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Great Smoky Mountains National ParkThe park is home to a wondrous diversity of life.
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Biological Controls

Join Rangers in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as they release biocontrol beetles. The beetle, a species called Laricobius nigrinus, is a predator of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, an invasive insect from Asia that has wreaked havoc on many hemlock forests in the eastern United States.

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For more opportunities to go into the field and see science at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, visit the Dispatches from the Field main page. You can read more about the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid that's featured above in Issue 2 of Dispatches.
Visitors can often spot bears in trees at the edges of forests.  

Did You Know?
Approximately 1,500 black bears live in the park. This equals a population density of approximately two bears per square mile. Bears can be found throughout the park, but are easiest to spot in open areas such as Cades Cove and Cataloochee Valley.

Last Updated: May 12, 2009 at 08:47 EST