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Trees

Few are suited to our environment. If you are determined to plant any, go native. Recommend are local species, like pitch pine and holly. Other possibilities are black oak (quercus velutina, which has traditionally done well on Fire Island, but might be vulnerable to pests which have arrived in the North America from abroad) and sassafras (see bottom of page).

Japanese Black Pines (pinus thunbergii). You already guessed that they are not native to Fire Island. Although they generally do well until they reach "middle age" (15 or 20 years), they then become highly vulnerable to one or another pests and often die quickly. The most serious pest seems to be the black turpentine beetle which carries a fungus called blue stain. This "clogs" the cambium (where new cells are supposed to be produced) and this will usually cause rapid decline. In addition, pine wood nematode is sometimes a contributory factor.

None of this is new. The Cornell Cooperative Extension first noticed it on the South Fork of Long Island in the 1970s. The problem gradually became evident throughout Suffolk County including Fire Island.

Although there is no known way to save an infected tree, it may be possible to save trees before they become doomed. FIE has a three-fold suggestion, offered in the spirit that free advice is worth what you pay for it. There is anecdotal evidence that the following methods may work: (1) Spray the trunks of diseased pines with insect spray containing both pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide (widely available in stores), and then cover the trunks with plastic wrap. Those chemicals are not the sort of stuff FIE normally recommends, but it might to do the trick if applied early enough. (2) Drive in fertilizer-for-evergreens spikes around the tree. If you worry that these two steps won't suffice, try a more drastic method: (3) extreme pruning--the removal of major branches accounting for a third to half of the foliage.

Once a Black Pine is lost, it could theoretically be replaced with more suitable species, one possibility being the homely (but provocatively Latin-named) Pitch Pine (pinus rigida) which is common in the Wilderness Area. But these do not seem to be readily available commercially. Cornell Extension tells FIE: "We do not recommend that everyone plant it as an ornamental, but for those who have no other choice for a windbreak with salt spray problems they may need to consider it. If this is the case, then we recommend that those plantings have irrigation provided for those periods that are very hot and dry. No routine irrigation - only based on need. But keep in mind that no mature pines seem to enjoy this environment.

Pitch Pine is interesting for its ability to withstand the fires which gave our island its name. It has thick bark to protect the living tissue underneath. Fire actually stimulates dormant buds to grow, which they do by means of epicormic branching. (Article and photo, NYS Conservationist magazine, April 2001, p. 8.)

A potential threat to deciduous trees is the Asian longhorn beetle. It has not hit Fire Island yet, but in 2003 the pest was found Bayside and Amityville. (In both communities the situation now seems to be under control.) The beetles do not fly far; the main danger is being transported in firewood.

If the Asian longhorn beetle comes to Fire Island, it will destroy many deciduous trees. Fortunately, the ALB does not seem to attack evergreen trees, including hollies.

Usually the ALB attacks healthy adult trees, but in Amityville it was first found in a shrub (Rose of Sharon). The beetles kill only hardwood trees. (CORRECTION: Contrary to what we posted previously, softwood trees are not affected.) The ALB's preferred menu includes birches and willows, both of which exist (though not in large numbers) on Fire Island. The ALB's preferred menu includes birches and willows, both of which exist (though not in large numbers) on Fire Island. Such other known host trees as honey locust, chinaberry, plums, pear, elm, lindens, sweet gum, tulip trees, and oaks (other than black oak, which we have), are also rare or non-existent here.

Once a tree is invested by ALB, it will die (though it will remain healthy-looking until it falls). It is possible to apply a mild insect repellent to a healthy tree which will protect it against ALB for about a year.

More information is available from: the University of Vermont's Entomology Research Laboratory, the American Museum of Natural History, the U. S. Deparatment of Agriculture, and its Forest Service.

Anyway, your best bet is native evergreen trees. The holly and pitch pine are the trees that really feel at home here.

A commonly-found deciduous tree is sassafras (Sassafras albidium). The saplings need very little light; mature trees reach about 20 feet. The leaves are easily recognized for their mitten shape. The tree's fruit is an important source of nutrition for animals in fall and winter. Even humans have used its bark for making tea. The wood has had limited uses (fencing, buckets, small boats). It is not clear how much of a threat the Asian longhorn beetle might be to sassafras trees. They are subject to the sassafras borer.

Updated 2 May 2007

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