Louisiana lawmakers work to address ‘silent danger’ of thousands of dead and beetle-infested trees

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Dead pine trees, weakened by last summer’s drought and hungry beetles, are a major public safety concern for Louisiana residents, with fears that fragile tree limbs may come crashing down on homes, roads, power lines and businesses without warning, officials say.

As more residents are reaching out to state and local officials asking for guidance and financial help to remove trees from their yards, legislators on Louisiana’s House Emergency Beetle Subcommittee gathered for their first meeting on Tuesday to try to come up with solutions. From directing residents to charitable entities to asking the governor’s help in seeking federal aid, officials say something must be done before there is widespread damage.

“You could be in your normal life and next thing you know you’ve got a tree over your bedroom, the kid’s room, your car, or it hits a power line and causes a fire,” said Republican state Rep. Michael Johnson. “In some sense, it’s a silent danger that is ultimately going to happen.”

Extreme drought struck last year in Louisiana, a state that typically is one of the wettest in the country. As millions of trees in the Bayou State struggled to survive, tiny bark beetles, namely the Ips Engraver, feasted on the pines. The pairing of weather and beetles caused more trees to die than some experts say they have ever witnessed before in central Louisiana.

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