Threats to Trees in Massachusetts

Just like with humans there are many threats that trees around the world face. One of those threats being wildfires. The threat that everyone has heard of wildfires can cause mass devastation to an entire forest ecosystem within days. Burning everything in sight wildfires can also spread to nearby human populations, including towns and neighborhoods, if not properly managed in a timely fashion. Nothing is out of reach for a wildfire’s mass destruction. There are many causes for wildfires though it is estimated that nearly 85% of wildfires in the United States are caused by human activity. A few of those human activities being campfires left unattended, discarding of still lit cigarettes, burning of debris, and intentional acts of arson. The other estimated 15% of wildfires are caused by natural means. A couple of these natural causes being intense heat that dries out then ignites into a fire and the most frequent cause of natural wildfires, lightning.

Another common threat to trees are insects. Parasites that like to burrow within a tree and cut off their water and nutrients causing them to slowly wilt and die. A very common insect that does this is the Bark Beetle. These beetles typically like to target weak trees that would have a difficult time defending themselves should they be attacked. These trees may have been weakened by disease, drought, or overcrowding. The Bark Beetle then proceeds to burrow into the bark of a tree and cut off its ability to transport water and nutrients and overtime the tree will die.

Tree diseases are another common threat. Typically, tree diseases are a type of root disease fungi. These diseases commonly attack the roots of a tree and as a result cut off the trees ability to absorb water and nutrients. Upon cutting off the trees water and nutrients supply it will begin to weaken and that will make it susceptible to attacks by parasites such as the Bark Beetle. There are multiple other kinds of tree diseases that infect the tree in different ways, but they all typically result in the same outcome.