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Significant Percentage of Hardwood Trees in Trouble

Ash trees in this area have been in decline in the past few years due to an invasive insect known as the Emerald Ash Borer. A telltale sign of the presence of this borer is woodpecker activity on the tree – they are looking to get at the borer larvae within the tree. Another sign is fallen bark pieces around the tree – from the woodpeckers drilling.

This year we have been getting a number of calls to remove ash trees that are dead because of this borer. We recommend removing any declining/dead ash trees this year before they deteriorate further. The longer an ash tree is dead the harder it can be to remove safely.

Another tree species suffering is the beech tree. A nematode, Litylenchus crenatae mccannii, affects the leaves which may curl or stripe & eventually yellow, wither & fall off. This is the first year that we have experienced this problem which is known as Beech Leaf Disease. It is fairly new & there is not much information on how it travels & what can be done to treat affected trees. We will be monitoring this & recommend that if you have beech trees on your property to be on the lookout for changes to the leaves. A liquid compost treatment which is an application of beneficial nutrients may help to keep beech trees in good health to help combat this disease.

John Depew
Mill River Tree Service

Serving Serving Westchester & Fairfield Counties, Block Island & Rhode Island Emergency Service Available