Bailey Ulmer Non-native species Biology 130 Fall 2015

Introduction

When thinking of environmental issues in todays world, many people think of the issues

that are seen in their everyday lives. Some issues thought of are pollution, deforestation, and, of

course, global warming. All three of these environmental issues are publicized throughout not

only the United States, but also the world. Though these problems in our environment are widely

known by the world population, other environmental issues are not. One environmental issue

which is affecting different countries around the world is non-native invasive species. These

species are seen as species which are nonnative to the ecosystem that it is found in (National

Park Service, 2015). Although different nonnative invasive species can be found in various

habitats around the world, there is on right in our backyard. Recently, the Appalachian Mountain

Range, more specifically the Great Smokey Mountains, has been invaded by a non-native

invasive species known as the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. The impact of this nonnative insect is

seen as an environmental issue, that is not stopped, will have large effects on the mountains and

the ecosystems within them.

Environmental Issue

In the 1950s, the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid was accidentally brought to the eastern

United States (Vose, Wear, Mayfield III, & Nelson, 2013). Though this species did not seem to

have a major impact on the environment then, over the years the insect has not only spread, but

has also begun to impact the Great Smokey Mountains, a part of the Appalachian Mountain

Range. One of the most common trees found in the Great Smokey Mountains is the Eastern

Hemlock tree (National Park Service, 2015). This type of tree, along with the Carolina Hemlock,

is targeted by this nonnative invasive species (Vose, Wear, Mayfield III, & Nelson, 2013). The

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Bailey Ulmer Non-native species Biology 130 Fall 2015

Adelgid causes a disruption in the flow of nutrients within the tree which then results in the

needles to change from a bright green color to a grayish green (National Park Service, 2015). By

causing this disruption within the body of the tree, the tree is not able to receive the nutrients

needed to live and causes the tree to eventually die. The spread of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

has been rapid over the years within the Great Smokey Mountains and the effects of it can be

seen throughout the forest. The graph to the right shows the rapid expansion of the insects

between the years 2003 and 2008 in western North Carolina, relatively close to the Great

Smokey Mountains. This place in western North Carolina is also in the Appalachian Mountain

Range. According to this graph, between the years 2003 and 2005, the percentage of plots within

western North Carolina went from 0% to 100%. The solid line on the graph shows this. The

dotted line on the graph represents the percentage of Hemlock Crown loss. Hemlock crown is

another type of tree affected by the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. It is shown that from 2003 to 2008

the percentage of Hemlock Crown loss, or death, has increased from 0% to about 87%. Although

this does graph does not show the impact of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid within the Great

Smokey Mountains or on the Eastern Hemlock tree, the graph still shows the just how fast the

insect can affect the tree population within an ecosystem.

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Bailey Ulmer Non-native species Biology 130 Fall 2015

For example, without the shade of the hemlock trees, more direct light is able to reach the

stream. This will not only cause the temperature of the stream to increase, but it will also greatly

affect the aquatic species

which occupy it. The

litterfall of the declining

hemlocks refers to the

pine needles, leaves, and

branches caused by the

decaying of the trees

(Vose, Wear, Mayfield

III, & Nelson, 2013).

This litter falls not only to the From Hemlcock woolly adelgid in the southern Appalachains: Control strategies,
ecological impacts, and potential management responses, by J.M. Vose, 2014,
forest floor but also into the Forest and Ecology Management, 291, p 214.

streams. The debris of the trees impacts the stream and the life which inhabits it. Without

successful intervention, the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is likely to kill most of the hemlock trees

in the national park, (National Park Service, 2015). If the nonnative Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

continues to inhabit the Great Smokey Mountains, including the National Park, these ecological

changes will continue to occur and ultimately change the ecosystem of the mountains. Without

the Eastern Hemlock trees, the Mountains will never be the same.

The National Park Services have been doing many things in order to prevent a major

change in the ecosystem. The park is executing tree different types of treatments: foliar

treatments, systemic treatments, and predator beetles (National Park Service, 2015). Foliar

treatments are used on hemlock trees which are easily accessible by park rangers. For this

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Bailey Ulmer Non-native species Biology 130 Fall 2015

method of treatment, the trees are treated with insecticidal soap or horticultural oils. However,

this treatment must be done every six months and only kills the insects which are on the tree at

that time. It does not prevent insects from reattaching to the tree and beginning the process over

again. Systemic treatments are the done by injecting the insecticide directly into the trunk of the

tree or by drenching the soil. This treatment has been seen to last for about five years and has

saved about 200,000 of the trees in the National Park (National Park Service, 2015). The last

treatment method which the park is implementing is the use of predator beetles. The park has

released beetles, which feed exclusively on the hemlock woolly adelgid, into the environment in

order to naturally control the infestation.

Conclusion

By implementing these different methods of treatment, it is hoped that the nonnative

species can be controlled. However, if not controlled, the impact of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

can be devastating on the Great Smokey Mountains.

As seen in the picture on the right, the effects of the

nonnative species can already be seen. Instead of

luscious, green trees in the mountains, there are only

skeletons of what used to be there. The environment

within the mountains could completely change and

cause the population of the native species to decline.

Figure 1. Picture from Clingmans Dome.
From Southeastern Outdoors Website,
Not only do the Eastern Hemlock Trees provide shelter taken by Todd Ratermann, n.d.

to animals within the forests, but they also are relied on to keep the micro-climate of the streams

steady. Without the Eastern Hemlock trees in the Great Smokey Mountains, the biodiversity of

species will also be affected and ultimately lead to unimaginable changes in the environment.

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Bailey Ulmer Non-native species Biology 130 Fall 2015

References

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Bailey Ulmer Non-native species Biology 130 Fall 2015

National Park Service. (2015, November 1). Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. Retrieved November 2,

2015, from National Park Service: Great Smokey Mountains:

http://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/hemlock-woolly-adelgid.htm

National Park Service. (2015, October 31). Nonnative Species. Retrieved November 2, 2015,

from http://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/nonnativespecies.htm

Rattermann, T. (n.d.). Balsam Wooly Adelgid. Retrieved from Southeastern Outdoors:

http://www.southeasternoutdoors.com/wildlife/insects/balsam-wooly-adelgid.html

US Forest Service. (2015, April 25). Invasive Species. Retrieved November 2, 2015, from Pacific

Northwest Research Station: http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/invasives/

Vose, J. M., Wear, D. N., Mayfield III, A. E., & Nelson, C. D. (2013). Hemlcock woolly adelgid

in the southern Appalachains: Control strategies, ecological impacts, and potential

management responses. Forest and Ecology Management, 209-219.