Douglas Falls hemlocks question (NC)   James Smith   Jan 15, 2007 11:51 PST  I finally made the hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway down to Douglas Falls. We started along the Mountains to Sea Trail at the Graybeard Overlook, took that down to the intersection with the Douglas Falls Trail, and hiked down to the falls, walking through the old growth hemlock forest, and then made the round trip back to our vehicle. I noticed that almost all of the hemlocks we encountered looked pretty darned healthy. Not in perfect health, but pretty good. I did notice adelgid sign, but only in some of the trees. A friend of mine who is an avid hiker in that area of NC told me that a couple of years ago the hemlocks looked much worse than they do now. He also told me that predator beetles had been released there, and he's convinced these have had an effect. I told him that you guys here completely discount the use of predator beetles, but he contends that the beetles have been the cause of the rebound in the health that he has witnessed over the past two years in that grove of hemlocks. What do you guys think? Have the beetles helped the hemlock grove at (and above) Douglas Falls? Or has someone gone in there and treated that grove with adelgicide? Or is there some other reason (high rainfalls totals) that has improved the health of the trees. He is totally convinced the health of that grove has improved in the past couple of years. Re: Douglas Falls hemlocks question.   Jess Riddle   Jan 15, 2007 13:09 PST  James, Glad to hear you finally made it to Douglas Falls. I agree with you that the hemlocks in that area generally look healthier than the hemlocks in many other parts of western NC, but I'm not sure that your friend's theory completely accounts for their current health. I haven't seen the marked improvement in their health that your friend has observed, but I've only been looking at that area for about a year, not two years. To me, the adelgid populations appeared to have only recently peaked, so I would be surprised to hear that they have already caused extensive damage two years ago. The explanation that immediately jumps to my mind is that the color of infested hemlocks changes with the seasons. They tend to be most green in winter and most gray in summer or fall. I would guess that your friend's first visit was in summer or fall and the more recent visit was in winter. If both visits were in winter, then that theory certainly isn't correct. The beetles also seem like an unlikely explanation because of the homogeneity of hemlock health in that area. If the beetles were responsible for the improved health, it seems like the hemlocks around the falls would be the healthiest. I did not see any great variation in hemlock health along the length of the trail, and hemlocks on the ridge on the opposite side of Waterfall Creek are just as healthy. This line of reasoning also makes chemical treatments an unlikely explanation. Other than Sasajiscymnus, I still have some hope for the beetles, but they don't seem to account for the hemlock health at Douglas Falls; it would be nice to be wrong on this one though, because that is a wonderful tract of forest. Jess Riddle RE: Douglas Falls hemlocks question.   Will Blozan   Jan 15, 2007 13:11 PST  Personally, I think it is the favorable weather the hemlocks have had in the past few years compared to the previous drought stricken years. Hemlocks in general look better- in groves still free or lightly infested with HWA. I agree, they look great, but I bet he won't be saying that in two years. Will   Home