The Board of Commissioners awarded Michael Gentile a Tree Stewardship Award (March 12, 2012) for the steps he has taken to preserve a large Weeping Canadian Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis ‘Pendula’) at his home on Sylvan Drive. The tree was planted in the 1950s. When Mr. Gentile bought the home in 2004, the former owner told him that she was offered $15,000 for the tree. When a big snowstorm in 2010 caused some minor splitting in three of the branches, Mr. Gentile took action. “I went to considerable expense to prevent further damage by having a bolt inserted in each of two branches and a sling installed under a third branch to support it.”

Native to Eastern North America, the Canadian Hemlock is Pennsylvania’s State Tree. In recent years, this species has had severe problems with scale, wooly adelgid, and mites, requiring spraying to keep it healthy. Cultivars, such a ‘Pendula’, tend to be somewhat healthier as Mr. Gentile’s tree certainly appears to be.