Invasive species confirmed in hemlock trees in Hamilton

The Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) and the City of Hamilton have been told to restrict the movement of hemlock material including firewood, branches andmulchin the area of Churchill Park, following the discovery of an insect that kills hemlock trees.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued aNotice of Prohibition of Movement after it confirmed the presence of hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) in hemlock trees on city and RBGproperty, located in the forested areas surrounding Churchill Park in theWestdale area.

In a news release Thursday,the city says its records indicate that hemlocks comprise a small portion of the forest inventory, with only 321 trees on streets, parks and cemeteries, making the threat of HWA low for these areas.

According to the city, the impact of HWA to hemlocks in Hamilton's publicly owned woodlots is harder to quantify because the woodlot inventory is incomplete, and the impact to privately owned woodlots is not known as the city does not have that data.

HWA can be identified by its egg sacs, which can be found at the base of needles and look like cotton or snow clumps.

The city is asking residents who have hemlock trees on their private property to inspect their own trees for the pest. If residents suspect HWA to be present on their hemlock trees or on a city tree, they are asked to call their local CFIA Office at 905-572-2201 to have an official identification completed. Residents should not attempt to remove the pest themselves.