Helton Creek Falls Recreation Area temporarily closed

GAINESVILLE - The Helton Creek Falls Recreation Area will be temporarily closed beginning for several weeks as of today.

The U.S. Forest Service says this is to protect the public from hazardous conditions relating to the replacement of an observation deck. In addition, several large dead or dying hemlock trees that pose a hazard will also be removed.

The area, a part of the Chattahoochee National Forest, which is located off Helton Creek Road near Vogel State Park, is expected to be closed for several weeks until work is completed and conditions are safe for the public. Forest Service Road 118 will remain open.

"It s necessary for us to close the entire recreation area until the work is completed because of the nature of the site and the complication of transporting materials in and out," said Andy Baker, District Ranger for the Blue Ridge District. "Special equipment must be installed to move materials and equipment into and out of the site, which otherwise can only be accessed by a hiking trail.  Our primary concern is for the safety of the public and the people working on this project,."

Baker apologized for the inconvenience the temporary closure will create during the fall color season when so many people are visiting the forest. But he said completing the work before the onset of winter weather ensures the area will be ready for visitors next spring.

The death of hemlock trees in the area resulted from a non-native insect pest called the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). HWA has spread rapidly since its introduction and now occurs in 18 states from southeastern Maine to northeastern Georgia and west to eastern Kentucky and Tennessee. In 2011 more than 700 acres in the Chattahoochee National Forest were treated for HWA as part of an active maintenance and restoration program for the hemlocks. Eastern and Carolina hemlocks have no natural defense against HWA, and extensive tree mortality and decline are common. Hemlock is an ecologically important species in many habitats and irreplaceable for its biodiversity value and as an old growth species.