Eastern Hemlock - More Than A Forest Tree (Part Two)

Pennsylvania has recently received the remarkable distinction as having the largest tract of certified state forests in the United States, all 2.1 million acres of them. A scientific review process conducted by an independent environmental team preceded this certification, which was earned as a result of the overall sound stewardship practices of our state forests.

Approximately 74% of our forestlands are privately owned. This is nearly 12 million acres. The Bureau of Forestry's Stewardship Program offers assistance programs, education, and much more to help owners of private forests manage their valuable resources responsibly. Anyone who owns more than 5 acres of forests in Pennsylvania is welcome to contact their Bureau of Forestry district office for more information.

One important difference between state forests and state parks is that forests were established to provide timber for harvest. Hemlock timber logged from federal, state, local, and private forests reach the sawmills and eventually become rough construction lumber products and wood pulp.

Forest management includes plans to help regenerate and sustain our forests. The Bureau of Forestry's Penn Nursery grows nearly two million seedlings annually for replanting on public and private land. Ron Walter, Manager, Penn Nursery, says approximately 10,000 of those are "wild seedlings collected from hemlock trees in the forests."

Hemlocks in the wild as well as those planted as ornamentals are prone to a variety of pest and disease that threaten their growth, life cycle, and very existence. Concern for this evergreen's future in recent years has been focused on finding a way to control the hemlock woolly adelgid. This aphid type insect feeds primarily on hemlocks, and has damaged or destroyed ornamentals and trees within portions of our forests. Eastern and south central areas of Pennsylvania are most affected by this insect so far, and the damage is not confined to just our state. Methods to destroy the woolly adelgid on infected trees in landscapes may be achieved with insecticides, but combating this pest in an entire forest requires a different approach due to the volume of the problem. The answer may be found in another insect, the Pseudascymnuis tsugae. Adult and larvae of this beetle feed on the woolly adelgid, and funds are constantly being procured so research may continue in earnest by state and federal agencies to stop the destruction the woolly adelgid is causing on hemlock trees.

Several years ago, the United States Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Leetown Science Center conducted scientific research to find out if, and how the loss of hemlock forest may affect aquatic biodiversity. The chosen sites for research were within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area located in northeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware, where the hemlock woolly adelgid was found in 1989. Research results indicate that hemlock watersheds contained more variety of stream habitat compared with those of hardwood stands.

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