Hemlock Help
Clinic Schedule

Next
Quarterly Meeting:
April (date tbd)

Hemlocks Need Your Help!

North Georgia’s hemlocks are in danger of almost total extinction due to a rapidly spreading infestation of the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), an invasive insect from Asia with no local natural predator.  Hemlock stands are of vital importance to wildlife, water and air quality, local economy, and basic quality of life, and their loss would create problems of enormous scope and dire consequences.

Private property owners have the option to save as many hemlocks as they desire, but organized efforts to raise awareness, promote action, and provide assistance have been extremely limited in most north Georgia counties.  SAVE GEORGIA'S HEMLOCKS has implemented Hemlock Help for Homeowners -- a statewide program of education and charitable service -- to address this urgent need in all the counties where hemlocks are threatened.

To learn more, please attend one of our free public Hemlock Help Clinics.

Our Mission

SAVE GEORGIA'S HEMLOCKS is a 100% volunteer, nonprofit organization of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experience who are dedicated to a common goal: helping north Georgians save as many of their hemlocks as possible for the lowest cost.  To achieve this, the Hemlock Help for Homeowners program is designed to do three things:
 

n   Educate -- Enhance public awareness of the hemlock woolly adelgid problem and the available controls.

n   Enable -- Ensure easy access to information, advice, low-cost solutions, and direct assistance for homeowners without significantly increasing the customer service load on local public agencies.

n   Encourage -- Establish a clear understanding of the aesthetic, economic, and environmental reasons for homeowners to take timely and effective action to save their hemlocks.

To learn about the features of the program, how to use the services, and how to participate as an individual or group, please visit on the Hemlock Help page.

The Stakes

Aesthetically, these beautiful trees contribute greatly to the enjoyment of those who live, work, and play among them, as well as the many people who come to north Georgia for tourism and recreation.  What would your special place in the mountains look like without hemlocks?

Environmentally, hemlocks play a key role in providing food and habitat for about 120 species of vertebrates and over 90 species of birds, shade for native plants, cool temperatures for trout streams, and protection for watersheds and water quality.  How many environmental "dominoes" might fall if the hemlocks fall?

Economically, healthy mature trees such as hemlocks can add as much as 7-10% to homeowners' property values, provide the net cooling effect of 10 room-sized air conditioners running 20 hours a day, perform as much as $4,000 dollars worth of water purification per mature tree along our waterways, and save billions of dollars a year by filtering CO2 and other pollutants from the air as they produce oxygen for us to breathe.  Can we afford to lose these valuable trees?

Some of Georgia's hemlocks have already died due to the woolly adelgid, and the majority of them are infested.  Their decline here in the South is progressing more rapidly than many scientists originally predicted, with infested trees dying in as few as 2-4 years!  2010 and 2011 may be the "tipping point" years in which aggressive action can still make a difference.

You Can Help

Your participation and support are welcome!  If you'd be interested in helping to implement or participating in the Hemlock Help for Homeowners program in your county, please contact us.  Here are some ways you can help.

Take care of your own hemlocks.  Be alert for the first signs of the woolly adelgid.   If even one of the hemlocks on your property is infested or if a neighbor's trees are infested, go ahead and plan to take care of all your hemlocks that you want to save -- immediately and all at one time.  Visit the HWA Controls page to learn about your options or call the Hemlock Help Line for advice and take action early. 

Help your neighbors.  Share what you know about the problem and solutions with your friends and neighbors.  Work together to suppress the woolly adelgid in the widest possible area.

Spread the word.  Be an ambassador the for hemlocks using e-mail lists, newsletters, web sites, and word of mouth to share the message with neighborhood associations, conservation and recreation organizations, schools, churches, and other community groups.  You are welcome to reproduce any of the materials on this web site and share them freely.  Also invite your friends to visit us on Facebook and join the hemlock cause at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/401545?m=a82dc0a8.

Sponsor a Hemlock Help Clinic.  Help us identify groups that would be interested in having a Hemlock Help Clinic and provide contact information so we can offer to make the necessary arrangements.  For anyone interested in sponsoring a Clinic (which just means helping us publicize it and maybe providing light refreshments), we'll be happy to give your organization public recognition.

Become a volunteer.  We would like to identify several individuals in each county who would be willing to take a short training course to learn more about the HWA problem and solutions and then be available to help their neighbors understand the issues and take appropriate actions.  To see what's involved, you can review the Facilitator Job Description.  And if you would be interested in joining this effort or helping in any other way, please call the Hemlock Help Line 706-429-8010. 

Become a professional.  Consider getting trained and licensed to treat trees professionally.  There is a critical need for more licensed professionals willing to specialize in saving hemlocks.  In these difficult economic times, this could be a good and timely choice.  To learn more, click on Becoming a Professional.

Support SGH's efforts.  Please share your financial support.  We don't engage in any extraordinary fund-raising activities and depend entirely on the generosity of individuals' and groups' donations.  We promise to use the resources you provide carefully and completely within our stated mission.  Contributions may be sent to the contact address below.  You'll receive a thank-you letter that can be used for tax purposes along with the offer of a free baby hemlock.

Contact Information

© Save Georgia's Hemlocks 2009, 2010.  Hemlock Help Line: 706-429-8010.
Send comments or questions to donna@savegeorgiashemlocks.org.  Last updated 02/07/2010.