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• According to McKiver and the SD Dept. of Agriculture' Forest Health Report of 2011, the most common disease in South Dakota is Dutch Elm Disease. But other diseases such as Apple Scab and Ash Rust as well as Lilac Blight also cause problems. Another major concern  is insects. It has been reported that the Pine Beetle is now entering our area and causing damage to conifer trees.
• Once a tree has been marked, the tree must come down. The property owner will receive a notice from the City stating  "The cost of removing dead or dying trees on private property shall be borne by the property owner. If said

owner fails to abate such nuisance by the removal of said tree or trees within the fifteen (15) day notice period, said tree or trees shall be removed by the city and the cost of said removal either assessed against the property or recovered in a civil action against the owner. "
• John's Tree Service is just one of the many tree service companies operating in Groton to help property owners remove trees that are dead or dying. John Artz, of Aberdeen, owns John's Tree Service. He has been cutting trees for 32 years and started his company in 1995. Artz and his brother, Duane, have seen an increase in the number of trees needing to be removed this year.
• "We've seen an increase of trees this year," Duane Artz said. "We've been cutting down a lot of Elm, Cherry and Ash trees this year."
• However, Artz feels the weather has played a large part this year, rather than disease or insects.
• "I think the weather has been a major factor this year," John Artz added. "The shock of the warm weather we had early than the cold spell, then warming up again. Some of the trees just couldn't handle it, especially the older trees."
• A dead or dying tree is a tragic loss of a valuable resource and this has McKiver worried.
• "While I've actually seen a decrease in the number of trees I've marked this year," McKiver said. "The fact remains that we are running out of trees in our city."

• -Char Telkamp