The facility has now closed 17 miles of trails to the public because of the dying trees.
"They create a fall hazard for the public, a safety hazard for the public, and so we've had to make the decision to close all of our trails," said Mike Skuja, the executive director of the arboretum."These trees are unpredictable. It's not just wind and rain events, they can break off, fall," said Skuja."The emerald ash borer, which is an invasive beetle, causes a lot of damage through the bark.
The arboretum has a contract arborist who's been dealing with the issue since late August. The team is currently in the first phase of work, trying to take out 584 trees. Tearing down these trees would open up 9.5 miles of trails. They're also working to regenerate and restore habitats at the same time.
While the removal work is underway, they are creating a new walk called the Wister Walk, which will be a 2.5-mile loop. "We need to look at where the trees are falling, slope, deal with weather; there's just a lot variables and so I think we're moving as fast as we can," said Skuja.Copyright © 2023 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
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