The hemlocks in my woodlots have been infested with hemlock wooley adelgid (HWA) for at least three years now. Lately I've noticed some of them having a rust colored bark and I wonder if this is normal and that I just didn't notice it previously? I cut one of these yesterday and the needles were heavily infested with HWA.
Can anyone comment on this?
Last year I cut a hemlock that had recently died and it broke apart/cracked in places on hitting the ground so I'm guessing that hemlock loses its structural strength quickly once it dies??? Is there any loss in structural strength if the tree has a full canopy of green needles, but is heavily infested with HWA?
Rust Colored Hemlock Bark
by Carl Albers
Dec 31, 2023
The hemlocks in my woodlots have been infested with hemlock wooley adelgid (HWA) for at least three years now. Lately I've noticed some of them having a rust colored bark and I wonder if this is normal and that I just didn't notice it previously? I cut one of these yesterday and the needles were heavily infested with HWA.
Can anyone comment on this?
Last year I cut a hemlock that had recently died and it broke apart/cracked in places on hitting the ground so I'm guessing that hemlock loses its structural strength quickly once it dies??? Is there any loss in structural strength if the tree has a full canopy of green needles, but is heavily infested with HWA?