Most people are aware of the dire plight of the eastern hemlock. The hemlock wooly adelgid has killed large swathes of hemlocks from Maine to Georgia and Alabama. Since April, 2013, the Signal Mountain Tree Board had devoted itself to teaching folks on Walden’s Ridge and beyond how to protect their trees.
The focus of the Tree Board and the Hemlock Conservation Task Force has broadened to include conserving trees in Signal Mountain park lands. Hemlocks in the 29 acre Green Gorge Park are currently being treated with an imidacloprid soil drench. To date, 54 trees 6” dbh and above have been protected.
This chemical treatment is systemic lasting from five to seven years. The trees will have to be retreated. The only long-term protection from the hemlock wooly adelgid is biological control. To this end, 1,000 predator beetles will be released in the Rainbow Lake Park this fall. These beetles feed only on hemlock wooly adelgid. This is not at all similar to the kudzu debacle.
Both chemical and biological controls are expensive when done on a large scale. To date, the cost of treating the Green Gorge trees is over $200. The cost for the 1,000 beetles for Rainbow Lake is $3,000. There are hundreds of trees in the Green Gorge Park to protect. There must be future predator beetle releases to build up a viable population. Both of these endeavors are funded by private donations. If we are to proceed, we must have more funding. Please donate to this effort by sending a check to the Town of Signal Mountain with a memo stating the donation is for the hemlock project. Please lend a hand treating the trees. Many hands make a daunting task manageable.
Contact bgwomack@epbfi.com for more information about how you can help or with your concerns. We are working with the Tennessee Division of Forestry using their methods.
Barbara G. Womack
Signal Mountain