JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — A baby hemlock tree was introduced to the grounds at Autrey Mill Nature Center in celebration of Arbor Day Feb. 16.
Johns Creek City Councilman Dilip Tunki, a former board member at Autrey Mill, and Assistant to the City Manager Olivia Gazda, who helped secure the city’s first Tree City USA certification for the year of 2023, joined Autrey Mill Executive Director Lizen Hayes and community volunteer Will Lance for the ceremony.
“There’s a disease that’s been killing the hemlock trees by the millions, literally up in the Appalachians and all the way across to the Great Lakes,” said Lance, who brought the hemlock for planting.
Lance said the disease is brought on by a microscopic insect, a woolly adelgid, which can kill a good-sized hemlock in half a decade once it infects the tree. His efforts to save hemlocks started more than a decade ago, rescuing them and planting them in the Atlanta area, quarantining them away from threats.
“This is one of my favorite places to do that because Autrey Mill has been real cooperative about it,” Lance said. “With their conservation ethic, I figured it was a good place to plant it.”
Autrey Mill works with the City of Johns Creek to ensure that rivers and streams are healthy and clean. This year, Hayes said there will be three creek cleanings.
“It’s important to celebrate the trees because we need them to breathe fresh air, and they keep our rivers and streams shaded, specifically the hemlocks, and that provides good environments for multiple different species…” Hayes said.
Hayes also mentioned the oak trees are endangered by a fungal disease.
“The forests here in the southeast, in particular, are in danger and with climate change, we’re facing…
Read the full article here
