IU campus trees suffer from mysterious ailment

Scraggly bark and leafless branches are not the usual definition of quality trees on campus.

Between Bryan Hall and the Observatory, at least 10 trees have died recently of unknown causes.

The past two years have seen the deaths of 200-plus trees on campus, Mike Girvin, manager of Campus Division at the Physical Plant, said.

Drought has been the main cause of tree death, but as this year has seen sufficient rainfall, Girvin said he and others are working on determining the current cause of death for these trees.

The biology department is currently working on a project using a form of Roundup to control ground cover in the area, but Girvin said Roundup won’t damage trees.

Though the current cause of death remains elusive, Girvin hypothesized the deaths could be related to drought stress.

However, Girvin and others at the plant have yet to determine what is causing the deaths.

“I’m not going to draw any premature conclusions,” Girvin said. “We’re trying to figure out what really happened.”

– Makenzie Holland