At Tuxedo Falls, we believe the forest has something to teach us—even in loss. Recently, one of our towering hemlock trees fell victim to the woolly adelgid, a tiny invasive insect that has been quietly devastating hemlock populations across the southern Appalachians. These majestic evergreens—once the giants of the gorge—are now disappearing faster than they can be saved.

But when a tree falls in our forest, we listen. And we get to work.

Rather than cutting up this dying tree and removing it, we carefully guided it to fall across the creek, where it now lives on as the Hemlock Bridge—a footbridge for guests exploring our trail system and waterfalls. What was once a symbol of ecological loss is now a path forward, a piece of living history under your feet.

And nature had one more surprise for us: a bright red reishi mushroom, growing from another fallen hemlock nearby. Revered in herbal medicine for its immune-boosting and calming properties, reishi only grows on certain trees—hemlocks among them. It’s a quiet reminder that even in decay, the forest finds a way to heal and give back.

Not everything can be saved. But some things can be repurposed.

And that, in its own small way, feels like hope.