Hemlock Help Program
Who's Responsible for Our Trees?■ USDA Forest Service - Public lands in national forests, grasslands, and recreation areas ■ GA Forestry Commission - Georgia's forest resources, including forest management assistance to landowners and communities ■ GA Dept of Natural Resources - State parks, recreation areas, historic sites, wildlife management areas, and coastal regions ■ YOU -- Your private property |
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Even while we're in stay-at home mode, the Hemlock Help Line is open 7 days a week to answer your hemlock questions, and SGH Facilitators are available on an individual basis to make on-site visits, assess HWA infestations, and share advice; and in some cases they may be able to provide hands-on assistance -- with proper social distancing, of course. We are planning to resume many of our group activities this year. See the Schedule of Eventspage. |
The Bad News -- and Why You Should Care
Hemlocks all over north Georgia are being attacked and killed by the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), and the beauty and value of your property are being threatened. As shown on the most recent HWA Annual Spread Map provided by the Georgia Forestry Commission, infestations have been officially confirmed in 19 counties -- Rabun, Habersham, Stephens, Banks, Towns, White, Hall, Union, Lumpkin, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Dawson, Murray, Whitfield, Cherokee, Gordon, Walker, and Dade -- reaching as far west as Cloudland Canyon. HWA reports have also been received from other counties where hemlocks have been planted in landscapes, including the Atlanta area. Click here for a larger map.
If aggressive action is not taken soon to address this problem, the results could be devastating and perhaps irreversible.
■
loss of certain shade-loving native
plants
and the rise of invasive plants
■
loss of certain animal species that
depend
on hemlocks
for food and habitat
■
loss of the cool stream temperatures
that
trout need
■ decline in the scenic enjoyment of our mountains
■
closure of trails and recreation areas
due to the
danger
of falling trees
■ increase in soil erosion
■ degradation of water and air quality
■
decline in revenue from outdoor
enthusiasts and
tourism and the associated jobs
■ increased exposure to drought and fire risk
■ decline in the beauty and value of your property
■ expense to remove dangerous dead trees
The Good News -- Help is Here
SAVE GEORGIA'S HEMLOCKS offers the Hemlock Help Program, a statewide initiative of education and charitable service to help north Georgians save as many hemlocks as possible. It was implemented first in 2009 in Rabun County where the HWA infestation began and has been deployed across the state on a county-by-county basis wherever the HWA is a serious threat.
It is now available in all 19 counties within the native hemlock range that have confirmed HWA infestation, and we will add more counties (including the Atlanta area) as needed.
Key Program Services
Save Georgia's Hemlocks offers a wide range of
educational and service programs such as those listed here, and we schedule
programs and activities year-round. We'll be glad to schedule special
programs or projects for property owner associations, conservation/recreation
organizations, schools, churches, and other community groups. Please call
the Hemlock Help Line 706-429-8010 to let us know of your interest and needs.
■
Information and Advice:
* Hemlock Help Line
SM
706-429-8010 to provide accurate, up-to-date answers to your questions about the hemlock woolly
adelgid
crisis, treatment materials and methods, and concerns about product
effectiveness and safety. The Help Line is staffed 7 days a week and serves
the entire U. S. and Canada.
* On-site consultations with Volunteer Facilitators upon request.
■
Education:
* Free public Hemlock Help Clinics (see below), educational
materials, and publicity materials to raise
awareness of the HWA problem and solutions.
* Volunteer Facilitator training for individuals who want to learn more
about the hemlock problem and solutions and then be available to help others in
their community (see
Volunteer Facilitators page for the Volunteer Facilitator Job
Description).
* Tailored hemlock presentations for schools, scout troops, gardening groups,
environmental or recreational groups, and civic organizations.
■
Do-It-Yourself Support:
* Sources for
treatment products and
application
equipment, and
treatment
instructions
for
property owners who want to do the work themselves.
* Location of
soil injectors for
borrowing (most of which are provided by the Georgia Forestry Commission).
* Injector repair service for property owners, public land managers, and
pesticide professionals.
■ Professionals: Contact information for qualified local companies that are properly licensed and insured and specialize in saving hemlocks for property owners who prefer to contract with a professional to treat their trees.
■
Hemlock Help Project Planning: Assistance to neighborhoods and
community groups
for developing customized project
management plans to address the HWA problem efficiently,
effectively, and economically.
Please
see
Neighborhood
Hemlock Help Planning Guide.
■
New Trees:
*
Healthy hemlock saplings offered for
adoption for landscape planting on private property or reforestation on public
land.
*
Hemlock planting projects on
public lands.
■
Hemlock Treatment Projects:
* Through special agreements with the U. S. Forest Service and the Georgia
Department of Natural Resources, SGH-trained volunteers are able to treat
hemlocks on designated public lands.
* As time, funds, and volunteers are available, we will assist other
nonprofits and property owners on a charitable basis to treat their trees where
there is a need. Requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and all
information is kept confidential.
■
Outreach:
* Hemlock raising projects and other environmental stewardship projects in
partnership with schools, churches, civic groups, and other nonprofits.
* Mentoring of other nonprofits or agencies that want to implement a
hemlock help program.
About Hemlock Help Clinics
SGH Hemlock Help Clinics and presentations are free and open to the
public unless specifically noted on the
Schedule of Events page. A typical Hemlock Help Clinic lasts
1 to 1.5 hours (but can be adjusted) and includes:
■ Slide presentation on the HWA crisis, economical steps property owners can take to treat their own trees, information on qualified local professionals who do this work, and the free services available through our Hemlock Help Program
■ Hands-on demonstration of using a soil injector to treat hemlocks
■ Educational hand-out materials that you are welcome to reproduce and share freely
■ Optional add-ons for school groups: planting of hemlock seedlings in biodegradable cups for students to take home, planting of a hemlock sapling on campus, or an educational hemlock hike.
■ Plenty of time for questions and answers
When You Need Help for Your Hemlocks ...
1. Inspect your hemlocks and see if
they're infested with woolly adelgids. The adelgids themselves are almost
too tiny to see with the naked eye, but their egg sacs are easily visible,
especially in the spring and late fall/winter. They
look like little white cotton balls on the underside of the branches, as shown in this photo.
2. If you see ANY adelgids on even one of your trees or if adelgids are within 25 miles of your property, plan to treat ALL the hemlocks you want to save as soon as possible. Call the Hemlock Help Line 706-429-8010 to learn about the treatment options, services available, costs, and resources.
3. If you want to treat your own trees, the Hemlock Help Line can provide information on assessing the level of HWA infestation, determining the appropriate treatment product and method, measuring your trees, estimating the amount of chemical needed, and finding where to purchase it. Then download Introduction to Treating Hemlocks and the appropriate one-page application instruction from the Resources page.
a. Measure the trunk diameter at
breast height for all the trees you want to treat and add up for a total.
b. Based on the chart in Introduction to Treating Hemlocks, you can estimate the amount of product needed. The Contacts page lists the names of some stores where you can purchase it. We suggest that you shop and compare prices.
c. When you have the treatment product in hand, you can either make arrangements to borrow an injector from one of the sources listed on the Contacts page or choose another application method.
NOTE: When you borrow an injector, you'll be asked to leave a deposit which will be refunded when you return the injector. You should also request some brief hands-on training from the lending entity or call the Hemlock Help Line for instruction.
d. Treat your hemlocks according to the application instructions.
e. If you borrow an injector, clean it thoroughly as indicated in Introduction to Treating Hemlocks and return it.
4. If you want to contract with a professional to treat your trees, the Hemlock Help Line can point you to a list of qualified local companies along with their contact information. We suggest that you shop and compare the services and rates offered by each company. (See Contacts page.)
5. You can also call the Hemlock Help Line 706-429-8010 to request an on-site visit from a Volunteer Facilitator to help you assess the infestation on your property, discuss appropriate treatment options, and assist you to get started taking care of your hemlocks.
The Cost
The Hemlock Help Program is designed to operate as a no-cost or low-cost charitable community service. Here are the general cost guidelines for services included in the Hemlock Help Program.
Service | Cost | |
Education | Free | |
Advice via Hemlock Help Line or Volunteer Facilitators |
Free | |
Hemlock Help Project Planning | Free | |
Borrowing a soil injector -- See locations on Contacts page. |
Free with refundable deposit | |
Healthy hemlock saplings -- with ■ Saplings 1 - 2' tall in 1-gallon pots ■ Saplings 3-5' tall in pots or b&b |
$10 donation
requested. |
|
Volunteer Hemlock Help Projects | Normally, property owners purchase their own chemicals, and labor can be provided at no cost by a combination of the property owner and/or SGH volunteers and other helpers as available. However, additional charitable assistance may be available as SGH resources permit. |
For property owners who choose to treat their own trees or to contract with a professional to do the treatment, here is information that will help in estimating the cost.
Treatment | Cost | |
Treating your own hemlocks --
Property owner
|
Choice of
chemical should be based primarily on level of
infestation.
DIY cost is then based on product used and trunk diameters.
About $0.04 - $0.39 / diameter inch |
|
Hiring a professional to treat your
hemlocks -- Property owner contracts directly with the professional and negotiates the cost. See the Contacts page for a link to the list of qualified professionals ■ Lightly/moderately infested tree using Imidacloprid ■ Heavily infested or very large tree using Safari |
Charges are based on
the level of infestation, trunk diameters, and
treatment product used.
Rates are
generally
within the following
average ranges: About $0.50 - $4.00 / diameter inch About $1.60 - $9.00 / diameter inch |
More Information about the Hemlock Help Program
■ Call the Hemlock Help Line 706-429-8010.
■ Press Release -- Announcement of the initial program launch in The Clayton Tribune and The Rabun Town Crier, July 1, 2009.
■ Program Description -- Planning document including problem statement, program goal and objectives, guiding principles, scope, program services, and financial management plan.
■
Visit the Resources
page for more Save Georgia's Hemlocks materials, related articles and
publications, and a list of helpful links.