A spiritual connection

It can live for more than 400 years, and its thick canopy offers shade to countless forests. Thriving in the North Atlantic and New England, the eastern hemlock, or Tsuga canadensis, ranges from northeastern Minnesota to Nova Scotia, covering the Appalachian Mountains as well as coastal areas and reaching as far south as northern Georgia.

“It is the most shade-tolerant tree in North America,” says forestry entomologist Scott Salom. “Because the eastern hemlock can grow in complete shade and survive, it is a keystone species in advanced-stage and diverse (climax) ecosystems.”

Left undisturbed, this tall, latesuccessional tree will dominate a stand and generate a dense canopy. Its cool understory creates an ideal microhabitat for riparian or waterside ecosystems.

“Brook trout are found more commonly in streams bordered by hemlocks because of the cooling effect of the canopy,” says Salom, a former forester whose interest in natural resources was piqued years ago when he worked for an organization that aids damaged trees.

“Hemlock stands also provide important field cover for ruffed grouse, turkey, snowshoe hare, and rabbit. Numerous bird and plant species are associated with natural hemlock stands.”

Although T. canadensis is not valuable as timber, many scientists and outdoor enthusiasts have what Salom describes as “a spiritual connection” to the tree. With more than 240 cultivars, the eastern hemlock is one of the most cultured and cultivated landscape trees in the United States.

“When eastern hemlock is gone, there will be no other trees with similar characteristics to replace it,” Salom warns.

Above: Steve Baskauf took this photo of a gorgeous, mature hemlock forest in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2002. Below: Baskauf hiked there again in summer 2007 and reports, “Nearly all of the hemlocks on that trail are now either dead or dying.”