Volunteer Opportunities
The New York State Hemlock Initiative represents the efforts of scientists, natural resources professionals, and New York residents united in their love for hemlock trees and dedication to hemlock conservation. Since our scope is statewide, we are supported by community scientists all over New York who help us find HWA-infested hemlock stands, assess tree health, and understand the timing of important HWA life stages.
We have four community science-driven projects!
Our community science project participants help us complete HWA surveys, assess tree health, track HWA phenology, and survey hemlock stands along shorelines. Data collected from these efforts help us understand how and where HWA is spreading in our forests, identify biocontrol release sites, and time biocontrol releases. Your contributions improve our research efforts and help us work towards our goal of landscape-scale HWA management through biological control. Find out more by checking out our programs below.
If you have any questions about NYSHI’s community science programs, please reach out to us at nyshemlockinitiative@cornell.edu.
Find Your Program
HWA Hunters provide data about HWA presence/absence, density, and overall hemlock health in a given area. Help us fill in critical survey gaps, detect emerging HWA infestations, and identify new biocontrol areas.
MyHemlock participants survey the same site two times per year, giving us data on HWA infestations and hemlock tree health over the course of a season and over the long term. Choose your site and get started today.
HWA Phenology volunteers help us track the timing of HWA’s major life stages throughout the year. We use these data to time biocontrol releases and gain a deeper understanding of HWA behavior in New York. Check out the HWA Phenology Project page to learn more.
From tracking the life cycle of HWA to identifying and gathering data about HWA density, our volunteers are an integral source of information and resources, without whom we would not be where we are today. Find a hemlock conservation volunteer program near you!