Join us on Thursday, May 20, 2021 from 10 am to 4 pm as we lend a hand to our partners at the Forest Restoration Alliance (FRA). Instead of heading out to the forest to chemically treat hemlock trees, volunteers will be getting their hands dirty in the greenhouse to combat the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) by supporting the work of the FRA at their research facility in Waynesville, where they are working on breeding HWA-resistant hemlock trees.
The FRA is a nonprofit group of researchers who work on selective breeding of our native hemlock and fir species for resistance to the adelgids that threaten them. Our volunteer work days with the FRA help to educate the public about the plight of hemlocks and the work the FRA is doing to save them, as well as lending many hands to the FRA staff on some larger projects.
Volunteers repotting hemlocks at the FRA greenhouse
Volunteers will work in their greenhouse to help with their selective breeding program. This spring, that will involve inventorying and transplanting saplings to be studied for resistance to HWA as well as some other maintenance tasks. Volunteers will also get a tour of the facility by researcher Ben Smith and learn about their efforts to restore hemlocks. This is a great opportunity to help hemlocks without handling insecticide.
If you would like to volunteer, please RSVP by 5/18 to volunteer@savehemlocksnc.org. Please include the name, phone number, and email of the volunteers participating.
More information about FRA can be found on their website: http://threatenedforests.com
COVID information for in-person activities:
The Hemlock Restoration Initiative is