UMaine Extension cited in Morning Sentinel article on tree cut down in Waterville square
Information from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension was included in the Morning Sentinel article, “Giant blue spruce tree cut down in Waterville’s Castonguay Square.” For years, the 40-foot-tall tree had been adorned with Christmas lights during the holiday season, according to the article. City workers cut down the tree because about half of it was infected with spruce needle cast disease, the article states. UMaine Extension’s website states the disease, also known as Rhizosphaera kalkhoffii, “is a fungus that can cause extensive defoliation of spruce and fir, especially where the trees are grown out of their natural range.” Successive years of defoliation can lead to the tree’s death, according to the site. Symptoms include needles turning brown or purple in late summer, with browning continuing throughout the winter and needles being cast a year or more after infection.