Canopy disturbance and growth dynamics of Carolina hemlock forests infested with hemlock woolly adelgid.
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| Title: | Canopy disturbance and growth dynamics of Carolina hemlock forests infested with hemlock woolly adelgid. |
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| Authors: | Wofford, C.K.1 (AUTHOR) caseykwoff@gmail.com, Forrester, J.A.1 (AUTHOR), Keyser, T.L.2 (AUTHOR), Jetton, R.M.1 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 6/12/2026, Vol. 56, p1-13. 13p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Insect pests, *Tree growth, *Ecological impact, *Forest degradation, *Nature conservation, *Trees, Conifers |
| Geographic Terms: | Appalachian Mountains, North Carolina |
| Abstract: | Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana Engelm.) is a rare conifer endemic to the southern Appalachian Mountains. Since the early to mid‐20th century, the non‐native hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA; Adelges tsugae Annand) has threatened the persistence of both Carolina and eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière) throughout the Appalachians. To assess the long‐term impacts of HWA within the context of historical growth patterns, we used dendroecological methods to reconstruct establishment dates, disturbance events, and radial growth trends for four Carolina hemlock populations in North Carolina and Tennessee. Establishment was concentrated between 1940 and 1970, after which recruitment sharply declined. Growth release analyses revealed a cyclical disturbance–recovery pattern, with major releases concentrated in the 1970s and 1990s and moderate releases distributed across decades. This cycle was disrupted following the arrival of HWA in each county. Within a decade of infestation, radial growth declined by more than 50% at some sites, and the magnitude of suppression often exceeded that observed following natural disturbance events. These persistent declines suggest long‐term physiological stress under continued pest pressure. The sustained growth suppression indicates that HWA has fundamentally altered the growth dynamics of Carolina hemlock populations. These findings underscore the urgency of conservation interventions before visible canopy decline is observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Canadian Journal of Forest Research is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | GreenFILE |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: 8gh DbLabel: GreenFILE An: 194455090 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Canopy disturbance and growth dynamics of Carolina hemlock forests infested with hemlock woolly adelgid. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wofford%2C+C%2EK%2E%22">Wofford, C.K.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> caseykwoff@gmail.com</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Forrester%2C+J%2EA%2E%22">Forrester, J.A.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Keyser%2C+T%2EL%2E%22">Keyser, T.L.</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jetton%2C+R%2EM%2E%22">Jetton, R.M.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Canadian+Journal+of+Forest+Research%22">Canadian Journal of Forest Research</searchLink>. 6/12/2026, Vol. 56, p1-13. 13p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Insect+pests%22">Insect pests</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tree+growth%22">Tree growth</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ecological+impact%22">Ecological impact</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Forest+degradation%22">Forest degradation</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Nature+conservation%22">Nature conservation</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Trees%22">Trees</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Conifers%22">Conifers</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Appalachian+Mountains%22">Appalachian Mountains</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22North+Carolina%22">North Carolina</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana Engelm.) is a rare conifer endemic to the southern Appalachian Mountains. Since the early to mid‐20th century, the non‐native hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA; Adelges tsugae Annand) has threatened the persistence of both Carolina and eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière) throughout the Appalachians. To assess the long‐term impacts of HWA within the context of historical growth patterns, we used dendroecological methods to reconstruct establishment dates, disturbance events, and radial growth trends for four Carolina hemlock populations in North Carolina and Tennessee. Establishment was concentrated between 1940 and 1970, after which recruitment sharply declined. Growth release analyses revealed a cyclical disturbance–recovery pattern, with major releases concentrated in the 1970s and 1990s and moderate releases distributed across decades. This cycle was disrupted following the arrival of HWA in each county. Within a decade of infestation, radial growth declined by more than 50% at some sites, and the magnitude of suppression often exceeded that observed following natural disturbance events. These persistent declines suggest long‐term physiological stress under continued pest pressure. The sustained growth suppression indicates that HWA has fundamentally altered the growth dynamics of Carolina hemlock populations. These findings underscore the urgency of conservation interventions before visible canopy decline is observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Canadian Journal of Forest Research is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1139/cjfr-2026-0018 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 13 StartPage: 1 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Insect pests Type: general – SubjectFull: Tree growth Type: general – SubjectFull: Ecological impact Type: general – SubjectFull: Forest degradation Type: general – SubjectFull: Nature conservation Type: general – SubjectFull: Trees Type: general – SubjectFull: Conifers Type: general – SubjectFull: Appalachian Mountains Type: general – SubjectFull: North Carolina Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Canopy disturbance and growth dynamics of Carolina hemlock forests infested with hemlock woolly adelgid. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Wofford, C.K. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Forrester, J.A. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Keyser, T.L. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Jetton, R.M. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 12 M: 06 Text: 6/12/2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00455067 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 56 Titles: – TitleFull: Canadian Journal of Forest Research Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
