National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Control Project Annual Report 2012 New River Gorge National River, Gauley River National Recreation Area, and Bluestone National Scenic River Natural Resource Report NPS/NERI/NRR—2014/818 ON THE COVER A hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) forest along the Endless Wall hiking trail in New River Gorge National River. Photograph by: Layne Strickler Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Control Project Annual Report 2012 New River Gorge National River, Gauley River National Recreation Area, and Bluestone National Scenic River Natural Resource Report NPS/NERI/NRR—2014/818 Layne Strickler National Park Service 104 Main Street Glen Jean, WV 25840 June 2014 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado Month Year U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate high-priority, current natural resource management information with managerial application. The series targets a general, diverse audience, and may contain NPS policy considerations or address sensitive issues of management applicability. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. Data in this report were collected and analyzed using methods based on established, peer- reviewed protocols and were analyzed and interpreted within the guidelines of the protocols. This report received formal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collection, analysis, or reporting of the data, and whose background and expertise put them on par technically and scientifically with the authors of the information. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Government. This report is available from New River Gorge National River website http://www.nps.gov/neri/naturescience/index.htm, Gauley River National Recreation Area website http://www.nps.gov/gari/naturescience/index.htm, Bluestone National Scenic River website http://www.nps.gov/blue/naturescience/index.htm, and the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/nrpm/). To receive this report in a format optimized for screen readers, please email [email protected]. Strickler, L.K. 2014. Hemlock woolly adelgid control project annual report 2012: New River Gorge National River, Gauley River National Recreation Area, and Bluestone National Scenic River. Natural Resource Report NPS/NERI/NRR—2014/818. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 637/124874, 600/124874, 619/124874, June 2014 ii Contents Page Figures............................................................................................................................................. v Tables ............................................................................................................................................ vii Appendices ................................................................................................................................... viii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ix Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Suppression .......................................................................................... 3 Pesticide Treatments ................................................................................................................ 3 Biological Controls .................................................................................................................. 4 Laricobius nigrinus ............................................................................................................. 4 Sasajiscymnus tsugae .......................................................................................................... 5 Scymnus sinuanodulus ........................................................................................................ 5 Hemlock Treatment Monitoring ..................................................................................................... 7 Grandview ................................................................................................................................ 8 Fern Creek ............................................................................................................................... 8 Bluestone ................................................................................................................................. 8 Hemlock Ecosystem Monitoring .................................................................................................. 11 Xeric Sites .............................................................................................................................. 14 Mesic Sites ............................................................................................................................. 15 Hydric Sites ........................................................................................................................... 17 Long Term Monitoring Sites and L. nigrinus ........................................................................ 18 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................................. 21 Hemlock Treatment Form ...................................................................................................... 37 iii Contents (continued) Page Treatment Monitoring Form .................................................................................................. 38 Hemlock Ecosystem Monitoring Datasheet .......................................................................... 39 iv Figures Page Figure 1. An example of the new hemlock tagging system put into place in 2012. See table 1 for color descriptions. ................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2. Laricobius nigrinus adults feeding on HWA. Photo credit: USFS ................................ 5 Figure 3. Sasajiscymnus tsugae feeding on HWA eggs Photo credit:USFS ................................. 5 Figure 4. Scymnus sinanodulus adults. Photo credit: USFS ........................................................ 6 Figure 5. Average percentage of infestation per tree at Grandview, Fern Creek, and Bluestone study sites for treated and untreated hemlocks. ............................................................. 9 Figure 6. Average of crown vigor indices and standard deviations for Grandview, Fern Creek, and Bluestone study sites for treated and untreated trees ........................................... 9 Figure 7. Hemlock mortality by soil moisture classes. The numbers of dead hemlocks are listed by location. .................................................................................................... 12 Figure 8. Mortality of T. canadensis from 2000 to 2012 of different soil moisture classes. .......................................................................................................................................... 13 Figure 9. The number of dead T. canadensis in each study location from 2000-2012. .............. 13 Figure 10. Average HWA indices for xeric plots located at Wolf Creek, Fern Creek, Carnifex Ferry, and Meadow River. See table 5 for the breakdown of the HWA index. ............................................................................................................................................. 14 Figure 11. Average crown vigor percentages for Wolf Creek, Fern Creek, Carnifex Ferry, and Meadow River for all xeric sites. ................................................................................ 15 Figure 12. Average HWA indices for mesic plots at Grandview, Kate’s Branch, Meadow River and Carnifex Ferry. See Table 5 for the breakdown of the HWA index. ............................................................................................................................................. 16 Figure 13. Average crown vigor percentages for Grandview, Kate’s Branch, Carnifex Ferry, and Meadow River for all mesic sites. ................................................................ 16 Figure 14. Average HWA indices for hydric plots located at Wolf Creek, Fern Creek, Carnifex Ferry, and Meadow River. See Table 5 for the breakdown of the HWA index. .................................................................................................................................