To introduce landowners and land managers to the various options available to protect their hemlocks, the Hemlock Restoration Initiative, under our stewardship agreement with the USDA Forest Service and Pisgah National Forest, will be giving a hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) management workshop at Sycamore Flats Recreational Area in Pisgah National Forest, near Brevard, NC.
**This workshop is full, but you can add yourself to the waiting list if you would like to be notified if a spot opens up. If you join the waiting list, please wait to make your payment until you have receive a confirmed spot. We are also planning another workshop for April. Check back on our Events page to see when the dates are posted.**
Workshop Schedule:
Thursday, March 18, 6:30–7:30 pm: Orientation and discussion of background on hemlocks, HWA, and IPM (via Zoom)
Friday, March 19, 9 am–4 pm: Hands-on chemical treatment training (in-person)
Workshop Description:
Videos from a pre-recorded presentation will be provided in the week leading up to the field sessions covering the background information relevant to the hands-on training. Topics covered include the ecological importance and value of hemlocks in urban and community forests, the biology of HWA and other hemlock pests, integrated pest management strategies, and the role of the Hemlock Restoration Initiative in North Carolina’s various hemlock management efforts. On Thursday, March 18 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, we will hold a live Zoom meeting where we will cover logistics for the field sessions and answer questions about the material covered in the presentation. The online portion and orientation are required to participate in the field portion of the workshop.
From 9 am to 4 pm on Friday, March 19, we will use the trees present in and around the Sycamore Flats Recreational Area to learn and practice a variety of methods to chemically treat hemlocks available to all landowners in North Carolina. Participants will receive in-person instruction and hands-on practice. We will cover the details of chemical treatment, including how to identify hemlock trees; assess individual tree health and infestation severity; select, mix, and safely apply products; as well as when to seek help from a tree care professional.
Important Details:
We ask that participants plan to attend the entirety of the online and Friday portions to ensure that everyone receives complete information.
To participate in the online orientation, you will need a desktop, laptop, iPad, tablet or smartphone running the Zoom Video Conferencing software. Click here for installation instructions for the software.
Participants will be walking off-trail on uneven terrain and handling pesticides, but many areas we will be practicing in are easy to access and on fairly level ground. Participants will need to wear long sleeves, long pants, and closed-toed shoes. Chemical resistant gloves and other equipment will be provided. In order to protect staff and participants, face masks and spatial distancing between participants are required. Participants should bring a bag lunch and water for the day.
Participants will take home a small treatment starter kit. NC Pesticide Applicators and ISA members can get credits for attending.
Registration for the workshop is requested by March 5. A registration fee (non-refundable) of $10 per participant can be paid by check or electronically through PayPal. **Please register early. Space is limited to 10 participants.** Once registration is full, we will keep a waiting list to fill any cancellations. To register, visit SaveHemlocksNC.org/registration.
For questions, email info@savehemlocksnc.org or call the HRI office at (828) 252-4783.
We would like to thank the North Carolina SFI State Implementation Committee (NC SFI SIC), along with the NCDA&CS, for sponsoring this workshop. The NC SFI SIC is committed to promoting the sustainable management of forests in North Carolina. The NC SFI SIC supports programs and initiatives that help forward sound forestry practices within the forest products industry and other forestry related entities.
The Hemlock Restoration Initiative is restarting our educational programs and volunteer events. Despite the lifting of restrictions, we acknowledge the risk that COVID-19 continues to pose to members of our community. To maintain the safety of our event participants and staff, HRI is limiting the number of participants at all events and requiring that all individuals follow HRI’s COVID-19 safety guidelines. This means that sign-ups will be held on a first-come-first-served basis. Anyone not following the guidelines on the day of the event will be asked to leave. Please review the COVID-19 safety guidelines to ensure that you are comfortable following these guidelines. Please also let us know as soon as possible if you are unable to attend an event for which you are registered so that we may allow someone else to fill your spot. Despite taking precautions, we cannot eliminate all risk of exposure, and participants will be accepting some level of risk by choosing to attend.
