Save the Hemlocks
Project to Save the Hemlock Trees
Our Cornell partners found hemlock woolly adelgid growing on hemlock trees in High Point Preserve several years ago.
The adelgid is a destructive, non-native insect pest which presents a serious danger to the hemlock trees along the lake shore and in the High Point Preserve, and could pose a threat to the beautiful view we so enjoy. Over the last year, more and more hemlocks have become infested. The affected trees will likely die within 5 years if left untreated.
The large evergreen trees that line the High Point Preserve lake shore are all hemlock trees. In addition, most of the evergreens on the slope of High Point Preserve, visible to all, are also hemlocks. Hemlock trees help maintain cool water temperatures for fish and other aquatic organisms and provide important and unique habitat and food resources for wildlife.
Therefore, the loss of these trees could have far-reaching effects. Sudden and widespread death of hemlock trees at Silver Lake could cause soil erosion on steep slopes. The cooling shade which hemlock trees now provide along the waters’ edge would be lost, and could contribute to warmer water temperatures, and increased algal blooms in Silver Lake.
The good news is that there is hope! There is a chemical treatment that can be injected into the trees, and save them for the next 5 to 7 years. The chemical is safe for all vertebrate animals (people included), but not for aquatic insects. The method of injecting the chemical into the tree trunk can prevent the treatment from entering the lake water and eliminate that risk.
The time to act is now! The Conservancy has identified a company to treat these trees but we need to generate the funding to pay for treatment. At this time, we are asking for your help to “Save a Tree”. The cost of treating one tree is $200. If you are able to save an entire tree, we hope that you will, but any contribution will help.
One treatment saves a tree for 5 to 7 years while bio-controls are being developed. There are about 36 trees along the shore that need to be treated, and 12 of those should be treated this year.
There are 2 easy ways to make your donation:
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Visit elrose.org to pay by credit card. Click the “Donation” button at the top, then select “Conservation” as the fund, and type “hemlock” in the comments box below.
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Mail your donation to Edward L. Rose Conservancy, PO Box 8 Montrose, PA 18801, and write the word “hemlock” in the memo.
We would like to have the trees treated in mid-October. The amount of funding we receive will determine how many trees we are able to save. Please join us now in this effort to save your beautiful view and maintain the water quality of Silver Lake.