A Visit With Save Georgia’s Hemlocks
by Janice Barrett
In 2021, Wild Alabama was invited by Bankhead District Ranger Andy Scott to partner with the U.S. Forest Service in monitoring for the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in the Bankhead National Forest. We readily accepted his invitation and Save Alabama’s Hemlocks was formed as a Wild Alabama initiative to protect our Eastern hemlock forests from the deadly Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, a non-native invasive insect that has killed millions of Eastern Hemlock trees from northeastern Canada to northeast Alabama. Wild Alabama modeled our program after Save Georgia’s Hemlocks, an organization that has been successfully saving hemlock trees since the early 2000’s, first under the leadership of founder and Executive Director Donna Shearer, and now Heidi Hunter.
In early November 2025, I travelled to Georgia to meet with Save Georgia’s Hemlocks Executive Director Heidi Hunter and volunteer Jimmy Stewart at Cloudland Canyon State Park. Jimmy has been a leader in the organization’s efforts to save Eastern hemlock trees from the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid since 2013. His group has treated around 20,000 trees in and around Dade County, Georgia and east Alabama.
On that clear, cool, golden day in November, Jimmy led Donna and me onto a trail in Cloudland Canyon. He pointed out a steep hillside in the near distance across a creek that was completely gray with dead hemlocks. Some parts of the forest are so steep that they are inaccessible for treatment and consequently those hemlocks are lost to the adelgid. On the trail, Jimmy led us to hemlock trees that he and his team had treated with Imidichloprid, one of the most effective pesticides against the adelgid. These trees are clearly surviving very well.
Fall through early spring is the time of year when the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is most identifiable because of the highly visible egg sacks. So far, our hemlock forests here in northwest Alabama are still free of the adelgid, but the gap between us and east Alabama is closing. Wild Alabama staff and volunteers are ever-vigilant.
The experienced and knowledgeable people like Donna, Jimmy and Heidi at Save Georgia’s Hemlocks have been extremely generous and helpful in guiding the development of our own Save Alabama’s Hemlocks program. I look forward to continuing to learn from them.
If you are interested in learning more or joining us in our efforts to protect our amazing hemlock forest in the Bankhead National Forest or on private land, visit Save Alabama’s Hemlocks, Save Georgia’s Hemlocks or contact Janice Barrett, Wild Alabama’s Education and Outreach Coordinator at [email protected].
by Janice Barrett
In 2021, Wild Alabama was invited by Bankhead District Ranger Andy Scott to partner with the U.S. Forest Service in monitoring for the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in the Bankhead National Forest. We readily accepted his invitation and Save Alabama’s Hemlocks was formed as a Wild Alabama initiative to protect our Eastern hemlock forests from the deadly Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, a non-native invasive insect that has killed millions of Eastern Hemlock trees from northeastern Canada to northeast Alabama. Wild Alabama modeled our program after Save Georgia’s Hemlocks, an organization that has been successfully saving hemlock trees since the early 2000’s, first under the leadership of founder and Executive Director Donna Shearer, and now Heidi Hunter.
In early November 2025, I travelled to Georgia to meet with Save Georgia’s Hemlocks Executive Director Heidi Hunter and volunteer Jimmy Stewart at Cloudland Canyon State Park. Jimmy has been a leader in the organization’s efforts to save Eastern hemlock trees from the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid since 2013. His group has treated around 20,000 trees in and around Dade County, Georgia and east Alabama.
On that clear, cool, golden day in November, Jimmy led Donna and me onto a trail in Cloudland Canyon. He pointed out a steep hillside in the near distance across a creek that was completely gray with dead hemlocks. Some parts of the forest are so steep that they are inaccessible for treatment and consequently those hemlocks are lost to the adelgid. On the trail, Jimmy led us to hemlock trees that he and his team had treated with Imidichloprid, one of the most effective pesticides against the adelgid. These trees are clearly surviving very well.
Fall through early spring is the time of year when the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is most identifiable because of the highly visible egg sacks. So far, our hemlock forests here in northwest Alabama are still free of the adelgid, but the gap between us and east Alabama is closing. Wild Alabama staff and volunteers are ever-vigilant.
The experienced and knowledgeable people like Donna, Jimmy and Heidi at Save Georgia’s Hemlocks have been extremely generous and helpful in guiding the development of our own Save Alabama’s Hemlocks program. I look forward to continuing to learn from them.
If you are interested in learning more or joining us in our efforts to protect our amazing hemlock forest in the Bankhead National Forest or on private land, visit Save Alabama’s Hemlocks, Save Georgia’s Hemlocks or contact Janice Barrett, Wild Alabama’s Education and Outreach Coordinator at [email protected].
THE COMMUNITY SCIENCE PROJECT
Alabama’s Eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) are in danger of extinction if we do not prevent the spread of the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). The HWA is an invasive insect with no local natural predator in North America. It has been reported in east Alabama.
To protect one of the last remaining unaffected hemlock populations in the eastern U. S., the Bankhead District of the United States Forest Service invited Wild Alabama to partner with them to monitor for the adelgid. Wild Alabama has developed a community science project that engages schools, scout groups and individual volunteers. Early detection of the insect is key. That’s where you come in!
What you can do:
1. Humans can unintentionally transport the adelgid. Whenever you have visited an area where there is infestation of the hemlock woolly adelgid, be sure to clean backpacks, camping gear, shoes, clothing and vehicles before walking or driving into the Bankhead National Forest or Sipsey Wilderness or any private or other public land where hemlock trees exist.
2. We have a hemlock monitoring plan! Participants will be matched with an appropriate site in the Bankhead National Forest and will monitor that site for the presence of the hemlock woolly adelgid at least once a year. In addition to visual monitoring, a study site may be established. Click here for information on monitoring and setting up a study site. A great opportunity for school field trips and Scout projects!
3. Spread the word! Do you know a classroom teacher or scout group who might be interested in an educational project related to hemlocks? Do you know an organization that would like for someone to come and speak? Let us know.
4. Help us find out where the hemlock trees are in Alabama so that we can better monitor them. Get the iNaturalist app. When you take a photo of a hemlock in Alabama and upload it to the app, it will add that tree to our ongoing map. The iNaturalist app is also very useful for identifying those mystery plants, bugs and animals that you see sometimes when you are outdoors. If you don't have service on the trail, you can snap a picture to upload later. There is also a web version of this tool: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/save-the-alabama-hemlocks
5. If you own land with eastern hemlocks, contact us to learn what you can do to protect your trees.
If you have any questions, please email Janice Barrett- [email protected]
Alabama’s Eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) are in danger of extinction if we do not prevent the spread of the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). The HWA is an invasive insect with no local natural predator in North America. It has been reported in east Alabama.
To protect one of the last remaining unaffected hemlock populations in the eastern U. S., the Bankhead District of the United States Forest Service invited Wild Alabama to partner with them to monitor for the adelgid. Wild Alabama has developed a community science project that engages schools, scout groups and individual volunteers. Early detection of the insect is key. That’s where you come in!
What you can do:
1. Humans can unintentionally transport the adelgid. Whenever you have visited an area where there is infestation of the hemlock woolly adelgid, be sure to clean backpacks, camping gear, shoes, clothing and vehicles before walking or driving into the Bankhead National Forest or Sipsey Wilderness or any private or other public land where hemlock trees exist.
2. We have a hemlock monitoring plan! Participants will be matched with an appropriate site in the Bankhead National Forest and will monitor that site for the presence of the hemlock woolly adelgid at least once a year. In addition to visual monitoring, a study site may be established. Click here for information on monitoring and setting up a study site. A great opportunity for school field trips and Scout projects!
3. Spread the word! Do you know a classroom teacher or scout group who might be interested in an educational project related to hemlocks? Do you know an organization that would like for someone to come and speak? Let us know.
4. Help us find out where the hemlock trees are in Alabama so that we can better monitor them. Get the iNaturalist app. When you take a photo of a hemlock in Alabama and upload it to the app, it will add that tree to our ongoing map. The iNaturalist app is also very useful for identifying those mystery plants, bugs and animals that you see sometimes when you are outdoors. If you don't have service on the trail, you can snap a picture to upload later. There is also a web version of this tool: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/save-the-alabama-hemlocks
5. If you own land with eastern hemlocks, contact us to learn what you can do to protect your trees.
If you have any questions, please email Janice Barrett- [email protected]
Eastern hemlocks on Quillen Creek in Sipsey Wilderness
Photo by: Charles Seifreid |
Eastern hemlocks on Sipsey Fork
Photo by: Janice Barrett |
Jonathan Kelly inspects Eastern hemlock foliage for the presence of the hemlock woolly adelgid
More Alabama Hemlock Information can be found HERE
Check out these photos of:
Healthy hemlocks, HWA infestation, adelgid life cycle, & more!
Source: Save Georgia's Hemlock
Check out these photos of:
Healthy hemlocks, HWA infestation, adelgid life cycle, & more!
Source: Save Georgia's Hemlock