In Search of a Better Understanding
For me, the value of the eastern brook trout is unquestionable, and I have always had a vision of the wild brook trout being as eastern as a Maryland tobacco plantation. I share this vision with a good friend of mine. Devoting much of his life to conserving their populations, Paul Bugas is an expert on wild brook trout. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Fisheries Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia tech), Bugas became a District Fisheries Biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) in 1977, and currently holds the same position. Gaining extensive knowledge during his time with VDGIF, Bugas analyzes situations within an ecosystem quickly and accurately. Understanding that all species have a connection with their surrounding environment, Bugas lays out a life-like image of the HWA dilemma, and the hemlock/brook trout relationship, fully explaining hemlock influence on stream quality and aquatic life. Currently this hemlock/brook trout relationship is threatened throughout the east.
Bugas, a small man with a strong build, appears clean and sharp in his button shirt and khakis. Bugas presents himself confidently with his head high, shoulders back, and a kind smile. Despite gray hair creeping in, Bugas always looks young and energetic, ready the tackle the day head on and make the most of it. Friendliness radiates from Bugas, causing it to standing out among other features. A comforting and welcoming atmosphere surrounds him like a warm winter coat. Many times previously I have sat in the chair next to Bugas’s desk as we deliberated various natural resource issues; Bugas sitting proudly behind his desk, feet propped up, arms folded across his body and looking me straight in the eye. My recent interview with Bugas may have been via telephone; however, a clear vision from the chair next to his desk with Bugas perched behind the mass of files shown clear in my mind.
Looking around Bugas’s office, you notice it’s surrounded with family photos, awards from various groups such as Trout Unlimited, American Fisheries Society, and the Izaak Walton League of America, and of course fish. You will also notice the size of the filing cabinet and the neatly organized bookshelves. Bugas’s desk proves another story all together. Occasionally, amongst a sea of paperwork, the desk appears as a mound of loose sheets haphazardly dumped awaiting recycling. Walking in, Bugas will jump up from his desk. “Hey buddy, how are you doing? It is good to see your face around here again!” He exclaims, tossing his reading glasses onto his desk.
After a moment of catching up, we settle down to business. On the short-term scale, there is little indication that the hemlock may be threatened. Hemlocks may carry an infestation for several years before any noticeable changes occur. I asked Bugas: Has the HWA had a noticeable effect on hemlocks on the Shenandoah Valley? The cracking echoed through the line leaving me to assume that Bugas’s smile crumbled and slammed into a dead blank gaze. The HWA has absolutely had a noticeable effect, Bugas states (2005). I cannot quantify that, but they are here and damaging hemlocks (Bugas, 2005). I agree. The HWA is well known throughout the east. In the past five years as I hiked the mountains of Virginia, turning over the small needles of each hemlock I brushed by, it seemed apparent that the small, fuzzy looking white spots infected trees twice as often as not. Also, aiding in the spreading of the infestation, the adelgid will rub off the tree onto wildlife in contact with the tree and can then be passed to another tree. Winged forms of the adelgid may also appear and fly to nearby hemlocks (Lighari & Adams, 2005).
The thought of losing our hemlocks in the east is disturbing. Tiny insects attach themselves to the needles and suck the life from a healthy, beautiful forest stand. As if struggling with a form of cancer, the hemlock fights a battle against time before inevitably dying. Specifically, I ask, when do you see a serious loss of eastern hemlocks taking place? Bugas sadly explains that this is dependent upon a couple factors; the degree of infestation and the turnover time between species (2005). The infestation degree will cause changes to happen more quickly or slowly. Within ten years a noticeable loss will be detected and the void of space left by the fallen tree will be replaced by another species (Bugas, 2005). Likewise, stands may suffer severe nutrient loss, post mortality, due to
Figure 4: Mortal HWA Infestation
Harvard University (2003)
sparse under story vegetation (Yorks, et al., 2003, p. 1526). Tulip poplar, oak, white pine and black locust all quickly emerge replacing lost hemlocks. I notice this across drainages in the Shenandoah Valley. The forest floor can look like a tapestry of colors from openings in the canopy left behind by fallen hemlocks and the new growth of various species.
Directly affecting water quality along streams, the riparian zone restrains soil as swift water rolls by. Trees withstand howling winds and driving rains protecting the watershed. Mountain streams do not normally have strong silt flow at flood stage since hemlocks provide erosion control. Clear water tumbling down a small canyon weaving between trees and rocks paints a characteristic portrait of mountain watersheds. Is erosion a problem along brook trout streams in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia? Naturally, flooding may cause some damage, but riparian areas are generally good; however, most erosion may be linked to human activity (Bugas, 2005). Due to land cover, mountain streams flow clean and soils remain intact. Emphasizing this, extreme flood disturbances can flush out fine sands and gravels damaging salmonid reproductive habitat (Roghair, et al., 2002, p. 728). Consequently this can alter reproduction all together. As Hurricane Fran pummeled the Shenandoah Valley in 1996, she made off with virtually entire populations of trout, scouring the streams beds, and leaving no trace of useful habitat.
In order to adequately handle much of the erosion control, good land cover must exist in a watershed. Bugas explains that the percentage of drainages in his region containing wild brook trout that are dominated by hemlock is around 70 percent (2005). The other 30 percent is a mix of hardwood (oak, poplar, maple, and hickory mainly), rhododendron, and mountain laurel with some white pine (Bugas, 2005). This is not uncommon throughout the Shenandoah Valley. Natural stream flow through a drainage containing adequate land cover, in terms of hemlocks, will help to create slower water along the channel creating a buildup of sands and gravels essential to brook trout reproductive habitat.
HWA has made itself at home in the Appalachians of Virginia. The effects of an infestation are left lying helpless, colorless, and lifeless across the forest floor. Branches from freshly fallen trees, still turgid with minerals and sap, slowly droop as days pass. With each fallen tree, a new bare spot on the forest floor opens up for a different species. Upon devastation of a hemlock stand, the drainage will be left open to damage from humans and the environment. Erosion and water temperature increases are a major threat to cold water species. Macroinvertebrates may begin to produce fewer offspring. Catastrophic floods can remove sand and gravel habitat necessary for trout spawning. The stream could roll sandy red with soil carrying large, damaging debris flows with the potential to squash the life out of the few trout left fighting. The substrate may possibly become a lifeless pile of silt covered rock after sediment loads settle out. Shells of once lush green, live trees will litter the forest floor and defile the canopy. Although the hemlock will surely be replaced, the ecosystem will show tremendous damage, possibly irreversible for aquatic life forms.
As Bugas and I say our goodbyes, I quickly ask for a day in the field. Having been a while since my last rendezvous with sampling equipment, I am anxious to get my hands dirty. To stand in-stream next to a debris jam and identify and the tiny macroivertebrates, and focus on habitat utilization by aquatic species appears to be the ideal way to gain more knowledge about a specific problem they may face. Bugas enthusiastically opens his calendar. The abrasive sounds of pages flipping vigorously pierce the airwaves. Agreeing to a date, I hang up and arrange time for research.