Removal of Hemlock by Logging or Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
Arrival of the hemlock woolly adelgid to New England is generating two substantial, though contrasting impacts across the New England landscape:
- gradual mortality of hemlock due to the direct impact of the insect
- widespread harvesting of hemlock in advance of mortality
Although both processes affect thousands of acres of forest annually we have only a limited understanding of their effects on forest ecosystem function and productivity and the nature of the subsequent forest community. We anticipate that harvesting will yield different consequences than gradual mortality from the insect. Therefore we have designed an experiment to simulate the impact of both in order to contrast them. To simulate some of the effects of the adelgid (e.g., progressive mortality, retention of the wood on the site) we are girdling all hemlocks in a hemlock-dominated stand. In the adjacent area we are conducting a commercial harvesting of hemlock. Results from both experimental treatments will be compared to the changes observed in forests that are being infested by the adelgid.
Publications:
Kizlinski, M. 2002. Vegetation and ecosystem response to eastern hemlock decline and logging: direct and indirect consequences of the hemlock woolly adelgid. MFS Thesis, Harvard University
Kizlinski, M., D. A. Orwig, R. Cobb, and D. Foster. 2002. Direct and indirect ecosystem consequences of an invasive pest on forests dominated by eastern hemlock. Journal of Biogeography 29: 1489-1503