New Harvard Forest Publication: Canopy Impacts Of The Hemlock Wooly Adelgid

Recent Bullard Fellow Bernhard Stadler, from the University of Bayreuth in Germany along with collaborators including Harvard Forest Ecologist David Orwig, examined the impacts of the introduced insect, the hemlock woolly adelgid on spatial and temporal canopy processes in New England hemlock forests. Results suggest that adelgid-induced changes in tree physiology, forest microbiology, and stand-level nutrient cycling occurred well in advance of either heavy infestation by the pest or the appearance of severe tree damage. Observed changes in canopy biomass and distribution, throughfall chemistry, and abundance of epiphytic microorganisms may initiate profound changes in ecosystem function and may have an important effect on the subsequent structure and composition of the succeeding forest.

Stadler, B., T. MÜller, D. Orwig, and R. Cobb. 2005. Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in New England Forests: Canopy Impacts Transforming Ecosystem Processes and Landscapes. Ecosystems 8: 233–247.