Etna officials said today that the eight majestic trees removed at Clarence Fugh Memorial Park will be replaced this fall.
“They have been a wonderful resource for shade and beauty in our playground,” Manager Mary Ellen Ramage said.
She is working with non-profit tree organizations for guidance on new trees which will be planted once the park closes this fall.
Those that were removed were infected with ceratocystis fimbriate, a disease that both Sycamore and London Plane trees are susceptible to, she said.
Arborists researched options for saving the trees but a drone flyover made it obvious that some of them had to come down, Ramage said.
“Our research shows they were more than likely planted sometime in the late 1940s,” she said.
Cost of the work was $14,000. All of the trees stood along Pine Street or parallel to the rear of the municipal building.
Ramage said a wind storm last year caused one of the diseased trees to fall and damage the deck hockey rink. It was removed at that time and spurred an investigation into the health of the remaining canopy.
Tawnya Panizzi is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tawnya at 412-782-2121, ext. 2, tpanizzi@tribweb.com or via Twitter @tawnyatrib.
