Race To Save Trees From Deadly Southern Pine Beetle Infestation

EAST HAMPTON, NY — The race is on to save trees from a deadly infestation of Southern pine beetles in East Hampton.

A state of emergency was declared last month in East Hampton Town due to an infestation of the bugs, Supervisor Larry Cantwell said.

Cantwell said the emergency was declared in an effort to combat and manage the outbreak in a section of Northwest Woods.

And now, according to Cantwell, 7,000 trees have been infested; so far, approximately 3,500 have been cut, with another 3,500 to go. The area affected encompasses about 300 acres, the supervisor added.

Cantwell added that if the number of affected trees does not grow, the town hopes to be done razing the 3,500 trees in the next 3 to 4 weeks.

The town has been utilizing 2 private contractors, including its own staff of 2, to cut the trees on both public and private property. "We are cutting trees with owners' permission on private property but we are not removing them — that's the owners' responsibility," Cantwell said.

So far, the town has spent $100,000 and the likelihood is that the number could double, with approximately another $100,000 needed moving forward, the supervisor said.

The infestation has dealt a heavy blow to the town, Cantwell said.

"When you go to the properties and look at the felled trees and the event of the damage, it's devastating," the supervisor said.

"The threat of tree loss from pine beetle infestation of pitch pine forests is great where an outbreak spreads rapidly during certain times of the year," Cantwell added. "The adult beetle tunnels through the tree underneath the bark, killing the tree in 2 to 4 months."

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation explained that Southern pine beetles, or SPBs, are a bark beetle that infests pine trees. The beetle is small, only 2 to 4 mm in length, about the size of a grain of rice, and is red-brown to black in color.

The Town of East Hampton has declared the emergency given the current outbreak, as well as due to the threat of the outbreak spreading further, Cantwell said.

The southern pine beetle infestation is present on both public and private properties, he said.

If a property owner suspects that pitch pines located on their property are infested, they should contact the town's land management department arrange for a site visit to help determine whether the pine beetle is present, as well as the extent of any infestation, Cantwell said.

Land management, along with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, will also help to identify and mark trees for potential cutting to help stop the spread of the infestation; because of the urgent need to control the infestation from spreading, the town has begun an emergency program to cut infested trees to the ground — the recommended management technique — on public property, the supervisor said.

In addition, the town aims to provide assistance from retained private tree contractors to willing private property owners in the area of the infestation to fell infected trees; the assistance program will provide tree cutting to the ground for infested trees as identified by land management that have a likelihood of spreading infestation to other properties, Cantwell explained.

Details on the assistance program can be obtained by contacting the land management department 631-324-7420 and scheduling a site visit, the supervisor advised.

For additional information on Southern pine beetles from the NYSDEC, click here.

Photo courtesy New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.