HEMLOCK RESTORATION INITIATIVE NEWSLETTER WINTER 2018—ISSUE 2

2018 was filled with volunteers, hikes, chemical treatment, educational presentations, and exciting beetle discoveries. We are grateful for the continued support of the NCDA&CS and USDA-FS Forest Health Protection. Thanks to allocations from the State of , HRI has been granted funding through 2020 to continue the im- portant work of restoring our native hemlock forests across the state. We hope you enjoy reading about what we were up to this past year.

Chemical treatment season off to a strong start IN THIS ISSUE

The HRI team began our palachians. We were able to increase Chemical treatment update 1 chemical treatment season this fall the number of these massive, majestic with a fun trip on the river. We returned trees receiving chemical protection, New faces at HRI 2 to in Ashe some of which are as large as five feet County to treat more of the park’s in diameter. Providing chemical treat- HWA treatment workshops 2 hemlocks. Eastern hemlocks in ripar- ment in this old-growth stand as part of Biocontrol update ian areas are crucial to the health of an integrated pest management strat- 2 the New River, a federally designated egy will help the hefty hemlocks’ per- HWA managers’ meeting 3 Wild and Scenic River. To access sist over the next several years, and some of these riverside hemlocks, we we were glad to be a part of it. Pisgah educational kiosk 3 canoed across the waterway on a In our treatment season this beautiful, sunny morning in October. fall, we have treated a total of 3,001 PHHAT team receives grant 3 Thanks to the support provided by trees with a cumulative diameter of Headwaters State Forest park staff, it was a great trip with many 27,473 inches. The average diameter 4 hemlocks treated! Other state parks to of the trees receive HRI treatment support this fall we treated include Stone Mountain, Hanging Rock was 9.2”. and Gorges. Here’s to HRI also had the opportunity to protecting help out an old-growth eastern hem- even more lock stand owned and managed by the hemlocks in Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust, one of the new the few remaining in the Southern Ap- year!

HRI staff demonstrates chemical treatment mixing protocol for park staff at .

Contact Us Hemlock Restoration Initiative Website: SaveHemlocksNC.org WNC Communities Facebook: Save The Hemlocks The HRI team and park staff on the river at New River State 594 Brevard Road Instagram: Park. Asheville, NC 28806 @hemlock_restoration_initiative (828) 252-4783 New faces at the Hemlock Restoration Initiative The Hemlock Restoration Ini- moved down to Asheville, tiative has welcomed some new where he worked for the Ameri- faces to our team in the past few can Conservation Experience months! Say hello to our new For- and the National Park Service, estry Technician, Alexis de Seze, doing everything from trail con- and our new AmeriCorps Steward- struction to herbicide projects. ship and Volunteer Engagement As- Hanusia Higgins was sociate, Hanusia Higgins. Also, con- born and raised in central gratulations to our previous Ameri- Pennsylvania, where the east- Corps Member, Thom Green, for ern hemlock is the state tree. The HRI team. From left: Thom, Alexis, Hanusia, Margot. Not pictured: Sara deFosset, Outreach As- transitioning into his new role as She recently graduated from sociate Lead Technician with HRI. Washington University in St. Alexis de Seze is originally Louis with a bachelor’s degree in through AmeriCorps Project Con- from New Jersey but moved to Mont- biology, ecology and evolution and a serve. In this role, she is looking for- real, Canada, to complete a bache- minor in environmental studies. Ha- ward to working hands-on to con- lor's degree in human environment nusia is especially interested in inva- serve the hemlocks of western North and a minor in sustainability studies. sive species management, so she’s Carolina and getting to know the lo- After completing his degree, Alexis thrilled to be serving with HRI cal community.

HRI offers hemlock treatment training workshops HRI has ramped up the fre- workshop is the hands-on segment, quency of our hemlock treatment where everyone gets a chance to training workshops, educating land- practice treating hemlocks them- owners and conservation practitio- selves and walk through the process ners alike on the methods available step-by-step. to chemically treat their HWA- This year, we held work- afflicted hemlocks. These trainings shops in coordination with the Blue are neither comprehensive pesticide Ridge Conservancy in Boone, the application classes nor general hem- Southern Appalachian Highlands lock information sessions, but be- Conservancy in the Roan Mountain cause of the narrow focus, we are area, and Camp High Rocks and the able to provide in-depth details Allison-Deaver House in Brevard. about HWA treatment. Each work- Both workshops in Brevard were put shop covers topics such as safety on in partnership with the Transylva- considerations, the variety of treat- nia County Cooperative Extension ment methods available, and the Service. As we plan for more work- nitty-gritty details of when, where, shops in 2019, please let us know of Workshop participants prepare to treat a and how to apply insecticides. Most any group or venue that would bene- hemlock as hands-on practice. participants’ favorite part of the fit from a similar training.

Beetle bulletin: Biocontrol update With HRI and other outside bius are also being recovered far support, the NCDA&CS Beneficial away from release sites, showing Insect Lab in Cary, NC, is starting to that these hungry helpers are sur- rear Laricobius beetles, a promising viving, reproducing, and dispersing HWA predator. We are excited to see successfully on their own. the results of this first year of produc- Studies underway at Virginia tion. Tech, Western Carolina University, Locally, the HRI team has and elsewhere are measuring the been monitoring beetle populations level of predation and resulting im- around . Lari- pacts on tree health and HWA cobius beetles are now being regu- populations, and investigating Alexis uses a “beat sheet” to search for Lari- larly recovered in the areas where predator release and recovery cobius beetles on a hemlock. they were formerly released. Larico- methodologies. News from the HWA managers’ meeting For the past four summers, “target-tree release” study with federal, state, and private hemlock the objective of developing a managers from across the range of specific silvicultural prescrip- eastern hemlock have gathered to- tion for increasing sunlight on gether for three days to discuss is- mid- and understory hemlocks sues relevant to everyone address- exposed to HWA. While hem- ing this particular forest health crisis. locks can survive in as little as Topics include state reports; ad- 5% sunlight, it is now under- vances, challenges and current re- stood that multiple benefits search in the areas of chemical, bio- might be obtained when in- logical and silvicultural control of fested hemlock is released HWA; methodologies and best man- from shade, which could re- agement practices; unique partner- duce the tree’s vulnerability to ships and projects. It’s a wonderful HWA. The meeting included a time to learn from one another and field trip to a study plot, where troubleshoot common problems. early observations look prom- Therefore, HRI always attends with ising. Additional study plots the aim of bringing new information have been installed in multiple home to improve our local program. sites in North Carolina. We do This year’s meeting in Mary- not advise releasing or thin- land featured the new work of two ning hemlock stands until the researchers based here in North study has been completed and Carolina. Dr. Robert Jetton (NCSU an effective prescription has Bryan Mudder and Dr. Bud Mayfield (USDA-FS, SRS) Camcore) and Dr. Bud Mayfield been established. Please stay show HWA managers a "tree-release" study plot. (USDA FS-SRS) are implementing a tuned for updates...

HRI contributes to Trout Unlimited educational kiosk in

Trout Unlimited, a nonprofit Wildlife Education and Bobby N. Set- are in the dedicated to conserving freshwater zer State Fish Hatchery in early area, be habitats for trout and other aquatic 2019. Due to the eastern hemlock’s sure to species, invited HRI to collaborate importance as a riparian species, stop by on an educational kiosk to be dis- impacting water quality for trout and and take played in Pisgah National Forest. other aquatic organisms, the tree is a look! This new kiosk is replacing featured as one of the key species one built 20 years ago and will be on playing an important role in the display at the Pisgah Center for stream ecosystem. Next time you

PHHAT program awarded Rudnick Grant This November, the tween the Hemlock Restoration Ini- Paddlers Hemlock Health Ac- tiative, MountainTrue, American tion Task Force (PHHAT) re- Whitewater, and the North Carolina ceived exciting news: The Wildlife Resources Commission, Community Foundation of PHHAT is a shining example of the Henderson County awarded magic that can happen when groups the program an $8,000 grant team up with a common goal. The from the Perry N. Rudnick money from the Rudnick grant will Endowment Fund. be used to purchase the materials PHHAT is a group of and tools needed to treat hemlocks kayakers treating riparian by kayak. You can check out our last hemlocks along the beautiful newsletter for more information The PHHAT team. Photo courtesy of Alex Harvey. Green River to protect them about the PHHAT project, or visit from HWA. A partnership be- paddlersforhemlocks.com. HRI crew is rewarded on their last day of work at Stone Moun- Visitors to the Cradle of Forestry Forest Festival Day play tain State Park with a spectacular rainbow. “Hemlock Jeopardy” with HRI. Announcing Headwaters State Forest This September, North Caro- Commission. Before the forest This action preserved the health of lina’s newest state forest was dedi- opened to the public, the Hemlock Headwaters hemlocks, which in turn cated and opened to the public. Restoration Initiative, in partnership contribute to maintaining the health Standing at 6,730 acres, Headwa- with the NC Forest Service and its of the , whose ters State Forest is managed col- Young Offenders Forest Conserva- headwaters flow throughout the laboratively by the NC Forest Ser- tion Program (BRIDGE), treated over newly designated state forest. vice and the NC Wildlife Resources 3,000 hemlock trees on the property.

At the Headwaters ribbon-cutting ceremony, HRI Coordi- nator Margot Wallston and LT Ward of WNC Communities present NC Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler with a print of an original eastern hemlock painting. Photo A map of the newly designated Headwaters State Forest. by Brian R. Haines – courtesy of the N.C. Forest Service Upcoming HRI Events Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019: hemlock film screening with MountainTrue at Purple Onion in Saluda Sunday, March 24, 2019: hemlock walk and presentation at Botanical Gardens in Asheville

Check out our website for details and to register for these and other upcoming events! Thanks for the support from our funders: HRI is a program of:

(828) 252-4783 | Hemlock Restoration Initiative, WNC Communities, 594 Brevard Road, Asheville, NC 28806 | SaveHemlocksNC.org