Protecting Seneca Lake’s Hemlocks

Thanks to a generous grant of over $50,000 from the Rose Family Foundation, we’re launching a critical initiative to protect Seneca Lake’s eastern hemlock trees from the invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA). These iconic trees play a vital role in safeguarding water quality, preventing erosion, and supporting wildlife habitats. Losing them would be devastating for the health of our watershed.

What We’re Doing

Our initiative is focused on identifying, prioritizing, and planning for treatment. We’ve partnered with Forest and Water Solutions and expert Zeb Strickland to lead this critical phase.

So far, our volunteer Hemlock Hunters have been surveying properties and collecting data on hemlock health. Some trees are already too far gone to save, but we’re working to identify those still worth protecting—especially high-priority trees that stabilize steep ravines and help keep our streams cold. These efforts are building the foundation for future treatment.

The Threat

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) is a small insect that feeds on hemlock sap and kills trees within a few years. While public lands (like Watkins Glen State Park) have begun treatment programs, most of the watershed’s hemlocks are on private property and remain untreated.

Do You Have Hemlocks on Your Property?

If you’re a homeowner with hemlocks on your land, we’d love to hear from you. You may want to consider moving forward with treatment this fall—especially if your trees aren’t identified as high-priority or if we haven’t yet secured the next round of funding. There are more hemlocks in the watershed than we’ll be able to treat in this first phase, so prioritization is essential.

Have questions or want to get involved?

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