Yeo its gonna decimate the hemlocks like the ash and elm and chestnut have gone thru. Real trouble is trout streams will increase to temps that will not support trout without the hemlock in the east.
You're exactly right. And we live in a native trout mecca here where I'm at. Lots of dense, hemlock forests on the mountains around here, and icy cold springs full of native brook trout. It's a shame whats happening to all the different trees and such, that has a direct affect on the ecosystem around them....
Boog, they make a spray that you can put on them to help curb the fungus. My FIL planted a lot of them a while back, and he sprays them every other year. So far, they are OK. But I'm afraid that eventually, once they get pretty big, it's going to be hard to keep up with them.