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ambience: red squirrel
Hemlock trees throughout the country are being threatened by a tiny insect called the Woolly Adelgid. And it means the loss of much more than just the trees. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet. We’re listening to the sounds of Red squirrels, one of many species whose survival is tied to the Hemlock.
John Serrao is a naturalist at Skytop Resort in the Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania.
“I’ve seen entire groves of Hemlock trees destroyed by this little insect in a matter of four years. And the trees may be two hundred and fifty years old. And some of these areas have lost all their Red squirrels. Because the red squirrels are so dependent on cones for their survival that they’ve left these areas. And they also use the evergreen trees for shelter. Here in Pennsylvania, the Hemlock is our official state tree. It represents one of the most beautiful trees and it forms its own natural community. It’s not like a member of a natural community, it forms its own natural community, with its own distinctive flora and fauna that depend on the hemlock for their survival. It also plays an great role in controlling the water temperature of trout streams. And so when the Hemlock goes, many creatures go. Golden Crowned Kinglets, various other birds that nest in the Hemlocks, like Black Bernian Warblers. They depend on the hemlock trees to a great extent and when the Hemlock trees go, we’ll see these animals disappearing as well.”
A Japanese ladybug which feeds voraciously on the woolly adelgid has been released in New Jersey to help save the local population of hemlocks. If the ladybugs prove successful, they may be tried elsewhere.
Pulse of the Planet is presented by the National Science Foundation. I’m Jim Metzner.
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