Alliance for Saving Threatened Forests

American Forest Foundation Blog has article about hemlock woolly adelgid

admin — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:41:39 +0000

A silent killer is blazing a trail through the Appalachians, leaving countless dead hemlocks in its wake. The assassin is a tiny invasive insect from Japan, the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA).

It is stealthy and brutal, causing 80-90 percent mortality of eastern and Carolina hemlocks. Many fear the loss of these ecologically significant and charismatic forest species altogether.

Read the rest of the blog post…

Robert Jetton and Fred Hain Receive Funding from the US Forest Service to Conduct Research on Infestation Techniques and Variation in Adelgid Susceptibility in Hemlock

admin — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:39:29 +0000

In June of 2011, Robert Jetton (NCSU Camcore) and Fred Hain (NCSU Department of Entomology) received a $45,040 grant from the US Forest Service Southern Research Station for a new research project titled, “Evaluating Techniques for Artificially Infesting Hemlocks (Tsuga spp.) with the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae) and Assessing Variation in Adelgid Susceptibility Among Carolina Hemlock (T. caroliniana) Half-sib Families.”

The objectives of the project are to: (1) test various techniques for artificially infesting eastern and Carolina hemlock seedlings with the hemlock woolly adelgid and determine what method is most efficient at producing consistent and reliable adelgid infestations to screen hemlock genotypes for HWA resistance, and (2) determine if variation in susceptibility to hemlock woolly adelgid infestation that could be captured in hemlock resistance breeding and restoration programs exists among Carolina hemlock seed sources collected for ex situ conservation. Robert and Fred are collaborating with US Forest Service Research Entomologist Bud Mayfield who is funding the project, and new Camcore graduate student Zaidee Powers will conduct the research as part of her M.S. program in Forestry and Entomology. A poster presentation that was presented at the 2011 North American Forest Insect Work Conference, titled “Operation Adelgification: Evaluating a Rain Down Technique to Artificially Infest Seedlings with the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid”, outlining some preliminary work this project is available for viewing on the Research page of the ASTF website.

Reclaiming Hemlocks and Firs: A Symposium

admin — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:25:49 +0000

The Alliance for Saving Threatened Forests (ASTF) is hosting a one-day (9a.m.-5p.m.) symposium reporting on host resistance research to the hemlock and balsam woolly adelgids. The conference will take place October 26^th at the Haywood County Extension Center, across from the Mountain Research Station (MRS) in Waynesville, NC. The day will include an afternoon tour of ASTF activities on the MRS facility. The objectives of the conference are: 1) To bring together scientists researching adelgid resistance to discuss their most recent findings in laymen’s terms. 2) To educate the public and the media about the work of ASTF and the potential for restoring hemlocks and firs. 3) To attract potential donors for support of the ASTF mission. We invite you to attend this conference so that we can develop a stronger partnership to save our forests. The symposium is being sponsored by the Friends of the Smokies, the NC Nursery and Landscape Association, and the NC Christmas Tree Association. To register for the symposium, click here:

Reclaiming Hemlocks and Fir agenda

Can’t go to the Symposium in person? Join the webcast!

Symposium_webcast_instructions

Posters and presentation from the North American Forest Insect Work Conference

admin — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 20:39:56 +0000

The North American Forest Insect Work Conference met May 9-12 of this year. NAFIWC meets only once every five years. Below are the titles and links for one presentation and five posters from this year’s conference.

Presentation:

Developing Hemlocks Resistant to Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
K. L. F. Oten, L. N. Walker-Lane, R. M. Jetton, N. Kaur, B. Smith, J. Frampton, A. C. Cohen and F. P. Hain

Posters:

Comparing Host Plant Resistance to the Balsam Woolly Adelgid (Adelges piceae) in three fir (Abies) species
David Bednar, Fred Hain, John Frampton, Allen Cohen, Sergei Krasnyanski, and John King

Hemlock woolly adelgid host acceptance and predator efficacy on hemlocks with varying levels of resistance
Lori Nelson, Lynne Rieske‐Kinney, University of Kentucky

An issue of time: Hemlock woolly adelgid development and host plant budburst phenology –a key to resistance?
Melanie M. Sprinkle and Lynne K. Rieske Kinney, University of Kentucky

Operation Adelgification: Evaluating a Rain Down Technique to Artificially Infest Seedlings with the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
Robert M. Jetton (Camcore), Albert E. “Bud” Mayfield (USDA Forest Service), and Fred P. Hain (NC State University)

Insertion Site Selection & Feeding by the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid: Implications for Host-Plant Resistance
K.L.F. Oten, A.C. Cohen, and F.P. Hain, North Carolina State University

Got shoes you don’t wear? Bring them to the 5K

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:10:19 +0000

ASTF is partnering with Share Our Shoes, also known as “SOS”, for our upcoming 5K!

SOS is a shoe charity dedicated to helping those in desperate need of shoes. There are billions of shoes sitting in closets nationwide and there are millions in the world who have never owned a pair of shoes… doesn’t seem right, does it? We’ll have bins set up at the race so bring your gently used shoes to donate! You can also donate the shoes off of your feet after the race, dedicated to those walking barefoot without a choice. To find out more about SOS, visit www.ShareOurShoes.org

5K Bug Stomp run/walk benefiting ASTF

admin — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:52:02 +0000

When: October 16, 2011 at 2:00 pm

Where: NCSU Centennial campus

Details: All participants will receive a pint glass and both the first place male and female runners will receive two cases of beer from LoneRider!

Questions: Contact Erin Mester at ecmester@ncsu.edu

Register at FSSeries: http://fsseries.com/index.php?action=event&event_id=421

Join us at the LoneRider Event

admin — Mon, 23 May 2011 20:47:11 +0000

Please come out and join us in celebrating a major celestial event: The summer solstice and The Alliance For Saving Threatened Forests!

PLUS: Valentino’s food truck will be at our LoneRider fundraiser and are donating part of their proceeds to ASTF! Bring your appetites, their food is delicious. Thank you Valentino’s!

What: Summer solstice party benefiting ASTF

When: Wednesday June 22 6:30-9:30 pm

Where: LoneRider Brewery 8816 Gulf Court #100 Raleigh, NC 27617

Hosted by: The Alliance For Saving Threatened Forests

Details: LoneRider is graciously donating part of their proceeds to ASTF and it should be an evening filled with fun and networking to benefit a wonderful cause.

Questions? If you have any questions or would like to make a donation, please contact Erin Mester at ecmester@ncsu.edu or Fred Hain at fred_hain@ncsu.edu

Supported by NCSU Natural Resources Foundation

www.threatenedforests.com

Pint glasses for sale

admin — Tue, 03 May 2011 16:49:51 +0000

We’re selling pint glasses for $5 to support our research. All proceeds go directly towards research of the Alliance for Saving Threatened Forests.

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Resistance

admin — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:57:48 +0000

Learn more about research on hemlock woolly adelgid from a researcher in Rhode Island.

HWA Presentation from Rhode Island (PDF) (33 MB file)

Beauty and the Beast: Investigating Host Resistance of Hemlock

admin — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:06:56 +0000

This presentation illustrates some of our findings on existing host resistance to hemlock woolly adelgid in native hemlock stands and exotic hemlocks. The author, Kelly Oten, graduate research and teaching assistant, won third place for the presentation at the student competition during the Southeastern Branch Entomological Society of America meeting this year.

HWA resistance PDF for ASTF website (PDF file) (This will open the presentation in a new window, so you can read the presentation and look at the comments to see what each slide is about)

Comments for slides:

Slide 5: Since the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is wingless, it must be transported passively, on the bodies of birds and/or deer or via the wind. Therefore, the adelgid’s ability to location its habitat and host are not in its control. We are interested in the acceptance of the feeding site, in this case the base of the hemlock needle, of HWA. The next slides will detail out investigations into how the feeding site is selected by HWA.

Slide 6: We are interested in understanding host acceptance because it has implications for host plant resistance. Know the characteristics to look for in resistance trees will make for rapid identification of resistant trees in naturally occurring stands as well as screening for resistance in breeding programs.

Slide 7: Trichomes are sometimes used as defense to herbivores; these images show eastern hemlock (T. canadensis) covered in trichomes, indicating that trichomes do not deter HWA feeding.

Slide 8: We investigated the thickness of the layer HWA must penetrate to feed. This is currently inconclusive; our future plans are to inspect Chinese hemlock.

Slide 11: The next three slides show sensillae that will be looked at under higher magnification. Investigating the morphology of sensillae may give us a clue as to their function.

Slide 15: Please view the video posted below. This shows the selection of the feeding site by HWA.

HWA settling (2m 26s) (WMV file) Watch a hemlock woolly adelgid scurry around on a hemlock branch before finding an appropriate feeding site.