Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Fact Sheet

THE PROBLEM: Our forests are, threatened with the loss of our native eastern and Carolina hemlocks. They are being decimated by the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), a tiny, aphid-like insect accidentally introduced to the east coast from Asia in the 1950's. The HWA attaches to the stems at the base of the needles making an incision and draining the tree of its sap. The tree often dies within 3- 10 years. The devastation from this tiny parasite has spread from Virginia, north to Maine and then south to Georgia. Infestations of the HWA have already reached Rabun, Towns, Habersham, Union, White, Fannin, Whitfield and Lumpkin Counties and are traveling fast. If nothing is done to combat HWA, more than 80% of our hemlocks may die in the next 6-12 years.

THE STAKES: Hemlocks fill an important niche from many aspects, and their loss would have tremendous impact on our quality of life.

• Aesthetically: Hemlocks are one of our most beautiful trees. They contribute greatly to the enjoyment of those who live, work, and play among them, as well as the many people who come to North Georgia for tourism and outdoor recreation.
• Environmentally: Hemlocks are vital in providing food and habitat for about 120 species of vertebrates - including bear, turkey, white-tailed deer and over 90 species of birds. They provide abundant shade necessary to many native plants and help maintain necessary temperatures in mountain streams for trout and other native fish. They protect watershed and water quality, preventing build-up of harmful bacteria and massive soil erosion.
• Economically: Last year the North Georgia counties with hemlocks enjoyed $1.39 billion dollars of tourist spending. Healthy mature trees such as hemlocks add an average of 7-10% to homeowners' property values. They provide the net cooling effect of 10 room-sized air conditioners running 20 hours a day, perform as much as $4,000 dollars worth of water purification per mature tree along our waterways, and save billions of dollars a year by filtering CO2 and many different pollutants from the air as they produce oxygen for us to breathe.

THE SOLUTION: While pesticide treatment can control adelgid populations on individual trees not in a watershed, a combination of this method and biological controls - releases of several species of predatory beetles known to feed only on adelgids, creating a predator prey balance - is key to saving the hemlocks in our forests. Connecticut, South Carolina, and Tennessee have established laboratories to produce these beetles, and results are encouraging in those states. Due to public support a lab is now being established at the University of Georgia. Future success in Georgia depends on whether enough predatory beetles can be released to keep up with the HWA. Support for operational costs is still needed. A matching grant has been proposed by the Turner foundation for up to 75,000. This means that every dollar donated becomes two dollars. Please help us capitalize fully on this grant offer. Your support can really help.

Please make a tax-deductible donation to help save the hemlocks.

At www.lumpkincoalition.org through PayPal

or by check to:

Lumpkin Coalition
3865 Dawsonville Hwy.
Dahlonega, GA 30533

LUMPKIN COALITION: A 100% Volunteer 501c3 Charity (All donations 100% tax deductible)

MISSION STATEMENT

The Lumpkin Coalition is a non-profit, non-partisan, issue-based organization formed to facilitate projects that benefit North Georgia, Lumpkin County, and its residents.

For the Save the Hemlocks project, our goals are to:

• Raise public awareness of the problem and promote action.
• Support establishment of a lab at the University of Georgia to raise predatory beetles to combat the HWA on public lands.
• Assist businesses and homeowners to protect the hemlocks on private land.