Wes Bunch
wbunch@timesnews.net
The Virginia Department of Forestry says tiny insects capable of killing trees are responsible for the widespread decline in eastern hemlocks that is being observed in the southwestern region of the state.
VDOF officials said property owners in Southwest Virginia are becoming increasingly aware of problems impacting hemlock trees in areas like Scott, Lee and Wise counties due to the presence of the hemlock woolly adelgid, an insect which produces a saliva that is toxic to eastern hemlocks in North America.