MEDFORD, Ore.– A new tree-killing pest has been discovered in Christmas trees shipped to the West Coast.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture found elongate hemlock scale, a tiny insect pest, on Christmas Trees brought in from North Carolina and sold in large national retail stores.
While it was ordered that all infested trees be destroyed, Oregon Department of Forestry is putting out an alert to anyone that may have not bought a locally grown Christmas tree. The agency is asking that people not throw their trees in the woods or leave them in their yard as this could cause the pest to spread into nearby forests.
What ODF fears is if it’s not correctly disposed of, the elongate hemlock scale could become established here and be bad news for the state’s timber economy. The pest attacks not only hemlocks but several conifer species native to Oregon, such as true firs, spruce, and Douglas-fir. The scale feeds on the underside of the needles, creating a yellowish-brown waxy layer that is present year-round.
“It might not be immediately obvious to someone that there was anything on their tree,” Jim Gersbach, ODF public information officer. “Their appearance, they’re very flat and so they’re not very large and they can easily be overlooked.”
It’s asked that you inspect your tree before disposing of it and look for the yellowish-brown wax layer typical of the pest. Best case though, ODF says if you bought a tree from a national retailer, you should err on the side of caution and dispose of it by cutting it up and placing it in garbage bags for disposal in a closed container.
Email the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Forest Health Unit at [email protected] if you suspect you have found the elongate hemlock scale.
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