"Hemlock Friends", a Connestee Falls volunteer group spearheaded by resident Lisa Smith, teamed up in 2012 to help save Connestee's hemlock trees from the threat of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA). Hemlock Friends volunteers completed a comprehensive hemlock inventory, which was used to guide a treatment plan developed in collaboration with the local non-profit, Hemlock Restoration Initiative (HRI). Over the next 3 years, Hemlock Friends volunteers treated over 2,000 CF hemlocks to prevent the spread of the invasive HWA. In 2023, this hemlock treatment was expanded by NRCS Board member Roger Witmer to include trees located on homeowner properties at the homeowner’s request. As you hike our trails or evaluate hemlocks on your property, a blue or orange paint spot on the trunk near ground level indicates that the tree has been treated.​ Hemlocks must be treated against HWA every 5 years. In March 2026, NRSC and HRI hosted a training session in preparation for the hemlock treatment, beginning in Spring 2026.