff will provide a training for those interested in becoming more active in the LGLC’s efforts to monitor the watershed’s hemlock forests.

Late fall through winter is the ideal time of year to observe HWA infestations because of their small cotton-ball-like masses at the base of hemlock needles. This training will prepare attendees to become Volunteer Monitors, armed with the knowledge of how to identify Eastern hemlocks and HWA, and how to report any sightings on iMapInvasives, an online database for New York State.

The hemlock woolly adelgid is a terrestrial invasive insect native to East Asia that attacks hemlock trees and has been killing large swaths of hemlock forest from the Great Smokey Mountains to the Catskills since first discovered in the 1980s. The pest spreads primarily by hitch-hiking on birds and other animals, and has been making its way north to the Adirondacks; in 2017, a very small population was found on Prospect Mountain in Lake George.

Eastern hemlock is one of the most abundant trees in New York and a major component of the forests in the Lake George watershed. It is an iconic part of the area, visible in nearly every corner of the watershed. Hemlocks stabilize streambanks and shorelines (which protects the water quality of the streams that flow into the lake) and provide major economic value to the local timber industry.

As one of the largest landowners within the Lake George watershed, the LGLC actively working on the HWA threat. In addition to training Volunteer Monitors, the LGLC is working surveying its own lands and working with partners in the areas of research and development of infestation management.

For more information, click here or call (518) 644-9673.