Canadian Forest Service Publications

Detection tools for an invasive adelgid. 2016. Fidgen, J.; Turgeon, J. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Frontline Technical Note 116. 4p.

Year: 2016

Issued by: Great Lakes Forestry Centre

Catalog ID: 36791

Language: English

Series: Frontline Technical Note (GLFC - Sault Ste. Marie)

Availability: PDF (download)

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Plain Language Summary

The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is an alien pest that kills eastern hemlock, an ecologically important foundation species. The detection and delineation of new infestations is increasingly important, as HWA now infests all five American states that share a border with eastern Canadian provinces. We developed two new techniques to improve detection because light infestations can be he hard to detect with visual survey methods. Wool or ball sampling is an active sampling method that targets adelgid wool and has the surveyor launch Velcro®-covered racquetballs with a sling shot into tree crowns. The other is a passive sampling technique that involves laying a sticky trap under a tree for HWA crawlers to land on. The use of these techniques could improve detection and delineation of new HWA introductions/arrivals in Canada and might prove useful for monitoring how its distribution changes over time.