Old Clarkesville Cemetery

Old Clarkesville Cemetery. Est. 1831. Many of the hemlock trees in The Old Clarkesville Cemetery are markers for graves. In the 19th century, people carried their markers to the cemetery, and a small hemlock tree was often planted at the head of a loved one's grave. While touring the cemetery, notice that many of the hemlocks are in line with headstones of other graves., This hemlock slab is from an old hemlock tree that was used to mark a grave near the center of the cemetery. By counting the rings, it was determined that this tree was planted around the year 1859. The tree fell and was removed from the cemetery in 2017., Hemlock trees are of the genus Tsuga and are native to North America and Central and Eastern Asia. This slab is an Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) of North America, also called Canadian hemlock and hemlock spruce., These hemlocks are facing the problem of Hemlock Woolly Adelgids, insects native to East Asia that feed by sucking the sap out of hemlock trees. In their native range, Woolly Adelgids are not a serious pest because of natural predators, parasitoids, and natural resistance. "Save Georgia's Hemlocks" is a group of volunteers that help raise awareness of Woolly Adelgids as well as provide treatment solutions for threatened hemlocks.