Pine beetles, drought taking toll on pine trees in central Mississippi

‘I don’t think we’ve experienced anything like this in 40 years’

‘I don’t think we’ve experienced anything like this in 40 years’

COMPANY WHO’S SEEN A BOOM IN BUSINESS AS. SLICING. AND DICING. THESE PINE TREES HAVE TO COME DOWN. >> I DON’T THINK WE’VE EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN 40 YEARS. >> YOU SEE THESE HOLES, YOU SEE THE PENCIL SIZED HOLES. >> THAT’S AN INDICATION RIGHT THERE. >> THE SUSPECT IN QUESTION THAT ATTACKED THIS BIG OLD TREE IS A LOT SMALLER THAN YOU THINK. TELL US ABOUT THE PINE BEETLE PANDEMIC. >> YEAH, THE PINE BEETLE THEY’RE DESTROYING PINE TREES LEFT AND RIGHT HERE IN CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. >> SILAS RICHMOND OWNS A LOCAL TREE CUTTING SERVICE. HE AND HIS CREW ARE GETTING AN INFLUX OF CALLS TO CUT DOWN DEAD PINE TREES THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN OVER BY HUNGRY LITTLE BEETLES THAT LEAVE NOTHING BEHIND BUT A CARCASS. >> THE PINE TREES SEND A SIGNAL OUT TO THE PINE BEETLES THAT, HEY, WE’RE STARVED AND COME EAT US, HE SAYS. >> THE EXTREME DROUGHT IS TO BLAME AND THE DEMAND FOR TREE CUTTERS IS EXPLODE. >> ING THE LAST MONTH, I’VE PROBABLY CUT 300 PINE TREES. THAT’S MORE THAN WHAT WE CUT ALL OF LAST YEAR TOGETHER. >> THE BEETLES MAKING THE TREE THEIR HOME IS A HOME OWNER’S NIGHTMARE. IT’S A LIABILITY ISSUE BECAUSE IN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, IF YOU HAVE A DEAD TREE, YOU’RE RESPONSIBLE FOR IT. SUSAN LEBER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR AN ENTIRE YARD OF THEM. WHILE SHE LOVES THE LOOK, THESE CRITTERS AREN’T THE ONES FRONTING THE BILL FOR WHAT COULD BECOME A DANGEROUS SITUATION. >> YOU CAN HAVE A HEALTHY TREE ONE DAY, AND IF YOU’VE GOT A PINE BEETLE POPULATION IN TWO WEEKS, YOU CAN HAVE A MILK CHOCOLATE COVERED TREE. >> IT MAY BE AN APPETIZING SIGN FOR A PINE BEETLE, BUT A SIGNAL FOR HOMEOWNERS LIKE THE LIEBERS THAT IT’S TIME FOR A BIG CHOP. >> IT HAPPENS VERY QUICKLY. THEY’RE AGGRESSIVE AND WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO GET CONTROL OF THEM. >> LEBER AND RICHMOND BOTH STRESS FOR HOMEOWNERS TO TREAT OR CHOP. YOU CAN ALWAYS MAKE ROOM FOR NEW GROWTH. >> WE’RE ALSO GOING TO PLANT SOME NEW TREES. THIS SUSTAINABILITY OF THE EARTH DEPENDS ON THAT. AND SO WE’RE COMMITTED TO THAT AND WE’RE ACTUALLY GOING TO DO THAT IN MADISON, MICHAILA

Pine beetles, drought taking toll on pine trees in central Mississippi

‘I don’t think we’ve experienced anything like this in 40 years’

A local arborist said he’s seeing a critical issue with pine trees and beetles that was brought about by the drought.“I don’t think we’ve experienced anything like this in 40 years,” Silas Richmond, owner of A1 Discount Tree & Lawn Service, said.Richmond pointed out a pencil-sized hole and sawdust on a pine tree that had to come down. “The pine beetle pandemic,” Richmond said. “They’re destroying pine trees left and right here in central Mississippi.”Richmond said his tree-cutting service has been getting an influx of calls to cut down dead pine trees that have been taken over by hungry beetles.“The pine trees send a signal out to the pine beetles and say, ‘Hey, we are starving, come eat us,’” Richmond said.The extreme drought is to blame, and the demand for tree cutters is exploding. “In the last month, I’ve probably cut 300 pine trees. That’s more than what all we cut last year together,” Richmond said.When the beetles make the tree their home, it becomes a nightmare for homeowners.“It’s a liability issue, because in the state of Mississippi, if you have a dead tree, you’re responsible for it,” Richmond said.Susan Leber is responsible for an entire yard of them. While she likes the look, the critters aren’t the ones fronting the bill for what could become a dangerous situation. “You could have a healthy tree one day, and if you have a pine beetle population, in two weeks, you’re going to have a milk chocolate-covered tree,” Leber said.It may be an appetizing sign for a pine beetle, but it is a signal for homeowners like the Lebers that it’s time for a big chop. “It happens very quickly,” Leber said. “They’re aggressive, and we had no choice but to get control of them.”Leber and Richmond both stress the need for homeowners to treat or chop. There is always room for new growth.“We’re also going to plant some new trees,” Richmond said. “The sustainability of the Earth depends on that, so we’re committed to that, and we’re actually going to do that.”

JACKSON, Miss. —

A local arborist said he’s seeing a critical issue with pine trees and beetles that was brought about by the drought.

“I don’t think we’ve experienced anything like this in 40 years,” Silas Richmond, owner of A1 Discount Tree & Lawn Service, said.

Richmond pointed out a pencil-sized hole and sawdust on a pine tree that had to come down.

“The pine beetle pandemic,” Richmond said. “They’re destroying pine trees left and right here in central Mississippi.”

Richmond said his tree-cutting service has been getting an influx of calls to cut down dead pine trees that have been taken over by hungry beetles.

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A pine beetle hole

“The pine trees send a signal out to the pine beetles and say, ‘Hey, we are starving, come eat us,’” Richmond said.

The extreme drought is to blame, and the demand for tree cutters is exploding.

“In the last month, I’ve probably cut 300 pine trees. That’s more than what all we cut last year together,” Richmond said.

When the beetles make the tree their home, it becomes a nightmare for homeowners.

“It’s a liability issue, because in the state of Mississippi, if you have a dead tree, you’re responsible for it,” Richmond said.

Susan Leber is responsible for an entire yard of them. While she likes the look, the critters aren’t the ones fronting the bill for what could become a dangerous situation.

“You could have a healthy tree one day, and if you have a pine beetle population, in two weeks, you’re going to have a milk chocolate-covered tree,” Leber said.

It may be an appetizing sign for a pine beetle, but it is a signal for homeowners like the Lebers that it’s time for a big chop.

“It happens very quickly,” Leber said. “They’re aggressive, and we had no choice but to get control of them.”

Leber and Richmond both stress the need for homeowners to treat or chop. There is always room for new growth.

“We’re also going to plant some new trees,” Richmond said. “The sustainability of the Earth depends on that, so we’re committed to that, and we’re actually going to do that.”