NON-NATIVE INSECTS AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE EASTERN HEMLOCK

Non-native insects have the potential to dramatically reduce tree populations and lead to major changes in forest composition. In this senior seminar project, I have measured the abundance of two non-native insects - the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) and the elongate hemlock scale (Fiorinia externa) - in two locations in western Massachusetts, to determine how eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is being affected by their presence.