Hello Lake Reynovia—
We have been discussing the hemlocks for the past two months in our board meetings, so you may have seen notes in the minutes. However, we apologize for the short notice of the actual spraying–the timing of this came up quickly due to our own learning curve and surprising weather patterns. We will be spraying our neighborhood Eastern hemlocks tomorrow (Wednesday, 2/21)!
Why is this happening?
The Eastern hemlock is a significant species of tree, currently in danger of disappearing. The largest threat to this tree is the woolly adelgid, an invasive insect. We in Lake Reynovia are fortunate to have quite a few of these trees, and yes, the wooly adelgid has found them. Many of the trees are still surprisingly healthy, but they need defending, while others need intervention from attacks already in progress. In seeking to preserve our Eastern hemlocks, we have consulted with environmentalists and ultimately contracted with Bartlett Tree Services for treatment.
What will the treatment look like?
Bartlett will be bringing a truck into the neighborhood and pulling a spray hose into the treed areas to spray. They’re using horticultural oil—a mineral oil product similar to Vaseline or baby oil—mixed at a 2% rate, which allows the natural environment to process and break it down fairly rapidly after applied. It works by suffocating the woolly adelgid, but it is nontoxic to people and pets.
What do you need to do?
Just be aware that this is happening and give the arborists space during the spraying. The oil should dry within an hour of spraying; at that point, it will no longer be dripping from the trees and should be perfectly safe to enter. And again, the oil is nontoxic to people and pets. It may make surfaces slippery for that hour after spraying, but contact is not harmful.
Anything else you should know?
Yes—we have seen branches down in the wooded areas from someone cutting the hemlocks, likely to attempt to build a trail. The hemlocks are at high risk and should NOT be cut. Please do not cut any trees without contacting the board. In addition, trail-building is also not permitted without board permission, as trails need to be planned with user safety and hillside erosion concerns in mind. If you or someone you know is working on trails/tree trimming in our shared green spaces, please stop at once, and contact the board if you’d like to discuss the issue further: board@lakereynovia.org.
Thank you for your support of our beautiful neighborhood!
Lake Reynovia HOA