The sickly-looking trees at Rollins Park infested by invasive insects are set to be chopped down this winter.
Concord’s city councilors accepted a staff report last week recommending the dying trees be removed and a long-term plan be drafted with public input on what to do in their place.
The 200 or so red pines in the South End park are infected with tiny bugs called scales and are expected to die within the next nine months. The trees will be harvested along with an adjacent plantation of white pines.
The value of the timber will likely offset the cost of their removal, potentially even making a profit, consultant city forester Ron Klemarcyzk said. The stumps, however, will be left behind.
The report recommends that a plan for the area include replanting trees and installing a new walking trail and picnic area in the park.
Rollins Park is one of more than a dozen city-owned locations affected by red pine scales, emerald ash borers or woolly adelgids. Over the next five years, it’s expected that 1 in 5 trees on city parks and cemeteries will succumb to the invasive insects.
Private property owners may have to deal with situations similar to the one the city finds itself in. They can find information about invasive insects present in the state at nhbugs.org.
The red pine scales in Rollins Park are also known to be in several local towns, including Allenstown, Barnstead, Chichester, Deerfield, Epsom, Loudon, Northwood and Pembroke.
(Nick Reid can be reached at 369-3325, nreid@cmonitor.com or on Twitter at @NickBReid.)