Hot Springs Village Superintendent Todd Noles is quickly nipping in the bud an IPS Beetle infestation on the Lake Coronado Boat Ramp Trail. Coronado Boat Ramp Trail will temporarily close on Monday, October 2, to address the issue.
Todd Noles, HSVPOA Superintendent of Lakes, Forestry, Common Property, and Wildlife, said an IPS Beetle infestation at the Lake Coronado Boatramp Trail was reported by Bart Langford, Common Property Committee Member and practicing forester. Langford sent photos of the infestation to Noles.
In 2022, IPS Beetles were found in the stand located by Elcano on the north side of DeSoto Boulevard, beginning on the west side of Elcano Drive and ending at Isabella Golf Course, just east of Iniciador.
On September 21, 2023, Noles estimated that hundreds of pine trees near the Lake Coronado Boat Ramp Trail area are infested with IPS Beetles. The Superintendent said there are around 20 to 30 dead trees. The infested trees are dying quickly. Langford said that a trailwalker told him that this infestation had progressed rapidly.
Noles agreed and stated. “One week, the trees are green, and next you look, they are dead. It is as bad an infestation as I have seen in the Village.”
“Once the trees have died, the beetles have already moved on to the greener trees,” explained Noles.
“For the safety of Coronado Boat Ramp Trail walkers and the health of the forest, we have to take action to remove the dead and infested trees. The plan is to thin the area for proper spacing between the trees. Proper spacing between the trees is required to keep the IPS infestation from spreading,” shared Noles. The thinning of the pine trees allows the hardwoods to flourish.
If not removed, the dead trees might be hazardous to trail pedestrians. Some of the dead trees immediately line the perimeter of the trail, and the POA doesn’t want a tree to fall on somebody.
Noles hopes to break even on this project by selling the harvested trees, but the project is not occurring to make money. As damaged as the area is, Noles is not certain that breaking even on the endeavor is possible.
Noles said that proper forestry management helps to prevent IPS Beetle infestations. Noles stated, “Villagers need to know that if we don’t do something [to manage the forest properly] before an IPS Beetle infestation hits, then other areas in the forest could end up like the area surrounding the Lake Coronado Boat Ramp Trail.”
The trail will be closed starting Monday, October 2, 2023, when the thinning begins. Noles estimates the project, slated to be tackled by Cosby Tree Service, will take approximately a couple of weeks to complete.
On another note, Noles said that the Urban Deer Hunt has thus far resulted in 56 deer donated to Hunters Feeding the Hungry. Hunters Feeding the Hungry has a program where they make snack sticks for economically disadvantaged school children and provide deer meat to needy families.
By Cheryl Dowden
We’d love to have you join our private Property Owners’ Facebook Group. Click here to join.
Click here to visit the Official Hot Springs Village POA Facebook Page.
