Nebraska trees suffering through drought, pests

By Les Mann

It's almost all bad news for trees in the Arbor Day state.

That was the key message delivered to a capacity crowd of tree lovers, professional arborists and nursery enthusiasts at the Lifelong Learning Center in Norfolk on Thursday.

Presenters from the Nebraska Forest Service and University of Nebraska Extension tried to lay the groundwork for mitigating some of the deadly ills facing trees in Nebraska. They repeatedly praised the 60-plus attendees at Thursday's session for showing greater interest than other areas of the state where they have delivered their call to arbor-action.

Unprecedented drought conditions last year coupled with above-average temperatures means that the drier soil surrounding tree roots often is pulling moisture from the trees instead of the other way around, said Graham Herbst, a tree scientist.

When the trees are stressed by drought and heat, especially the non-native varieties or ones that were improperly planted, they become much more susceptible to a vast array of deadly pests and diseases, including pine wilt which is devastating area conifers.

"I'd hate to be a tree in Nebraska," quipped forester Justin Evertson.

He also elicited some dark "tree hugger humor" when he said there may be a silver lining to the drought — it's about the only thing that has been able to kill invasive red cedars.

There's even a human toll as a result of tree loss, according to area forester Steve Rasmussen. He set the tone for the day when he cited a recent study in a respected medical journal that correlated increases in human mortality rates due to cardiovascular and respiratory tract illnesses within counties in the U.S. where the emerald ash borer has killed a significant number of trees.

There's a direct relationship between the natural environment and public health, he said.

Read the rest of the story here.

Photo courtesy of Nebraska Forest Service