In the early half of the 20th century, the American chestnut tree became virtually extinct with over 3 billion of the plants being lost as an Asian bark fungus ravished the greater part of the eastern United States. Fortunately, for native ecosystems, the chestnut oak was able to fill the void created by the devastation.
In the early portion of the 21st century, the eastern hemlock could be headed for the same fate in Kentucky, and other parts of the country, but the outcome could be much more dire.
"This is the possibility of an extinction from Kentucky's natural areas," said Alice Mandt, an environmental technologist with the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission and a co-founder of the Save Kentucky's Hemlocks organization. "Eastern hemlocks are a foundation species, which means their presence defines the ecosystem, and the plants and the animals that are there depend on that unique habitat they create. If we lose these trees, you will not be able to get them back; there will not be another tree to create the same ecosystem."
The mortality is being caused by a tiny insect from Asia called the hemlock woolly adelgid. The insect attaches itself to the base of the hemlock needles and sucks out the nutrients, eventually killing the tree over a two to three year period.
Of the 24-state range with natural eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis), 18 have reported adelgid infestation. In the states that are heavily infested, they have lost 80 to 90 percent of their eastern hemlocks. According to Mandt the adelgid was first discovered in Kentucky in 2006, and since its discovery here the insect has been identified in eight Eastern Kentucky counties, including Powell County, home to the Red River Gorge and the Natural Bridge State Park.
"We have seen several dead hemlocks in Kentucky, but right now one of our biggest problems is the general public does not know what to look for," she said. "Besides the white wooly masses on the underside of the tree's needles, landowners should look for a reduction in new growth, needle drop, thinning in the crown and branch tip dieback."
Mandt had never heard of the adelgid until the day it was discovered in Kentucky, and she remembers an overwhelming sense of sadness and helplessness from everyone. Later, when she and others were hiking in an old-growth hemlock forest, they sat down and said: "'What can we do? We cannot lose these trees.' And that's the day we formed Save Kentucky's Hemlocks."
Save Kentucky's Hemlocks is a partnership of citizens, nonprofits, universities and government agencies working in tandem to help offset the destruction caused by the adelgid, which doesn't include just tree loss, but potential damage to adjacent properties and land when dead trees are left to linger. Right now the organization is trying to inform the public about the problem to try to prevent further damage by working with landowners and ecologists in Kentucky.
"We are starting to prioritize the natural areas that are old-growth hemlock forests, areas that have rare species, trees that have some historical value or might be standing next to a historical building - things that would be important to Kentuckians," Mandt said. "Kentucky has a real chance of saving a piece of our natural heritage that so many other states have lost. It is very humbling to be involved with preserving the legacy of this graceful tree."
In a unique tour de force to introduce the public to Save Kentucky's Hemlocks and the problems they are trying to combat, an impressive mix of artists and musicians will be on hand for the Tsuga Art & Music show, which features a group art show of 25 artists and a musical lineup that includes local bands The Swells and Englishmen, as well as the venerable Will Oldham (Bonny Prince Billy) from Louisville.
More a conscious-raising event than fundraiser, Greg Abernathy, a co-organizer, wants the to use the occasion to usher in the theme "Support Art! Support Conservation!" to foster a cross-pollination of interests.
"It just seems like the perfect way to bring together a diverse group of people around an issue," Abernathy said. "Let's expose a bunch of people to artists and bands they haven't heard, but also expose a lot of people to the issues. So there will be a lot of diverse reasons people show up for the event. My hope for the event is that everybody who comes out will walk away with something new, whether it's understanding and appreciating hemlocks, or there's this new band that caught their ear that they had no idea about, or there is this new artist that they never heard about."
Abernathy, also an employee with the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission, said the artists who will be exhibiting their work were given a description about the hemlock plight, but left the theme open to the artists. Expect works ranging in painting, art prints, stain glass, ceramic tile, sculpture and film. Artists are not required to donate their pieces, only a small percentage if the piece is sold.
"I see the people involved with this monumental hemlock project, and then the artists who have agreed to participate and the musicians who will be performing," Abernathy said. "Collectively, it really makes me proud to call Kentucky home, because there's this amazing energy and talent here and this event really spotlights that."
For more information on Save Kentucky's Hemlocks, visit www.kyhemlocks.org.