Andy Close
WARREN, Pa. – The Allegheny National Forest is experiencing needle cast and needle blight with some of its conifer trees, Allegheny National Forest Representative Cecile Stetler explained during Tuesday’s City of Warren Street Landscape meeting.
Needle cast and needle blight is simply a fungal disease of spruce trees that causes needles to turn brown and fall off.
“When we have hot or warm conditions with moisture, needle cast and needle blight tend to get in trees which are more compact and propagate,” Stetler said.
She said the conifer trees are the ones that have been most affected.
“We’ve been getting a lot of calls on the conifers,” Stetler continued. “it’s just some of the pathogens that are hitting them and the weather is playing into that. If it gets real bad, some people have cut some of the limbs in between.”
Stetler explained that it’s just something natural that happens with the trees and that it will simply run its course.
“There’s not really a whole lot we can do,” Stetler said.
CIVIC BEAUTIFICATION AWARDS SCHEDULED
The presentation of the Civic Beautification Awards has been tentatively scheduled for Sept. 20.
That date falls on a Tuesday and is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at the Healing Garden at Crescent Park.
“It’s still being used a lot and I imagine it will be,” said Josie Gerardi of the Street Landscape Committee. “A lot of people sit there for quiet time or lunch.”
Director of Public Works Mike Holtz has also gotten a lot of positive feedback on the garden.
“I’m still getting compliments on it a couple of months in,” Holtz said.
