Blog — Chattanooga Arborist

The Hemlock Wooly Adelgid has been working it’s way towards Chattanooga for quite some time. This pest infests the foliage of Hemlocks. It is a very small pest, covered in a cottony down. It attaches to the base of the needles, where it pierces the petioles and feeds on the tree’s sap. Infestation by hundreds of thousands of these pests drain the tree of energy and kill it with a few years.

Hemlock are found in our area planted in home landscapes and growing naturally on cooler moist soil like that on north slopes and in coves. Areas like Lookout Mountain and Signal Mountain with their higher elevation and deep stream cuts are home to large numbers of these trees.

Hemlocks that are not treated will likely be infested and killed in the coming years.

There are several treatment options available to tree owners. However, a trained Arborist with a Pesticide Applicators License has access to the specialized tools and materials to treat Hemlocks in the safest and most effective manner.

The Emerald Ash Borer has made it’s way to Chattanooga. A native of Asia, this metallic green, half inch long beetle has killed millions of Ash trees since it was accidentally released in Michigan in the early 1990’s. It is considered the most economically destructive forest pest in American history.

Adult beetles emerge during the spring and summer months and live for 2-3 weeks. Females lay eggs on the bark of host trees. Larvae spend the rest of the summer feeding inside the tree and spend the winter under the bark. They pupate in spring, emerge through the bark and continue the cycle. Infestation is typically fatal. By the time a significant amount of canopy dieback has occurred, making the infestation apparent to the untrained eye, most trees have lost the ability to recover. Most infested trees die completely within two years.

The only truly effective, and environmentally responsible method for the protection of Ash trees from Emerald Ash Borer is the injection, before infestation occurs, of highly concentrated professional grade pesticides directly into the tree’s trunk. These injections require specialized equipment, specific training and a Pesticide Applicator’s License and Charter.