How to spot eastern hemlock
- Short, flat needles with two white stripes underneath
- Soft, feathery, drooping evergreen branches
- Small cones hanging from the branch tips
- Often planted as a screen or found in cool, shaded woodland
Eastern hemlock is the Pennsylvania state tree and a beautiful evergreen for shade and screening — but it's in trouble. The hemlock woolly adelgid, a tiny invasive insect that shows up as little white cottony tufts on the undersides of the needles, has been killing hemlocks throughout our region.
An infested hemlock thins out and declines over several years. When one near the house dies, it becomes a brittle hazard, and that's usually when we get the call to take it down safely.
Common problems we see on eastern hemlock
This is general guidance from three decades of tree work across the Philadelphia area — not a formal diagnosis. When it matters, we'll come look at the actual tree and give you a straight answer, free.
Brennan Tree Service has cared for trees across the Philadelphia area since 1994.
Frequently asked questions
What is the white fuzzy stuff on my hemlock?
Those cottony white tufts on the undersides of the needles are hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive insect that slowly kills hemlocks. A declining hemlock near the house can become a brittle hazard — worth having looked at.