The Death of Another Great Tree

Five years ago, Gossips did a series of posts called "Showcasing Hudson's Great Trees." Among the dozen or so trees included were two rare surviving American elm trees--one in the 200 block of Partition Street, the other in the 200 block of Columbia Street.

 

The elm tree on Partition Street died two years ago, and its owner reluctantly removed it at the beginning of this summer. 

Now the elm tree on Columbia Street is also dead. According to some reports, it has not leafed out in two years.

The tree stands on property belonging to the Hudson Community Development & Planning Agency. Sheena Salvino, who is the executive director of HCDPA as well as Hudson Development Corporation (HDC), told Gossips that an arborist examined the tree last year, when it had a few remaining leaves. Although the tree appeared at the time to be "past recovery," the arborist suggested that the tree be given one more year to see if it might rejuvenate, but it has not. Neighbors are said to be complaining about falling branches, and the tree is now considered a nuisance and a safety issue. The tree service that has been hired to remove it is expected to "get to it" in three weeks.

After surviving the Dutch elm disease epidemic of the mid-20th century, these two stately elms apparently have succumbed to a disease called elm yellows.
COPYRIGHT 2016 CAROLE OSTERINK