I inherited a strand of Hemlocks (did not plant them). I have to say, I do love'em. Yes, they seem very healthy, and no, I do virtually nothing for them. Yes, I have seen a few adellgids, but they never seem to get the upper hand. I hose off a couple of branches (2-3) and that's it. 99 % of the grove is fine. They have been here for a while. Don't know what the future will bring, but happy someone (perhaps in the distant past) planted them. Perhaps they are resistant, or I am lucky. Perhaps they will succumb next year or in the distant future...will worry about it later if at all, I guess. This is a generally moderate climate though--with tons of rain, maybe more stressed, the adellgids win. Do what you want is my message, there are no guarantees anyway in this world. Good luck! This post was edited by njoasis on Fri, Jul 26, 13 at 18:45

Hemlocks I've seen in the forest that have been tipped over by the wind have had root systems flat as a pancake. I suppose someone will now point out that the deep-rooted ones don't windthrow! But, I'm in agreement with the above comments........not likely to cause a problem. Bboy alludes to old pipes. While not an inexpensive proposition, new water and sewer laterals are wonderful things. +oM

Get rid of the blue spruce and leave nothing of it on your immediate property. The disease is transmitted by spores into open wounds of surrounding conifers. So #1 get rid of the blue spruce and burn it if you can or have someone else burn it. Canaan. Why invest in a hemlock when wooly adelgid is present and when Canaan will be maintenance free? It doesn't make sense. Canaan is a great conifer. I happen to like them enough that I have 25 or so planted here. Get the blue spruce stump ground down and begin killing it and plant another tree when you are able to. Picea omorika is resistant to Cytospora canker and is a handsome tree. A quick reference link below, for you. Dax Here is a link that might be useful: Cytospora Canker of Spruce

I would not include z6. There is a clear line at the New Hampshire border where the eastern hemlock still thrives. Maybe z5 in western MA is Ok as well, but they have been absolutely decimated in z6. Of 1900 hemlocks at the Arnold arboretum, they have had to remove 500, and 100% are infected. This is just since 1997, and with some of the best plantsman and horticulturalists in the world monitoring and treating them. The good news is that the Chinese hemlocks planted almost 20 years ago at the Arnold look fantastic, and have proved to be fully immune to HWA. The Adelgids do not even live on the trees, unlike the western hemlock, which has a high tolerance, but is not immune. The western hemlock still gets HWA, it just doesn't impact the tree the same way it does on the Eastern hemlock. Also, as mentioned, Western hemlock was ruled out as a replacement option on the east coast because they do not survive/thrive here long term. The beetle may make an impact in the long term, but I wouldn't bank on it. It's been 20 years and that idea has yet to show real promise. For z6 plus, go with Tsuga chinensis. For colder climates Tsuga diversifolia is an option down to Z4-Z6, but they seem do suffer in anything beyond Z6. Chinensis on the other hand, has been reported to do well as far south as Georgia Also, in addition to Tsuga canadensis, Tsuga caroliniana is also very vulnerable to HWA. Caroliniana forests have been totally destroyed. This was considered the hemlock for the south, hopefully Chinensis can prove a reasonable replacement.