Hemlocks dying

[BroadHopper]

Always contact UNH whenever you have any questions about plants. They are the most knowledgeble folks in the business. They also gather all informations and create statistical studies.

[ArborTech]

Being in the business of trees, I have used the UNH Cooperative extension offices many times in order to gain answers to the unexplained.

I have taken down better then a hundred of these declining hemlocks in the recent years. I have been able to find the reason for each of their demise. Sometimes it is as simple as soil compaction or construction stress or as complex as changes in soil hydrology or insect infestation.

One important thing to note: If the trees you are thinking are dead are in a location that has limited equipment access, it is important to get someone to look at them sooner rather then later. Once the trees are to compromised to climb safely (if need be), the job only gets harder.

Reguardless, the county forester is a great source of information. The Belknap county forester is Andy Fast and he is based out of Laconia.

[Rattlesnake Guy]

ArborTech
Our place on Rattlesnake is Hemlock heaven. When we counted the rings on one we lost a few years ago it was about a hundred years old. Watching the small ones grow over the last 8 years, we notice that they grow very slow.

Is there anything we could do pro-actively to help them be more disease and bug tolerant?

We can't imagine what the lot would be like without the giants.

[ArborTech]

I can really appreciate those stately older trees that are around the lake. They've certainly been through alot. As for preserving their health, pruning out any dead, diseased or damaged limbs (from top to bottom) will improve the trees overall health. There are many measures that tree companies can provide (structural pruning, cabling, fertilizing, etc.) in order to maintain the trees, but as for the home/landowner the practices may be limited.

-Avoid having heavy equipment consistently passing over the root systems of the trees. Soil compaction eliminates oxygen in the soil. I see this alot around the lake.

-Prevent redirection of surface or ground water. This often happens when new culverts or drainage ditches are installed. However, leach fields, dry wells, and perimeter drains can contribute to this problem as well.

-If you have construction done on your property, don't let trees get soil mounded up around the base (backfilled to high) or have the bark scraped off the bottom. This will cause almost certain decline.

-At all costs....don't girdle the tree with chain, rope, cable or anything else! I run into this at least once a week working around the lake. People use the trees to hold up their docks, swings and numerous other things. This will certainly kill the tree eventually. There are other noninvasive ways to do this.


These are just a few things you can do to help the trees on your property. Pests and insects are hard to combat without outside help. Pruning is always an affordable option to improve the health of your trees.