Hamilton has been named a “regulated area” for an invasive forest pest that attacks and kills hemlock trees.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) designated Hamilton an “infested place” for the hemlock woolly adelgid in August, the city announced in a communication update earlier this month.

The presence of the pest in the city was first discovered in 2023 on both city and Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) property in the forested areas around Churchill Park. But since then, citywide surveying by other institutions and groups like the Hamilton Naturalists Club, McMaster University and the local conservation authority detected dozens of new infestations.

The ‘regulated area’ designation means hemlock parts containing bark or foliage cannot be moved to areas outside of the city. P

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