Winter 2025 Newsletter
From The Director
Dear friends and partners of HRI,
As I sit down to write this, I acknowledge we are practically finished with winter. We intended to share the content of this newsletter with you a couple of months ago, but I admit this has been one of the hardest introductions for me to write. The upheaval of the last several months has taken such a toll on all of us, making it difficult to know what needs to be said in this moment. But with the sun shining and the return of bird song outside my window, I’m choosing to focus on what we can celebrate and look forward to in the months ahead.
While so much around us remains uncertain, and with all the hardship our region has faced and continues to face, there remain a few things that we can rely on. For certain, spring will bring green growth and fresh hope to our pummeled earth and hearts. Another thing that is certain is that we have an awesome team at HRI this year. With a field season start date that was scheduled for October 1st, our 8-person team quickly pivoted to help WNC Communities implement an immediate needs disaster relief grant program. Within weeks of Tropical Storm Helene, hundreds of farmers had funds in hand. Although arguably happiest out in the woods hugging trees, our fantastic team–comprised of both returning and new members–took on every challenge with positivity, grace and willingness to adapt.
After a few weeks we were able to shift back to forestry work, beginning with assessing many of our existing Hemlock Conservation Areas (HCAs) on state lands for storm-related damage and access issues. Thanks to our many different partnerships and the wide geographic area we cover, we were able to resume protecting hemlock through chemical treatment of HWA and monitoring for the presence of biological controls in many stands that remained mostly intact outside of the areas heaviest hit by the storm. These included HCAs in Nantahala National Forest, DuPont and Headwaters State Forests, Stone Mountain State Park, Sandy Mush Game Land, and the NC Arboretum. We breathe a collective sigh of relief every time we walk into an HCA and see most, if not all, of the hemlocks still standing.
Not all of our HCAs were spared. We have just begun to enter areas that were previously inaccessible due to Helene. However, there is a small sense of victory and pride every time we see a hemlock holding a bit of streambank or mountainside in place, sometimes even where no other trees remained standing. Even in urban and residential areas, hemlocks appear to have held fast far more often than the pines, oaks and many other tree species. It’s remarkable, really, that even though hemlocks have been assaulted by invasive insects for decades, they are still quite resilient when it comes to heavy winds and rain. It’s seeing this resilience modeled by the trees that gives us a continued purpose.
Our adaptability as a small, non-profit program allows us to emulate the hemlocks’ resilience by shifting focus when obstacles arise. If we can’t work in the National Forest, we can focus on work on state and privately conserved lands. If the weather isn’t conducive to chemical treatment, we can focus on biocontrol and tree health monitoring, scouting new sites, or developing new projects. One promising new effort is the Lingering Hemlock Search Project, launched with The Nature Conservancy and the New York State Hemlock Initiative. We’ll be sharing more information about that project in our next newsletter, but in the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about that project, or if you’re a natural resource professional who might be able to help us, visit blogs.cornell.edu/lingeringhemlock/
Now, onto the newsletter you’ve been waiting for. The stories below celebrate some of the places, people, and trees we are grateful to work around and interact with. Be sure to read to the end to learn about upcoming events and new resources on our website, and thank you for continuing to care about our program, the trees, and the ecosystems we are committed to maintaining through our work.
Sincerely,
Director
Hemlock Conservation Area Highlight: Cold Mountain
by Emma Proietti, HRI Forestry Technician
Cold Mountain, near Canton, is one of the more famous mountains in Western North Carolina. In the book and film of the same name, the mountain is the living backdrop to a tale of love and loss set during the Civil War. But Nicole Kidman and Jude Law are not the biggest celebrities associated with the mountain. Standing at 6,000 ft (depending on who you ask), Cold Mountain is home to what we estimate to be one of the largest contiguous stands of Carolina hemlocks in North Carolina. The precise number of hemlocks there is unknown, but our crew approximated 5,000 trees in a single grove stretched across a north-facing slope of the formidable mountain.
The hemlock stand sits at around 4,800 ft., just northwest of the Shining Rock Wilderness and a section of the Art Loeb trail, straddling a border between the Cold Mountain Game Lands and a non-wilderness portion of Pisgah National Forest. Originally home to people of the Mississippian cultures, and later the Cherokee, Yuchi, and Miccosukee, the national forest side was acquired by George Washington Vanderbilt II, while the game land side became part of 162 acres acquired by the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy and later the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
Because Carolina hemlocks are endemic to Western NC, HRI takes special care to preserve stands where that species is dominant; and because we partner with both NCWRC and the US Forest Service, we were especially well positioned to treat the entire stand on behalf of both agencies. Over a period of five days, with 9 staff members and 15 volunteers, HRI treated over 1,300 trees – only about a quarter of the trees in the stand. Because the trees are so densely clustered together at Cold Mountain, we hope that treating this percentage of the stand will ensure the stand as a whole will not succumb to HWA, while also allowing room for biological control and other natural factors to persist. (HRI’s only other Hemlock Conservation Area comparable in quantity of Carolina hemlocks is Dobson Knob, near the Linville Gorge, but the trees there grow in more isolated clusters. There, the crew treated nearly 1,500 trees across seven discrete pockets of hemlocks on many sides of the Knob, nearly half of the total number of trees.)
Despite no record of previous treatment, the hemlocks on Cold Mountain were in good health. The crews were immersed in hemlocks, craggy rocks, and the occasional mountain view. Aside from the sheer abundance of hemlocks, what made the site remarkable was the hike up to the stand – nearly one mile long with over 1,000ft elevation gain to the highest point in the stand. Along the way, we were regularly accompanied by four, small, friendly dogs who expertly navigated the trails. We never met the owner of the dogs, but made sure that all four returned with us at the end of each day to their home on the side of the mountain. The hike up the unforgiving trail was made easier by NCWRC’s David Stewart, who connected us to a resident of the mountain who granted us access to a driveway part way up, and by Haywood Community College Forest Protection students, who braved the steep climb to help us treat this mammoth site. (We suspect few other volunteers would have thought kindly of us were we to have asked them to accompany us up that trail; however, there is another stand of Carolinas one ridge over that we have yet to treat, if anyone is up for a still steeper adventure.)
With sweeping views of the Great Balsam Mountains, intricate root and rock sculptures, cheerful canine wayfinders, and exceptional cardiovascular training, Cold Mountain is a site we won’t soon forget.
Tree stories
As a tree-focused program, it goes without saying that we at HRI were deeply affected by seeing so many large trees come down in Tropical Storm Helene. Whether in the woods or out in our neighborhoods, we were hyper-aware of the effect on the trees around us. We imagine that many of you were, as well. Therefore, we invited you to tell us a story that honors a tree (hemlock or otherwise) that survived or was lost during the storm. We hope that these stories will allow us to both celebrate the trees that protected us and grieve our beloved trees that were lost. Here is the first installment in what will hopefully be a continuing series.
In the collection that follows, I was struck by the recurring theme of gratitude for the gifts provided by trees, whether it be delicious fruit for us on a hot summer day, shelter for other creatures beginning new life, or services to the ecosystem at large. With all that we have lost, the profound sense of thankfulness that these stories evoke fills me with hope for our community, the trees that surround us, and the relationship that is fostered between them.
-Olivia Hall, HRI Communications and Outreach Manager
Hemlocks Stand Strong along the Green River
By Alex Harvey
Alex Harvey is an active HRI PHHAT volunteer who owns land near the Green River. Over the past several years, Alex has helped map and treat hundreds of hemlocks along the Upper Green and Narrows sections of the river, by foot and by kayak. As Alex surveyed the river after Helene, he noticed that although “a couple of hemlocks got knocked over, the majority held the line.” In fact, he reported that in some cases they were the only tree species left holding the bank intact. Alex noted the hemlocks the PHHAT paddlers worked so hard to treat were now more visible than before and were looking surprisingly healthy, but even unhealthy hemlocks that weren’t able to be treated were still standing.
“The surviving hemlocks endured currents that were at least 10, likely 20 feet above the forest floor. They endured battering by massive piles of floating debris, stopping the debris piles cold in their tracks. It was a very inspiring sight to see”, Alex shared, “and they look very healthy, with dense, green foliage. This seems to be fitting a pattern I am seeing, post-Helene (anecdotally speaking). Many or most hemlocks seemed to have defied physics during the storm and are now thriving.”
This type of report matches anecdotes that we have heard many times over. While the statistical significance has yet to be investigated, hemlocks seem to have fared extraordinarily well, especially given the conditions they went through as inherently riparian trees. We are proud to protect this species and have been exceptionally glad to see their resilience.
The Queen Mother
By Tim Fox and Georgia Burson
Tim and Georgia celebrate a large mother hemlock that grows near their homes. They recognize her as a symbol of hope and WNC’s resilience, and appreciate the bounty of life that grows beneath her.
We call her the “Queen Mother”. She sits on the top of Huckleberry Mountain 2943 feet in elevation in Henderson County NC on Serendipity Drive. She towers above the forest and demands attention. I first saw her while hiking with my neighbor Ms. Georgia Burson as we investigated the beauty of Huckleberry Mountain along the trail between our properties. We wonder how old she is and what storms and weather events she has endured through her lifetime. We wish we could talk with her.
During Hurricane Helene she bent, and twisted, and turned, and somehow, she held strong and survived the storm. However, many of the large trees on the mountain did not make it through the storm. Seven trees went down on Ms. Georgia’s house and [there are] sections of specific hollows flattened. We are grateful and blessed that she made it through the storm.
She is now a great symbol of resilience and hope that Huckleberry Mountain will recover, and our mountain so desperately needed that.
Not only does she stand as the Matriarch of the mountain forest, but we recognize her connections with the rest of the mountain. Our wildlife is abundant, and she provides shelter and habitat for all kinds of creatures. She provides numerous ecosystem benefits, including regulating water and soil temperatures.
Not only is this a story of a magical tree but also a story of a defining friendship. For Ms. Georgia and I have spent many hours observing the wonder and diversity of plants and wildlife and the interconnections between the Queen Mother and the mountain forest.
We find the Queen Mother deserving of honor and wanted to share our story and some of our favorite pictures of her and surrounding plants.
Owlets
By Megan Martell
Megan celebrates hemlocks near her home that continue to provide shelter for life after the hurricane.
We are lucky to live next to a stand of healthy hemlocks along our driveway – a stand that survived Hurricane Helene fully intact and remains home to nesting squirrels building a family in a messy bed of sticks just outside our bathroom window. The other night we heard the familiar call of a screech owl, one we’ve been hearing for weeks but unable to spot as it always calls out at dusk when we’re shuffling our kids inside for bedtime. This time we did: we spotted one little fluff on a branch of hemlock just a few trees away from our squirrel family. And then another fluff a few branches up from that! The calls continued in a duet until they clambored about together. With all the loss of the last six months, our hearts are warmed to look up and see all the love at home in our hemlocks – and we’ll be looking for owlets in April!
Tribute to mulberries and pawpaws on Blannahassett Island
By Cathy Guthrie
Cathie Guthrie and her mother loved to visit Blannahassett Island in Marshall, NC. On this island grew mulberry and pawpaw trees. She recalls the gifts given by the mulberry trees and celebrates that she still has a piece of the pawpaws.
Up until very recently, Blannahassett Island in the middle of the French Broad River in downtown Marshall was a lovely place to take a nice walk. In September, Hurricane Helene tore through Marshall and flooded the island leaving debris and destruction, and the island was scoured of vegetation. The island was home to some special trees, including a thick stand of pawpaws and several grand mulberry trees. We would visit the Island often, and if we were lucky sometime in June the mulberry tree would be loaded with fruit. On one occasion we were able to use our walking sticks and smack the high branches and so much fruit fell on our blankets we were able to make mulberry jam! it is delicious and had a texture of fig jam with all the little seeds adding a nice crunch.
I went back to Marshall after the flood to check on the trees and [discovered both] good news and bad news. Although the largest and grandest mulberry tree on the southend (upstream end) of the island was gone, several smaller but mature mulberry trees survived on the north end near the picnic pavilion.
As far as the pawpaws go, we will need to wait until spring to see if any of the root system survived and see if there are new shoots coming up. Last spring, there were thousands of flowers on this pawpaw patch. I watched and watched and watched for fruit to develop, [only to find] that no fruit matured on the island. I gathered pollen from these flowers and brought the pollen home to my house and cross pollinated my own tree with pollen from Blannahassett Island. I was thrilled when my backyard tree produced some fruit! So I have some seeds that have the genetic information from Marshall’s pawpaws!
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Inspired by the stories above? Have a tree story to share? Email them to education@savehemlocksnc.org or call 828-252-4783.
Volunteer spotlight: Cathy Guthrie
by Ayla Busch, HRI AmeriCorps Stewardship & Conservation Education Associate
The Hemlock Restoration Initiative could not do what we do without the help of our hard-working volunteers. Each newsletter we like to highlight the contributions of our volunteers. In this issue we would like to recognize Cathy Guthrie.
Cathy has lived in Madison County for 26 years, where she raised her two kids on her farm and enjoys spending time outdoors. About ten years ago, Cathy decided to make a change in her life. “I knew I wanted to be closer to nature…I was finding that on the farm I still wasn’t getting out into the woods. I was too tied down to all the work.”
Without formal qualifications, Cathy set out to find a career that would incorporate her love for nature. “That’s a really hard thing to do when you’re in your 40s and you don’t have the degree,” Cathy remarked. After some research, she found HRI through an internet search of local conservation organizations.
“I knew that hemlocks were having a hard time and I had seen the adelgid on my trees. I knew there was a problem, but I didn’t know there was a group right here [doing something about it].”
Cathy began volunteering with HRI in 2017. She has helped the HRI crew treat hemlocks at sites like Bluff Mountain, Sandy Mush Game Land, Headwaters State Forest, and the NC Arboretum. HRI team members describe Cathy as humble, dedicated, and hard-working. Despite her significant contributions, Cathy says she’ll only feel truly proud of her efforts when she can return to treated sites and witness her long-term impact on forest health.
“My volunteering at HRI was because I wanted to do something good, I wanted to be useful. But for my own interest I was trying to build my resume so that I could begin, late in life, a new career in natural resources,” Cathy shared. She also took a GIS mapping course and began volunteering for the US Fish & Wildlife Service, mapping spruce and fir trees at higher elevations. Her volunteer experience eventually led to a position as an Interpretive Ranger for the Blue Ridge Parkway!
Despite the successes in her new career, Cathy’s life took another turn in 2020 when she became a caregiver for her mother. After the pandemic dust settled, Cathy continued to volunteer with HRI. “HRI has become this common denominator in my life. Since I made that decision to change what I was doing, a lot of other things have changed. But besides my own personal outings into the woods or on the rivers, volunteering with HRI is the one consistent thing I think I’ve done.”
Some of Cathy’s favorite moments with HRI include a 2023 Nature Connection Workshop led by legendary, local experiential educator, Helen Waite. She recalled sitting in a bed of trout lilies with her daughter as Helen read a poem. “I don’t usually do things that are just to make you feel good, but I thought it was really nice and I was glad I did it for myself.” Another highlight for Cathy was the HRI 2022 Volunteer Appreciation event on the Green River. Cathy enjoys paddling on sections 7, 8, and 10 of the French Broad River, so a Volunteer Appreciation paddle was right up her alley. “I was truly surprised when I was invited to do that. And it was so fun!”
Even outside of her volunteer work, Cathy finds herself checking on hemlock health in the areas she visits. “When I see hemlock trees I’m always trying to see if I can see some spray paint, or a tag…I get really curious about that since I’ve been volunteering.”
HRI is grateful for Cathy’s continued relationship with HRI and her humble approach to volunteering. Some of Cathy’s earliest volunteer days with HRI were long and arduous, but she was game for everything and kept returning. We hope she will continue to bring her grounded spirit to our volunteer events as her next chapter of life unfolds.
Are you looking for a career change like Cathy? Do you want to contribute to hemlock health on public lands? Take Cathy’s advice: “Do it! And if you feel shy, bring a friend.” Contact Ayla Busch at volunteer@savehemlocksnc.org to learn more about volunteer opportunities.
Conservation Connection Corner:
Remembering Donna Shearer of Save Georgia Hemlocks
This section of our newsletter features the work of people in our region who have gone above and beyond to conserve hemlocks in their own communities. Occasionally, HRI has the privilege of working alongside these hemlock heroes on joint projects, but often, they are people who have taken initiative to address the HWA problem on their own, without having received direct support from HRI. It is with honor and deep admiration that we dedicate this Conservation Connection Corner to Donna Shearer, founder of a small but mighty grassroots organization called Save Georgia’s Hemlocks (SGH). Her passion for, and commitment to, protecting and preserving hemlocks in north Georgia was truly impressive. Without the benefit of agency support or substantial grants to fund staff, equipment, and supplies, she continuously persisted to find a way to achieve her ambitious goals. She acquired permission to treat trees on national forest and other public lands, engaged several dozen volunteers to educate hundreds more people of all ages, and treated thousands of hemlocks. On top of it all, she did exhaustive research on her own to ensure the organization was providing sound and environmentally conscientious information, constantly updating SGH’s instructional materials.
Donna was also an early friend and fan of HRI. When I was just starting in my position in 2015, Donna welcomed me with open arms, inviting me to stay in her home, attend her trainings and a board meeting, and utilize any or all of the materials in her impressively large hemlock handbook at no charge. She was an inspiring role model for me. With Donna at the helm, SGH has remained incredibly active over the past decade since I first met them. Sometimes it appeared as though SGH had a volunteer event every weekend, while simultaneously having a presence at every local festival or school event. Despite her full plate of responsibilities and busy schedule, she remained my cheerleader and an ally of HRI all the way until her passing. We hope you will take the time to learn more about her life and accomplishments in the following tribute, written by Dave Teffeteller.
-Margot Wallston
Remembering Donna Shearer
The forests of southern Appalachia have lost a true champion. Environmentalist, community leader, educator and founder of Save Georgia’s Hemlocks, Donna Shearer passed away on June 16, 2024, after bravely battling a long illness.
In the early 2000’s, Donna discovered that the hemlocks surrounding the log cabin she shared with her husband Mark were infested by an invasive insect, the hemlock wooly adelgid, which threatened to kill the trees and destroy their shady, streamside sanctuary. Rather than accept the conventional wisdom of the time, that nothing could be done, Donna began researching and discovered the trees, in reality, could be treated and saved. The successful results motivated Donna to share the benefit of her knowledge and experience with others.
In 2009, she and a small group of kindred spirits formed the 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, Save Georgia’s Hemlocks. She created and ran the Hemlock Help Line, fielding calls 7 days a week with a kind and welcoming voice to provide one-on-one information for the care and treatment of hemlocks. This accessible and responsive communication channel not only provided valuable assistance to those seeking guidance, but also strengthened a sense of belonging within the community. With unparalleled dedication, she developed a comprehensive facilitator training course (including a 600 page guide covering everything from hemlock anatomy to chemical composition) for DIY treatment. The trained facilitators, in turn, educated friends and neighbors about the plight of hemlocks to become volunteers for treatment and restoration. She also developed an educational initiative for grade school students and taught the hemlock message emphasizing ecosystem interdependencies along with the importance of environmental stewardship.
Furthering the initiative for DIY assistance, Donna established and meticulously tended a robust, research-based website. This online resource serves as a valuable repository of information, enabling individuals to educate themselves about hemlock conservation and take meaningful actions. These efforts have equipped volunteers to treat tens of thousands of hemlocks on privately owned property. With her leadership, SGH created a hemlock sapling program where volunteers nurture and grow hemlock saplings in private nurseries. These saplings are later adopted or donated for tree planting projects.
Donna worked tirelessly to establish partnerships with publicly managed land agencies such as the US Forest Service, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and agencies in neighboring states. Through these collaborations, Save Georgia’s Hemlocks’ successful treatments on public land have contributed significantly to the preservation of hemlocks throughout southern Appalachia.
While all of these accomplishments are impressive, Donna never once took a paycheck. Furthermore, throughout her tenure, the entire organization was a 100% volunteer effort. In 2012, Donna was honored for her exceptional leadership in conservation by receiving the Cox Conserves award, which carried a $10,000 award. She, of course, immediately granted SGH the funds for use to continue to increase educational and charitable service outreach.
In 2023, the Donna Shearer Endowed Scholarship was created to be awarded to University of North Georgia rising juniors who demonstrate interest in forestry, environmental sciences specifically dealing with forestry ecosystems, or conservation. These recipients should be guided by the example of Donna Shearer in her years of dedicated service in saving Georgia’s hemlocks.
Donna Shearer has left an indelible impact on everyone involved in her cause. Her motivating presence, humor, empathy and leadership have served as the driving forces behind the success of Save Georgia’s Hemlocks. Likewise, her passion and unwavering commitment have made a lasting impact on Georgia’s hemlock ecosystem. Donna Shearer’s legacies are the healthy and thriving hemlocks found throughout our forests.
Save Georgia’s Hemlocks is a non-profit organization run by volunteers. In addition to public education, the organization maintains a website, www.savegeorgiashemlocks.org and a Hemlock Help Line, 706-429-8010. They also have treated seedlings available for adoption. You can donate to their efforts here.
Fall 2024 Photo Gallery
Fall-Winter 2024-25 treatment season begins! This year's crew practicing assessing hemlock health during a training day with Rainbow Ecoscience at Green Hills Cemetery.
Check out the new pages on our website!
Upcoming Events
Tuesday-Wednesday, March 25th-26th: Hemlock Treatment Volunteer Workdays at Hanging Rock State Park
Tuesday-Thursday, April 1st-3rd: Hemlock Treatment Volunteer Workdays at DuPont State Recreational Forest
Friday, April 4th: Hemlock Hike with the Blue Ridge Conservancy
Tuesday, April 15th: Hemlock Treatment Volunteer Workday at DuPont State Recreational Forest
Friday, June 13th: Pink Beds Hemlock Hike with Mills River Partnership
Learn more about these events on our Events Page.
