WE NEED YOUR HELP! Adelgids, invasive insects barely visible to the naked eye, are sweeping through our forests and killing hemlock and Fraser fir trees. Both of these trees are not only known for their scenic beauty, but also provide numerous habitats for wildlife and are valued as ornamental crops. Fraser fir is the most popular Christmas tree in North America and hemlocks prevent erosion along stream banks and are an important source of lumber. The Tiny Terrors project is a citizen-science study aimed at identifying hemlock and Fraser fir trees that have not been chemically treated and are healthy and/or infested by adelgids.
This study is citizen-scientist driven and is open to anyone who would like to contribute and make a difference in our forests. YOUR WORK MATTERS! The data you collect will allow us to create detailed maps that will help track the spread of adelgids and new areas at risk not only in North Carolina, but across the United States. It will also help scientists identify potentially resistant trees, which will aid in producing genetically resistant trees to help restore hemlock and Fraser fir forests. This project is currently scheduled to run until Spring 2013. We hope to continue this project longer, but it is dependent on funding. If you’d like to participate, click here!
About us
Erin Mester developed and heads the Tiny Terrors project, which was created for the Alliance for Saving Threatened Forests (ASTF). This project is based in the forest entomology lab at NCSU. Email us at tinyterrors2@gmail.com if you would like to learn more.
Photos of threatened, dead, and healthy hemlock and fir.
Acknowledgements
We would
like to thank many talented people who put in a lot of hard work to make this
project a reality. First and foremost, thank you to the North Carolina Museum
of Natural Sciences who agreed to feature our citizen science project in their
museum. Thanks to Jack Vogel whose amazing artistic abilities created the
adelgid life cycle animation. Thanks to Dr. Fred Hain, NCSU Professor Emeritus,
who chairs the Alliance for Saving Threatened Forests. The biological control
videos were filmed by Dr. Allen Cohen, who graciously allowed us to use them. Thank you Dan Mott for setting up the website,
we literally couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you Ernie Hain for creating the maps and Dr. Andrea Lucky, who
heads the School of Ants citizen science project, for sharing her expertise. Thanks to David Bednar who created our logo. The Golden Leaf Foundation and the US Forest Service for helping to support research on adelgid resistance and finally, thank you to the many
friends and family members who critiqued and analyzed this project to make it
the success it is. This project is funded by the Alliance for Saving Threatened
Forests.
