WATAUGA — Hemlock trees in Western North Carolina are an important and irreplaceable component of the forest ecosystem. These trees have been suffering for more than two decades from the hemlock woolly adelgid.
Native to Japan, hemlock woolly adelgid has been a major forest health concern in North Carolina since the late 1990s when the invasive insect first spread into the state. Now the insect exists in every county in North Carolina that has hemlocks, with infested trees losing needles, branches, and often dying within a few years.
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Thanks to modern technologies, you and more people are reading the Watauga Democrat than ever before. Freedom of the press is essential to preserving democracy: But a free press isn't free. It takes significant resources for Mountain Times Publications' 8 full-time journalists and editors to provide credible, fact-based and ethical journalism in the High Country. So, we are asking you to join our advertisers and print subscribers in supporting local journalism with your dollar. Your financial support will help sustain these services that you use to inform your decisions and engage with your community.
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