Council has funding to protect/remove oaks with GSOB
The decade long scourge of Goldspotted Oak Borer (GSOB) continues to
damage and to kill oak trees on the Hill. Despite multiple efforts to
eradicate this nemesis, its destruction is still present.
Callie Squires, executive director for the Mountain Communities Fire
Safe Council (MCFSC), has announced that funding is available either to
spray threatened and damaged trees or to remove dead or dying trees.
Individuals may call MCFSC (see last paragraph) to request an
inspection.
across from Shell.
Photo by Joel Feingold
Warning signs may include red or black staining in dime-sized to half
foot sections, crown thinning, twig and branch die-back, premature leaf
loss, or mall D-shaped exit holes where the beetles pupate and emerge
from the tree, according to MCFSC.
The preventive barrier spray treatment is intended to protect trees from
the invasive GSOB or to prevent further damage if an infestation has
started, according to Squires.
If spraying is needed, there will be no cost to the property owner, she
added. Spring, particularly April and May, is the best time of the year
for this action and success has been noted in the past several years.
Sprayed trees are still living and no further infestation has been seen,
she noted.
“If the tree is very diseased or dead, it may require removal,” Squires
said. “That service will have a 25% cost share.”
MCFSC will offer the project for bid to its group of approved tree
contractors. The lowest bid will be offered to the homeowner. If it is
accepted, the homeowner will pay 25% of the total cost for removal.
MCFSC has about $800,000, from the National Forest Foundation, available
this year for GSOB treatments. About $300,000 will be used for spraying
trees and the balance for removal of dead or dying trees, according to
Squires.
Surprisingly, humans may be unknowing contributors to GSOB infestations.
“We are finding the highest rate of infestation in areas where people
are,” Squires acknowledged. “The highest concentrations are at Humber
Park and Lake Fulmor, and, also near Forest Service campgrounds and
yellow post sites.
“Where people are going for day use, this year there’s evidence of
infestation in about 25% of these active sites,” she noted.
To get help, call MCFSC at 951-659-6208 or send an email to
[email protected].
