REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - Five red oak trees at Grove Park should be removed soon after a new assessment found signs of bacterial leaf scorch. 14 other trees were also recommended to be removed, said Rehoboth Beach. This comes after the park's closure and the relocation of the city's weekly farmers' market.
City Arborist Mike Lilly and Delaware Department of Agriculture Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator and certified arborist Taryn Davidson inspected 48 trees at the park Monday, Aug. 17. SavATree had been expected to participate in a Level 2 canopy assessment but did not send a representative, according to the city.Â
The assessment found five red oaks with very poor canopy growth that should be removed as soon as possible. Three are near the park's restrooms and two are near the storage shed, said the city.
The trees show signs of bacterial leaf scorch, a disease spread by insects that feed on trees. The city said there is no cure for the disease, and an infected tree typically has three to eight years remaining. It is unclear when the five trees became infected, but the assessment found they have declined significantly since tree work was completed earlier this year.
The city plans to remove the five trees as soon as possible and is looking for a service that could begin the work as early as this week. Insecticides will also be used to help prevent insects carrying bacterial leaf scorch from spreading the disease. The city says those insects could potentially affect oaks, maples and sycamores.
The city says bacterial leaf scorch can progress quickly and the affected trees may have contracted the disease as long as three years ago. Symptoms often do not appear until late August or early September. During an assessment two years ago, the trees appeared healthy and had full canopies, according to the city.
Grove Park will reopen to foot traffic once the five trees are removed and insecticide treatments are completed, according to the city. Additional pruning is expected this fall, along with Tree Risk Assessment Qualification testing and use of a Resistograph to further evaluate tree health and damage.
Fourteen additional trees flagged for removal during an earlier assessment do not require immediate removal because they are smaller. The assessment said removing those trees could make room for larger, more successful trees, but their removal is only a recommendation. Trees that ultimately must be taken down are expected to be replaced through the Delaware Department of Agriculture.
The latest findings come as the Rehoboth Beach Farmers' Market operates from the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center parking lot after Grove Park was closed over concerns about the trees' health and becoming a hazard.
The city now recommends that the farmers' market remain at the convention center until further notice while additional assessments take place. The assessment notes that some mature Grove Park trees have old wounds from soil compaction associated with trailers that were there decades ago. Several trees also contain cables and wires from former electric lines, meaning the tree health concerns are not solely connected to the farmers' market operations.
