Bark beetles eat Beatle’s memorial tree
Nina Notman discovers at how bark beetles are destroying pine trees at an alarming rate
In 2004, a pine tree was planted near the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, US, in memory of George Harrison. As well as being lead guitarist for the UK rock band the Beatles, George – who died in the city in 2001 – was an avid gardener. Over the next 10 years the tree grew from a tiny sapling to around 3 metres tall. But in July this year, LA council officer Tom LaBonge told the LA Times that the tree had died – ironically due to a bark beetle onslaught.
California has been experiencing a severe drought since 2000 and when trees suffer from a prolonged lack of water their ability to fight off pests diminishes. ‘As a result of being drought stressed, the George Harrison memorial tree became infested with a bark beetle which was not positively identified, but based on the species of pine was most likely an Ips species,’ explains LA council tree surgeon Leon Boroditsky.
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