Whitworth Pierce Grant Funding to Replace HWA-Infected Trees and More

A grant has been awarded to the Emerald Necklace Conservancy by the Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust to support a new tree initiative that will include identifying and replacing diseased and dying trees in the Emerald Necklace and other projects focused on park trees.

In 2005, hemlock trees in the Long Crouch Woods of Franklin Park were identified as severely diseased by an infestation of Hemlock woolly adelgid. This pest is a tiny insect that feeds on the fluid from hemlock trees. The Hemlock woolly adelgid, commonly known as HWA, is recognized by its white, cotton-looking egg sacs that cling underneath hemlock branches and the gray-green discoloration of the hemlock which, when healthy, should be dark green. Native to East Asia, HWA was accidentally introduced to North America in the 1920’s and has since wreaked havoc on the eastern US, widely destroying hemlock trees from Georgia to Massachusetts.

[Click here to read more about invasive species in the Emerald Necklace here.]

Twenty-one infected Canadian Hemlocks were removed from the Long Crouch Woods early last month. Native species such as Red Oak, Pignut Hickory, White Pine, Chestnut or Bur Oak will be planted in the area this spring. These trees are both native to the terrain as well as complementary to Olmsted’s plan.

This grant will also aid in the removal of invasive plants materials, tree inventory, assessment of tree health, and pruning in several Emerald Necklace parks, particularly Hawthorne Hill in Olmsted Park and Long Crouch Woods in Franklin Park. It will support the continuation of community workshops on the Asian Longhorn Beetle, allowing the program to work with public and private partnerships and encourage vigilance. Other programs, such as the Urban Woodlands Management Program and the DCR Parkway Pruning Program, will also receive funding in this initiative to care for the health and well-being of our parks’ trees.