T. canadensis sprouts quite readily here in any spot that is mostly shaded and the soil stays moist and is acid to neutral. On my property it's right up there with white pine for prolific natural seeding, so I am not sure why you are concerned.

I don't understand what all the dashes between species is in your question, however. Is it a mix of species, or hybrid, or . . .

No, it was just me being lazy and not typing out "Tsuga" before each species name.

I am concerned because everything I have read indicates that growing Tsuga species from seed is difficult.

I have found that they are easy to germinate, it's the aftercare that I have lost most of them to. For example, I germinated about 30 Tsuga chinensis last year, but lost all except 3 or 4 during the summer, then I lost the rest during this winter attempting to overwinter them in my garage. I think they got too dry despite intermittent watering. Tsuga diversifolia germinated at much lower rates for me, but I still ended up germinating about 15-20, lost a bunch during the summer, had about 10 going into the winter, and it looks like I might have 5 survive being garaged this year.

Compare that to Picea abies, which germinated at nearly 100% and I lost maybe 10 last summer and none in the garage this winter... So yes, Tsuga have been a challenge for me to grow beyond germination... but, I'm sure it's due to my lack of focus or something else... Each year your results will get better

I'd rate Tsuga canandensis as an easy-to-start species. Heck, the woods around here-we don't yet have HWA-are chock-full of young hemlock recruits. The big thing is, once they are up and growing, herbivory protection. Deer in particular see a chocolate ice cream cone when you and I just see a young coniferous tree. Bravo for working with hemlocks. Truly some of the greatest trees, and sadly being decimated in the east by HWA and here in the upper Great Lakes states by deer and by horribly misguided private foresters, who are marking all hemlocks in many private stands for removal, simply because they are perceived as being of low value, in a commodity sense. Shameful practice, that I have had the misfortune of seeing up close.

Thanks for the input guys. Hemlocks hold a special place in my heart as far as trees go. There are still lots of seedlings and saplings here, but very few healthy mature trees. It's very sad. If only the predator beetles were more affordable, I know of several areas where the trees are still healthy enough to be saved. It's torture just having to sit here and wish to be able to help.

Yeah, I'm fearful that HWA will eventually set up shop here in sconnie land. We, by which I mean this state's northeast quadrant, and all of Upper Michigan, (Which is really part of Wisconsin, lol) are said to be the last place where eastern hemlock is still relatively untouched, albeit the utterly out-of-control deer population is doing its best to depress the population of this tree. Therefore, if HWA does get going here, we're SOL for hemlock in eastern N. America. Some places, like right around where my land is, hemlock is easily one of the most common trees, both as mature specimens and especially, as young recruits. Certain patches of woods, it's almost the only tree coming up! Quite a contrast from when I used to think this was a hard plant to get growing! It really wants to be part of the scene.

That's how it is here. I'm touching the Cherokee National Forest, and without have taken any actual plot samples, I feel like hemlock is easily 20-30% of the species on any given plot except the driest. I'm close enough to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, that I have the faintest hope the predator beetles may eventually make their way to where I am. Hopefully it won't be too late.

Protecting the seedlings from rabbits & deer is critical. I forgot to mention that. A single rabbit once ate every one of my maple seedlings... I just get chicken wire and create a dome over the trays.

Tsuga is one of my favorites as well, mostly because of it's exceptional shade tolerance, but also one of the best looking conifers with some snow cover. HWA has decimated the wild populations here in southern New England. The woods I grew up in as a kid was littered with hemlock seedlings and mature specimens as well. There are still some local pockets of healthy trees, but MA is a little too warm to fully prevent damage, while our neighbors to the north in New Hampshire still have stunning hemlock groves, and very little damage as far as I can see. Especially in the White Mountains and north, where the winter temps kill the adelgids.

I suspect Upper Michigan will never have this problem, as your winters are plenty cold to keep these pests in check. At the Arnold Arboretum, they decided to move foward with a replacement plan using Tsuga Chinensis, starting in the early 90's, rather than waiting on the beetles. If you go to hemlock hill today, there are many Chinese hemlocks mixed in with the old eastern hemlocks. It would take a real expert to separate the two species, they look very similar. Some of those hemlocks are now 20+ years old and look great, with no reaction to the adelgids that are still destroying the remaining eastern hemlocks that surround them.

I've never actually seen in person T. chinensis. I'm happy to hear it appears very similar to our eastern hemlock. What should I do once the seeds are done with the cold strat? Put them in some pots in part shade or maybe a covered seed bed?

Yes, SC, I'd heard about the T. chinensis plantings there. Good thing. For that matter, I wouldn't be upset to hear that someone was working to cross these two species with an eye towards increasing resistance to HWA in the resultant cross. Not sure if they're genetically compatible though, but this is where I personally think there is a place for the use of hybrids and non-native genes in our forests. If we're going to be shipping crap all over the planet, often in wooden boxes full of undetected pests, we're simply going to have to get over our hangups about "messin with the genes".....I happen to think. And even though a great deal of my work involves something called "native restoration", I'm no purist at all. Things are badly fugged up and we're not going to get back to 1830 by wishing it were so.