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.