Although statistics aren’t kept on the number of injuries and fatalities caused by falling limbs and trees, there’s reason to believe that the risks are on the rise.
According to an expert from the American Hiking Society:
“A lot of forests are suffering, whether it’s from pine beetles, other invasive species, or diseases that are causing trees to die off,” says Trimble. “The likelihood of trees falling down is a much lower possibility when there is a forest full of healthy trees, and there are a lot of unhealthy forests…”
While that quote is referencing forests in California, it’s clear that similar things are happening to us in upstate New York, the Mid-Hudson Valley, and the Catskills. As we covered in a previous blog post, there are many reports of invasives like oriental bitterstweet, the emerald ash borer, the hemlock woolly adelgid, the elongate hemlock scale that are threatening otherwise healthy trees and causing premature disease and death, which in turn can lead to an increase in the risk of falling limbs that cause injuries.
According to one expert from the Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies, there are only about 15-20 species of tree that are indigenous to the Northeast. A very common one in our area is the ash tree; the emergence of the emerald ash borer since 2010 has led to massive losses. In some areas, there is a death rate of 100%. When a tree is dying or dead, it’s only a matter of time before limbs will fall and risk causing injuries or property damage, not to mention spreading disease to other nearby trees.
According to the Ecological Research Institute, the local fatality rates for ash trees are:
| Big Indian: 37% | Boiceville: 95% | Highland: 98% | Kingston: 95% |
| Margaretville: 43% | Malden: 97% | Millbrook: 98% | Millerton: 10% |
| Milton: 54% | New Paltz: 77% | Poughkeepsie: 78% | Red Hook: 64% |
| Rhinebeck: 89% | Saugerties: 83% | Shokan: 98% | Staatsburg: 83% |
| Stone Ridge: 100% | Tivoli: 37% | West Hurley: 100% | West Saugerties: 100% |
Whether you have an ash tree or another kind of tree, our services at Expert Tree Service can help prolong the life of your tree to avoid having to remove it. Tree trimming can promote healthy growth, while our feeding and cabling services provide your trees with the essential nutrients they require for vitality and resilience. Give us a call at 845-331-6782 to learn more.