Bryophytes in old-growth forests of western Massachusetts . Cooper-Ellis was unable to show statistically significant preferences due to the relatively small number of study plots and the infrequency of the species occurrences. However, bryophyte species richness was significantly greater on substrate and tree bases in the old. Most of the species that apparently favor old growth are epiphytes. Conservation Issues Mackay, Katurah.
Giant hemlocks face preditor .
The ancient hemlocks in Great Smoky National Park are faced by the threat of invasion by an alien insect from Asia called the hemlock wooly adelgid. This insect feeds exclusively on the vital fluids of hemlocks, thus causing them to die prematurely. Biologists are currently testing a tiny beetle for its effectiveness in warding off the adelgids before they enter the 521,000-acre national park. The beetle, a Japanese member of the ladybug family, has been tested at five sites in Vermont and Connecticut and has been shown to kill 45-90 percent of the adelgids in the year of release. Two more years of study are needed to determine whether the beetle will kill adelgids year after year and whether the beetles own effects on the native biota will be relatively benign.