Hemlock woolly adelgid workshop in Gloversville

ADIRONDACKS — In response to the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid having been found inside the Adirondack Park, the Adirondack Mountain Club will host a workshop Saturday in Gloversville to teach people who spend time outdoors how to spot the species.

The woolly adelgid can kill untreated hemlock trees within a few years of infestation. The species was found earlier this summer on Prospect Mountain in Lake George — the first time it has been detected inside the Adirondack Park.

The free workshop will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at th Paul Nigra center for Creative Arts, 2736 Route 30.

Adirondack Mountain Club Executive Director Neil Woodworth said it’s important for people who spend time outdoors to know how to spot the woolly adelgid because hemlocks are such a prominent tree species in the Adirondacks, especially in the southern part of the park.

“In the Adirondacks, about one tree in six is a hemlock,” Woodworth said. “Particularly in the southeast part of the park, in Saratoga and Fulton counties, they are particulary dominant.”

Since hemlocks are often found along streams, Woodworth said the death of the trees can lead to soil erosion and exposure of those streams to sunlight, which could warm them to the point where they can’t support native trout populations.

At the workshop, Mark Whitmore of Cornell University will explain how to identify the hemlock woolly adelgid and what the state and others are doing to fight the species. Representatives of the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation will also speak.

“ADK is committed to an all-out battle to keep our Adirondack hemlocks healthy by training people who love and use the Adirondacks to help us detect the HWA at an early stage, where bio-controls can tip the battle in our favor,” Woodworth said.

The arrival of the hemlock woolly adelgid is coming at the same time another invasive species — the emerald ash borer — has been found for the first time in the northern Adirondacks, in Franklin County.

The Saturday workshop is limited to 30 participants. Those who want to attend are asked to RSVP to adk.org/protect.