Abstract
The loss of Eastern Hemlock trees due to an invasive non-native insect called hemlock woolly adelgid may have the potential to impact the aquatic ecosystems in the north east. The object of this study is to compare the physical and chemical characteristics of hemlock and hardwood streams: including water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, nitrates, phosphates, and turbidity. From the late spring of 2020 to the late summer of 2020 physical and chemical changes were documented from Bishop Brook, located in the town of Kingsbury, New York. Three separate sites containing hardwood, hemlock, and no trees were sampled. The samples were tested for different characteristics such as water temperature, pH, nitrates, phosphates, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity. There were minimal differences between the stream types and their characteristics. Although based on the statistical analysis from dissolved oxygen and temperature it was statistically significant that the effects from the tree type did not come into effect until further downstream. While the pH and turbidity had continual decreases from hardwood to hemlock to no trees. The statistical difference between the stream characteristics was minimal making the study inconclusive.