The Ohio Appalachia Alliance is sponsoring a weekend workshop on the risks a non-native insect is posing to southeastern Ohio's hemlock trees.
The hemlock woolly adelgid, related to the aphid, was recently discovered at Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve in Jackson County.
The workshop Sunday at Mathias Grove Lodge in Rockbridge will address fears that the pests could spread and kill eastern hemlocks characteristic of the popular tourist areas of the Hocking Hills region. The trees are a natural feature of the area's sandstone-lined gorges.
The free event will feature talks by several experts and a hike to observe a potential infestation.
An earlier infestation in the Hocking State Forest, near Cantwell Cliffs in the Hocking Hills State Park, was identified and successfully treated.