So this past weekend, I was working on our invisible fence we have encircling our part of the mountain. The fence had been down for quite some time and our dogs had begun to have big fun in exploring the cabin development behind our property. I’m sure the guests were surprised when they woke up to see our 115 lb great pyrenees/redbone hound mix drinking out of their hot tub while having their romantic cup of morning coffee. Dogs will be dogs. So I had to get our pack of mutts contained to their side of the mountain and put a stop to these morning ‘adventures’.
While I was running a new piece of wire for the fence through a stand of medium sized hemlock trees, I came across some very tiny baby hemlocks, growing out of the earth, deep in the dark shade of those trees. Those of you familiar with the Smoky Mountains know that the hemlock tree is under threat of extinction from a parasite called the wooly adelgid. The park service is fighting this parasite as best they can, with soil drenches and by spraying the trees along the roads with soapy water. Unfortunately, many of the trees in the remote back country are gone due to the problem of getting access to them.
Some of these trees are extremely old. The park service recently found and successfully treated a tree that was a seedling when Columbus discovered America. They are keeping this tree’s location a secret, and for good reason. To see entire stands of trees wiped out by this parasite is sad, especially when it’s the old growth trees. However, it’s good when you see some smaller hemlocks fighting through on the edges. My feeling is that it will probably be up to private property owners like us and entities like the National Park Service to save this beautiful tree from utter extinction in our area. We have treated several hemlocks on our property to fight the adelgid and will continue to try and save as many as we can. An endangered tree is no different than any other endangered species.
On Sunday, when I found those tiny hemlock seedlings, growing amongst the leaves, almost invisible in the damp shade of their larger brethren, I paused for reflection. These tiny plants are a symbol of the future…. new life…and hope. These are times when we need such reminders. These reminders show us that even in the face of grave opposition, hope does not dwindle. Even in the darkest of places, there’s always a way.
I will transplant these defiant little hemlocks to pots and help them continue to grow. They would not survive in their current location, shaded and nutrient-deprived by the larger trees next to them. When they are ready, we’ll plant them back into the earth of this mountain, in places where they have plenty of room. Hopefully, they will grow to be tall, evergreen giants one day, serving as symbols of determination and tenacity, silent reminders of the courage that lies within us.
-----------------
More info on hemlocks and the wooly adelgid:
http://www.saveourhemlocks.org/
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/hwa/
http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/animals/hwa.shtml
No comments:
Post a Comment