Submitted
LAKE BURTON– A resident of Lake Burton made a donation to Save Georgia’s Hemlocks (SGH) for the original purpose of saving the hemlocks on Billy Goat Island.
However, when SGH discovered there were no hemlocks on the island they went to Georgia Power and asked if it would be permitted for SGH to plant hemlocks on the island using the donated funds.
Georgia Power approved, and after several months of planning the project became a reality Saturday, April 29, when a dozen Lake Burton residents and three SGH leaders installed a total of 50 trees in three separate coves on the island.
A big thanks to Georgia Power; the Lake Burton Civic Association (LBCA) for mustering the volunteers; and to Andrew Hunt for donating the use of his barge and workers to transport the saplings and planting materials to the island.
“Talking about ‘Endangered Species,’ put hemlocks near the top of the list,” said Buz Stone, the SGH leader of this project.
“Most everyone who lives here in the North Georgia mountains or visits frequently is aware that hemlocks are dying. It’s a result of hemlock wooly adelgid, an invasive, almost invisible insect from Asia that attacks only hemlocks. But what many people don’t know is that they can save their hemlocks by treating them with chemical soil injection that, when properly applied, is safe to the environment,” Stone said.
Stone said for anyone with hemlocks, “Spring is the best time to treat them because the white egg sacks are visible and are the best indicator of infestation and the tree is pulling up soil ingredients now.”
Save Georgia’s Hemlocks is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. The Hemlock Help Line is 706-429-8010.