HOUGHTON — The excitement of snow and the holidays is upon us. Enjoy the holidays while protecting our beloved forests from balsam woolly adelgid (BWA; Adelges piceae). The BWA is an invasive insect that was discovered in Missaukee and Clare Counties, MI, in the northern lower peninsula in 2023 and 2024, and several other counties in southern Michigan before that. The insects can be spread via holiday decor such as Christmas trees and wreaths bought from nonlocal sources. Easy prevention steps now can have significant impacts on the well-being of next year’s Christmas tree harvests and forest ecosystems.

Why is this important?

As sap-feeding insects, BWAs weaken trees, cause twig gout (swelling/abnormal growths), kill branches, and eventually the whole tree. The trees targeted by these i

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