Growth and Infestation by Hemlock Woolly Adelgid of Two Exotic Hemlock Species in a New England Forest

The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA, Adelges tsugae Annand) an invasive exotic insect, may extirpate eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière) trees from native forests, but other hemlock species could be planted to occupy their ecological niche. This study tests two of the most likely replacement species candidates: western hemlock (T. heterophylla (Raf.) Sargent) and Chinese hemlock (T. chinensis (Franchet) Pritzel). Low survival rates, slow growth, and infestation by HWA of western hemlock in eastern hemlock forests shows that the western hemlock is not a likely candidate for planting in the northern portion of eastern hemlock’s range. In contrast, Chinese hemlock grew at rates similar to eastern hemlock and did not show any signs of HWA infestation. In this study, damage from deer was a much bigger problem than growth reductions from HWA.