SKANEATELES – When one thinks of water quality in area lakes, it would be easy to miss the connection between the trees in the watersheds surrounding the lakes and the lakes themselves.
But at least one type of tree is critical to the health of the lakes – the Eastern hemlock – which favors the steep terrain along the shorelines and tributaries that flow into the lakes. And in recent years, the hemlock trees have come under attack from the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), an invasive sap sucking insect that feeds on hemlock trees at the base of the needles. After being infested with HWA, a tree can die within four to 10 years.
Last week, the Onondaga County Soil & Water Conservation District, in conjunction with the Skaneateles Lake Association and Otisco Lake Preservation Association, announced it has been awarded a $50,000 federal grant to aid in the monitoring and treatment of hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) on Eastern hemlock trees in the watersheds of the two lakes.
“The primary reason hemlocks are central to the watershed and water quality is where and how they grow,” said SLA board member and Owasco Watershed Lake Association President Dr. Dana Hall. “Hemlocks prefer the environment along the edge of and down the sides of ravines. Hemlock roots spread out and hold the soil in place. They interlock. Loss of that erosion defense means topsoil washes down the slopes not only destroying the stream but also the water quality in the eventual lake.”
“The late and great lake ecologist and SLA board member Robert G. Werner coined it most appropriately that if we lose the hemlocks, we lose the lake,” said SLA Executive Director Frank Moses.
As part of the upcoming Lake Friendly Living Awareness Week, Hall will be giving a presentation on HWA and its threat to the Finger Lakes region at a livestreamed event on May 4 at 1 p.m. To participate in the event, visit www.flrwa.org/lake-friendly-living.
The problem with HWA came to the forefront for the lake association in 2017, when the late Bob Duckett, an SLA member and advocate for the hemlock trees at the New York State Hemlock Initiative, based at Cornell University, brought it to the attention of the SLA during a presentation at the SLA’s annual meeting.
“He really opened up our eyes to this,” said Fran Fish, membership chairperson and fundraising co-chair for the SLA.
She commended the members of the SLA from around the lake who have served as “watershed watchdogs” on this and other issues facing the lake ecology.
“We’ve gotten people sensitized to the risks and the importance of speaking up and looking and keeping their eyes open,” she said.
There are multiple ways to treat hemlock trees that are infested with HWA. Two different insecticides are available, which can be injected into the trees through drilled holes or sprayed at the base of the trees. The SLA prefers basal bark treatment because it has less risk at entering the soil and water table, although it is not recommended for trees with branches that hang over streams or lakes.
The grant will fund the treatment of approximately 1,500 hemlock trees across the watersheds over the next two years, but that will not eradicate HWA in the area.
While the Soil & Water Conservation District’s efforts are being primarily directed toward conservation areas with easy access, many of the ravines and tributaries where hemlocks are found are located on private property, concentrated toward the southern end of the lake where the shoreline is steeper.
SLA is reaching out to these private landowners with the hopes of quantifying the number of hemlocks that need treatment and putting property owners in touch with certified professionals to administer the insecticide. Property owners who believe that hemlocks on their property may be infested with HWA are asked to contact the SLA at https://skaneateleslake.org/HWA/.
