save Alabama's hemlocks
Alabama’s Eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) are at risk of serious decline if we do not prevent the spread of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA)—an invasive insect with no natural predator in North America. HWA has already been reported in east Alabama, making early detection and monitoring more important than ever.
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To help protect one of the last remaining unaffected hemlock populations in the eastern United States, the Bankhead District of the U.S. Forest Service invited Wild Alabama to partner in monitoring efforts. In response, Wild Alabama created a community science project that engages schools, scout groups, and individual volunteers in tracking and protecting these vital trees. Early detection is key—and that’s where you come in.
Save Alabama’s Hemlocks — Community Science Project
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Help protect one of Alabama’s most iconic native trees.
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​Early detection is our best defense—and that’s where you come in.
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Hemlocks are a keystone species, providing habitat and food for about 120 other species. They contribute to good water quality, air quality and support a healthy ecosystem. Our forest would look very different without hemlocks, because the cool, shady oases that these groves provide would quickly be replaced by invasive plants. Hemlock trees can live up to 900 years!
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What You Can Do
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1) Help Prevent the Spread
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HWA can be unintentionally transported by people. If you’ve visited an area where HWA is present, please clean your gear before traveling to new locations, especially areas with hemlocks.
Be sure to clean:
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Backpacks and camping gear
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Shoes and clothing
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Vehicles and equipment
This is especially important before entering the Bankhead National Forest, Sipsey Wilderness, or any public or private lands where hemlocks grow.
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2) Monitor a Hemlock Site
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Wild Alabama maintains a hemlock monitoring plan, and volunteers can be matched with a designated site in the Bankhead National Forest to check for signs of HWA at least once per year. Some participants may also establish a study site for more detailed monitoring.
This is a great opportunity for:
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School field trips
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Scout projects
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Community and family stewardship days
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3) Spread the Word
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Do you know a teacher, scout leader, youth group, or organization looking for a meaningful environmental project? We’d love to connect and help expand hemlock education and monitoring efforts across Alabama.
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4) Map Hemlocks Across Alabama (iNaturalist)
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Help us learn where hemlocks are growing so we can better protect them statewide. Download the iNaturalist app and upload photos of hemlock trees you find in Alabama. Each observation helps build an ongoing public map of hemlock locations.
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You can also use iNaturalist to identify other plants, animals, and insects you find outdoors—and if you don’t have cell service, you can take photos and upload them later.
Join the project here:
Save the Alabama Hemlocks (iNaturalist Project)
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/save-the-alabama-hemlocks
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5) Protect Hemlocks on Your Property
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If you own land with Eastern hemlocks, contact us to learn more about best practices for monitoring and protecting your trees.
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Questions or Want to Get Involved?
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Please contact Janice Barrett at:
janice@wildal.org
setting up
& monitoring a study site
how to set up & monitor a study site
Participation in Wild Alabama’s Save Alabama’s Hemlocks project helps protect Eastern hemlock trees from the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA)—a non-native, invasive insect that can kill hemlock trees. Volunteers support this effort by monitoring hemlock groves in the Bankhead National Forest, focusing on sites where the U.S. Forest Service is not already conducting regular monitoring.
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Monitoring typically involves visually inspecting hemlock foliage for signs of HWA. For volunteers or groups who wish to “adopt” a site, additional study can be completed to establish a baseline assessment and track changes over time. This information is especially valuable in the event that HWA is detected in the area.
A plot study would be conducted as follows:
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An appropriate site is selected for the project participants.
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At the adopted site, a 10x10 meter plot will be established by using a measuring tape, string and corner stakes.
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Within this plot, a 1x1 meter square frame made of pvc pipe will be set into each of the four corners and one in the center.
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Participants will document every plant within each 1x1 square using iNaturalist, field guides or printouts for identification.
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Observations will be documented using the Carolina Vegetation Survey data sheet. Everything documented within the corner squares will be given a value of 3. Everything documented outside the corner squares but within the 10x10 plot will be given a value of 2. Canopy coverage will be measured as well as each hemlock’s height and diameter. A photo of the site will be taken from the same spot on each visit.
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To record the presence of life other than botanical within the plot, a bio-blitz may be conducted.
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Outside the framework of the 10x10 plot, other relevant observations may be recorded, such as identification of other tree species nearby.
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All the hemlock sites are near water. At each visit, water and air temperature will be recorded. Water quality monitoring may also be performed.
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Nature journaling/art/writing onsite is encouraged.
Visual monitoring for the hemlock woolly adelgid is conducted from November through early March because this is the time of year that the aphid is in its fuzzy white nymph stage and can be easily identified. A plot could be established at this time. It is recommended (but not required) that the plot is set up and surveyed again during the growing season. Once each season would be ideal but is not required.
Wild Alabama staff are available to teach on site, train and assist in the setting up of the plot and collecting data, especially the first time out. Participants can adopt more than one site if desired.
Wild Alabama provides all supplies and materials.
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Survey data may be used for participants’ study and will also be submitted to Wild Alabama.
Contribute to Science
Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. We share your findings with scientific data repositories like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to help scientists find and use your data. All you have to do is observe.