TREES DYING ON HILL BEHIND VERMONT STATE CAPITOL

photo by Gerry Hawkes - December 2001

It is difficult to see in this photo taken on a dark day, but many trees are dying on the hill behind Vermont's state capitol building. The worst death is occurring where the hill drops away on the right.

It is easy to take a close look at this tree death by walking up the trail that starts at the parking lot on the right side of the capitol building.

photo by Gerry Hawkes - December 2001

Here is a view of the right side of the hill as seen between the Vermont Supreme Court building on the left and the Pavilion Office Building (where the Governor's office is located) on the right. The reddish-brown crowns of recently dead red pines show up prominently. Closer, on site investigation, revealed that the red pines have been dying for several years in less visible locations on the hill and that many more are weakening and are likely to die over the next few years.

Several other species of trees on this portion of the hill are also declining in health.

The tree death has been attributed to drought, but this does not explain the time frame and persistent nature of the decline and death.

UPDATE
In May of 2003 the dying trees shown in this photo had lost all their needles and were being cut down.

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Contact Gerry Hawkes: ghawkes@eco-systems.org