Louisiana lawmakers work to address ‘silent danger’ of thousands of dead and beetle-infested trees
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana — Dead pine trees, weakened by the drought of last summer and hungry beetles pose a major public safety concern for Louisiana residents. Officials say there are fears that vulnerable tree branches could fall without warning onto homes, roads, power lines and businesses.
As more residents reach out to state and local officials seeking guidance and financial help to remove trees from their yards, lawmakers on Louisiana’s House Emergency Beetle Subcommittee met Tuesday for their first meeting to try to come up with solutions. From referring residents to charities to asking the governor for help in seeking federal aid, officials say something needs to be done before widespread damage occurs.
“You can be going about your normal life and before you know it, a tree is over your bedroom, your child’s room, your car, or it hits a power line and causes a fire,” said Republican Rep. Michael Johnson. “In a way, it’s a silent threat that will eventually happen.”
Last year, Louisiana, which is usually one of the wettest states in the country, was hit by an extreme drought. While millions of trees in the Bayou State struggled to survive, tiny bark beetles called the Ips Engraver were feasting on the pines. The combination of weather and beetles killed more trees than some experts have ever seen in central Louisiana.
Jim Meeker, a forest entomologist in Louisiana, said he’s “never seen anything like it” in terms of tree mortality in the area.
“This is a truly dangerous tree emergency,” he said. “There are literally thousands and thousands of dead standing pine trees that are hazardous to health, property, travel routes and rights of way.”
Falling branches are a constant concern in Louisiana, a state that often deals with tornadoes, extreme weather and hurricanes. But with so many severely weak and dead trees, officials say outside forces like strong winds may not be necessary to topple the trees.
“We have it bad enough when storms come through, let alone when they just fall over,” said Taylor Barras, commissioner of the Louisiana Division of Administration.
Johnson said he knows of at least two cases so far this year in which weakened trees have fallen and killed people. In one case, a tree fell on a woman’s camper during a thunderstorm in Pineville. In another case, a tree fell on a man in St. Landry Parish while he was in a parking lot.
State officials, including lawmakers and those from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, say they receive countless calls daily from residents concerned about rotting trees in their yards and seeking resources to remove the pines. Tree removal can cost more than $1,000, and more than $3,000 for large trees close to home.
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the problem poses a significant financial burden for residents, especially in a state with the second-highest poverty rate in the country.
Johnson said he recently received a letter from an 87-year-old woman asking for help after being told it would cost her $6,000 to remove four trees.
“She has no money, but she’s at risk of those trees falling on her house,” Johnson said. “She’s terrified.”
Additionally, if a dead tree is not removed and later falls on a neighbor’s property, many insurance policies will likely not cover the damage and the resident will be liable.
On Tuesday, lawmakers discussed creating a list of volunteer groups that can assist residents with tree removal, along with possible emergency funding to help homeowners.
They also looked at solutions outside Louisiana — possibly in the form of congressional bills that could help channel federal resources. Gov. Jeff Landry could declare a state of emergency, which would allow the use of state resources. Landry could go a step further and ask President Joe Biden for federal money and aid.
Landry’s office did not respond to an email seeking comment on the governor’s possible plans.