Questions about hemlock wooly adelgid and controlling tree of heaven (ailanthus altissima)

Questions submitted by a forest makeover participant--via email:

1. Can you direct me to information on treating about 8 big hemlocks with their feet in the creek?


2. Also, I have one tree of heaven - on the edge of a field - I know cutting it down will spread it - I'm sure you know of a link to the correct treatment.

Answers:

1. Several websites suggest trunk injections of imidacloprid for treating hemlocks infested with hemlock wooly adelgid (Adeleges tsugae) near open water. See information from North Carolina State University (http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/trees/note119a/note119a.htm) and Save our Hemlocks (http://www.saveourhemlocks.org/controls/my_prop.shtml) and also the University of Kentucky (http://www.ca.uky.edu/ENTOMOLOGY/entfacts/ef452.asp). Rutgers University has some excellent information on the life cycle of the hemlock wooly adelgid (http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/download-free.asp?strPubID=FS751).

2. Controlling tree of heaven is most effective when combined with some type of chemical control--herbicide is either sprayed on the cut stumps (cut stump treatment) , or sprayed on the bark at the base of the tree (basal bark spray), injected into cuts made in the bark (hack and squirt treatment), or sprayed on the leaves of young plants (foliar spray). The Virginia Department of Forestry has published an excellent resource for forest landowners that provides detailed instructions on how to control tree of heaven using one of these 4 chemical options, and it also discusses other, non-chemical options, including hand pulling, cutting, digging, scarification, spot treatment with weed burners, grazing, etc. Please download this publication at http://www.dof.virginia.gov/health/resources/pub_Ailanthus-Control-and-Utilization.pdf

I have hard copies that I will make available at the next meeting.