“The project was very complex and difficult.” That’s just part of the way Robert Trickel with the N.C. Forest Service described a project that prompted a recent award for 41 Forest Service employees. Their success in rising to the challenge earned them the NCDA&CS Excellence in Team Accomplishment Award. After the nomination and selection process, […]
N.C. Forest Service Nursery & Tree Improvement Program makes hemlock seedlings available to the public. In 1995, the hemlock woolly adelgid was found in North Carolina for the first time. Although tiny, this invasive insect can kill a massive hemlock in four to ten years. The devastation caused by the hemlock woolly adelgid is hard […]
The N.C. Forest Service Nursery and Tree Improvement Program grew both Eastern and Carolina hemlock for the first time at the Linville River Nursery in 2018 as part of a test program. Having never grown hemlock seedlings, nursery managers wanted the opportunity to see if the imperiled trees would grow well at the mountain nursery […]
Nestled in Cary, Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve is home to an isolated population of more than 200 eastern hemlock trees. Hemlocks, primarily found in the mountains, are long-lived evergreens prized in nature for their vital role in the ecosystem and valued in landscapes for their graceful appearance and response to pruning. Remnants from an era […]
The Hemlock Restoration Initiative brings hope to hemlock’s future For years, the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid has slowly but surely eaten away at the native hemlocks gracing our state’s beautiful mountain landscapes. Many of these once stunning and elegant trees are now gray ghosts, killed by an insect not much larger than the period at […]
The distinctive forests of Western N.C. are prized and enjoyed by many. Evidenced by the fact that Great Smoky Mountains National Park boasts the most visitors of all National Parks, visitors flock to the area to take in mountainous vistas or navigate trails winding through forests and past waterfalls. The area truly is a gem for […]
Each week we round up the latest N.C. agricultural headlines from news outlets across the state and country, as well as excerpts from the stories. Click on the links to go straight to the full story. “NC State Presses For $180M Plant Sciences Plan with Ag Industry,” Xconomy: Agriculture is a $78 billion annual business […]
WNC Communities announced three awards totaling $75,000 to help to restore North Carolina’s hemlock trees to long-term health. The awards program is a part of the new Hemlock Restoration Initiative, a cooperative effort launched by Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler and the NCDA&CS through a grant to WNC Communities. Hemlocks across Western North Carolina are being […]
Each week we round up the latest N.C. agricultural headlines from news outlets across the state and country, as well as excerpts from the stories. Click on the links to go straight to the full story. “Lowes Foods steps up efforts to buy food directly from local farmers,” Greensboro News & Record: Brenda Sutton’s farm in […]
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.” Hemlock trees across Western North Carolina are being devastated by the hemlock woolly adelgid, an insect that sucks the sap of young twigs, which leads to tree death. The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is […]
As temperatures decrease across North Carolina, you’ve probably noticed that insect activity has also decreased. Insects are not warm-blooded like we are; rather, their bodies fluctuate with the temperatures surrounding them. This is why on sunny days you see more insects flying around or sunning themselves and on cold winter nights you see less and […]
Across western North Carolina, the landscape is changing. Mountainous forests once ruled by hemlock trees are left with gray shadows where the evergreen giants previously stood. The culprit to this massive forest fatality is the tiny hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive insect from Asia. The adelgid has already infested and killed many of North Carolina’s […]