Hemlock trees in western North Carolina are an important and irreplaceable component of our forests. These trees have been suffering for over two decades from hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), an invasive insect that can kill the tree in as little as four years.

However, hemlock management is simpler and less expensive than ever before. This hands-off demonstration will be useful for landowners, natural resource managers and tree care professionals. We will use the trees on-site to practice assessing hemlock health to determine the best treatment options, and HRI staff will demonstrate the HWA chemical treatment methods used on national forest and state lands.