Cornelius’ Corner: The Story Behind the Tree Stumps
Hi friends,
Tales on Trails
I hope you have a warm, snug log to hang out in over the next few weeks- it looks like it’s going to be chilly out! Last week, I took advantage of the warmer weather to stretch my scales and help my coworkers swap out the story book in the Tales on Trails signs. It’s hard to open the signs when you don’t have thumbs, but I think I provide a lot of good moral support. Plus the signs are fun to climb on!
Stumps along the beech trail
While I was helping, I noticed a bunch of fresh tree stumps along the Beech Trail and near the parking lot. It was sad to see the stumps, but the trees were taken down because they had been dropping dead limbs on the trails and my coworkers were worried that they would cause damage. It’s important to keep everybody safe!
Infected beech leaves
Unfortunately, these probably will not be the last trees to be removed in the coming years, thanks to Beech Leaf Disease (BLD). This disease is associated with an invasive microscopic nematode that feeds on developing leaf buds of American Beech trees. As the tiny worm feeds, it damages the tree’s tissues and causes deformed leaves. When lots of nematodes are present, so much damage occurs that the tree’s leaves die off completely!
Beech Leaf Disease was first identified in the United States in 2012, but it has spread rapidly since then. The first sign of BLD in the park was seen last spring, when funny dark stripes started showing up on leaves. The nematodes probably hitched a ride on the wind, on wildlife, or on infected lumber, but researchers still have a lot of work to do to understand the full picture.
Trout lilies thrive in the dappled shade under the beech tree canopy
Individual trees can be treated with a systemic pesticide, but treating a whole forest like we have in the park is way too expensive! Because of this, my coworkers are focusing on protecting the forest’s overall structure rather than beech trees specifically. As trees die, we will be planting new oaks, maples, tulip poplar, and other tree species in the gaps left behind. This ensures continued canopy cover, and protects the trout lilies, mayapples and other spring ephemeral wildflowers from getting too much sun.
While losing such big beautiful trees is always difficult, you can be sure that my coworkers will do the very best they can to keep the park’s forests safe and healthy. If you want to help, consider signing up for one of our upcoming Habitat Stewards programs. Once a month, we get together to complete projects that help to make the park a better place for wildlife, native plants, and the people who enjoy them. We would love to have you join us!
Your friendly (not currently in the) neighborhood corn snake,
-Cornelius
