Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA)

A new series of Harvard Forest videos features HF global change studies ranging from butterfly population dynamics to public health. The videos were designed for students, the media, and other public audiences, and were produced by Roberto Mighty of Celestial Media with support from the Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research Program.

Watch: Read more > about Video Series Features Global Change Research

As part of a hands-on course in global change research, six science journalists from the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) Logan Science Journalism Program spent 3 days at the Harvard Forest in May, working alongside scientists to count Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, measure tree seedlings in herbivore exclosures, quantify carbon dioxide fluxes from a soil warming experiment, and core down to ice-aged sediments in the Black Gum Swamp. Read more > about Journalists Dig into Ecology at the Harvard Forest

A recent paper by David Orwig, Jonathan Thompson, David Foster, and several former Summer Research Program students discusses the factors influencing the spread of the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) in central New England hemlock forests.  Read more > about New Publication: Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Distribution and Impact in Central MA

New results by Forest Ecologist Dave Orwig and others show that hemlock stands invaded by the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) experience dramatic reductions in regeneration of new hemlock seedlings, making the insect's destruction difficult to reverse. In extensive surveys of 141 hemlock stands in southern New England, hemlock seedling density declined 71% between 2007 and 2009, while HWA infestation continued to increase (91% of the study areas were infested by 2009). Read more > about New Harvard Forest Publication: Presence of HWA reduces hemlock regeneration