Catching Up--Treating Our Hemlocks 2.26.2025
- Martha Dobson
- Feb 26
- 2 min read
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Fish Shack Hemlocks Invaded by Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (uh-DEL-jid)
Hemlock trees surround Fish Shack, a favorite place for Chinquapin folks to enjoy. Earlier in February, hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) was found on the trees. This invasive species, untreated, kills hemlocks. HWA has been found on hemlocks in owners’ yards in the Firesong area and on hemlocks at the pond on New Settlers Way, opposite the Natures Walk cut-through road. If HWA is there, it’s likely in a lot of other Chinquapin hemlocks, too.
Let's take action to save our hemlocks! Mark is aware and supportive of this effort.
The Hemlock Restoration Initiative in Asheville has various education sessions to provide background information on hemlocks and HWA. It is possible they may present one type of session which provides materials and hands-on treatment experience, led by HRI staff. To be in the window of the most effective time to treat, the workshop is in early May.
Join us in preserving our hemlocks! Thursday, May 8, at the Outpost. More details coming to you later in March. Put May 8 on your calendars.
How the Hemlocks Get Killed
The hemlock woolly adelgid kills trees slowly, affixing itself to the base of the hemlock needle where it feeds on the tree’s starch reserves. HWA feeding interferes with the tree’s ability to take up water and nutrients, producing a drought like response that some researchers have likened to an allergic reaction. As a result, the hemlock’s needles take on a grey and dusty appearance and begin to drop. Increasingly unable to photosynthesize as it loses its needles, the tree slowly dies from the bottom up. Trees can succumb to the pest in as little as four years, but in some cases this takes much longer. Sadly, the largest trees, which require the movement of more water and nutrients to their crowns, appear to be the most vulnerable.
Standing dead hemlocks, often referred to as “grey ghosts” because of the grey appearance characteristic of HWA damage. Henderson County, NC Source: https://savehemlocksnc.org/hemlocks-hwa/hemlock-woolly-adelgid/
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