There are restrictions in place across Digby, Queens, Shelburne, Yarmouth and Annapolis counties on the movement of Hemlock wood products.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) put the measures in place in December after first spotting Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in Nova Scotia this summer.
The pest is an aphid-like insect which feasts on hemlock sap eventually killing the trees.
“It’s a very small pest like an aphid, it actually feeds on the sap of the hemlock trees and as a result of that it causes the needles the needles to die back and eventually causes the trees to die,” says John Ross, director of forest protection with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The insects likely came from the Eastern United States.
The adelgid could also cause problems with old growth forests, where hemlocks are often found.
DNR and CFIA, along with various partners are investigating the extent of the infestation.
Ross says there aren’t a lot of solutions when it comes to the insect.
“There are no pesticides that can be used for this, what we’re trying to do right now is figure out the best way to manage it,” says Ross. “There really isn’t a perfect answer to that, we just don’t have anything that’s effective at this point in time.”
Foresters looking to sell Hemlock and some ornamental spruce varieties will need a movement certificate from the CFIA first.
