Witnessing a dying breed of tree

Last month, Xpress writer Kent Priestley took to the woods with arborist Will Blozan. Their destination: a north-facing cove in the Cataloochee section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The objective: to get measurements of a giant Eastern hemlock tree.

The story appears in this week’s Xpress, and the online version also includes a slideshow made up of pictures and audio from his trip with Blozan.

— Jon Elliston, managing editor

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Jon Elliston
Former Mountain Xpress managing editor Jon Elliston is the senior editor at WNC magazine.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

3 thoughts on “Witnessing a dying breed of tree

  1. Excellent story, Kent.

    I assume you saw the similar story in the NYT a couple of weeks ago?

    I had students writing about the wooly adelgid ten years ago in an enviromental journalism class I taught at Warren Wilson. I wonder how many trees have died since then?

  2. Hey Kent, I heard you on the radio talking about this. I just wanted to say it was a great and very informative interview.

Leave a Reply to Kent Priestley ×

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.