Dead or dying ash trees at 23 rest stations atop the Wyoming Valley Levee will be removed starting Monday, weather permitting, according to Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority Executive Director Christopher Belleman.
The approximately 66 ash trees were planted near benches in the late 1990s as part of the levee-raising project because they had a shallow root structure and appeared to be disease tolerant, Belleman said.
All were later attacked by a beetle, the emerald ash borer, which likely arrived in the United States from Asia on packing crates around the mid-2000s, he said.
The infected trees no longer produce leaves, are riddled with holes and are losing bark, said Vince Cotrone, an urban forester with the Penn State Cooperative Extension who is assisting the authority with the project.
“From a safety standpoint, we have to take them down because a branch could fall down,” Cotrone said. “They initially grew well and provided shade, but with the emerald ash borer in Luzerne County, there’s nothing you can do.”
Instead of hiring a tree removal company, the authority has assigned levee maintenance crews to remove the trees and grind down the stumps, Belleman said.
A mix of “hardy” species will be planted at the rest areas in the fall — including red maples, London planetrees, hackberries and Accolade elms — to provide shade and ensure diversity, Belleman said.
“We try to preach building diversity because if something else attacks, it won’t take out the entire batch,” Cotrone said.
The purchase of new trees will be covered by a $5,100 TreeVitalize grant obtained through the state Urban and Community Forestry Council, Belleman said.
The ash tree stumps will be kept if the authority determines grinding will destabilize the levee bank, Cotrone said.
The rest stations were added to enhance public recreational use and “soften the look” of the 16-mile flood control system along the Susquehanna River, Belleman said. The stations include juniper shrubs, informational kiosks and trash cans, Belleman said.
Authority officials removed ash trees from the more than 250 trees planted along the levee’s River Common recreation area in Wilkes-Barre in 2008 because the emerald ash borer beetle had arrived by then, officials said at that time.
The fall was chosen for planting because the trees must be dormant, or without leaves, Cotrone said.
