Efforts to protect centuries-old eastern hemlock trees from an invasive insect are expanding in Nova Scotia after a volunteer group found success in the Tobeatic Wilderness Area. The adelgid has been wreaking havoc on hemlocks in eastern North America — including Nova Scotia — for years. They kill hemlock trees by attaching themselves to the base of needles and feeding on sugars, starving the tree of nutrients. © Phlis McGregor/CBC A hand is seen on the trunk of an eastern hemlock tree on the island. Miller said he's optimistic about the future of hemlock trees in Nova Scotia.