Posted: November 04, 2021

In this Pittsburgh City Paper article, Eric Countryman from Davey's East Pittsburgh office talks about zombie trees - what are they, and can they be saved?

zombie tree

Pittsburgh’s zombie scene is well established, from being the home base for George A. Romero’s zombie movies to the annual Zombie Fest, but arborists are concerned with a different type of zombie hiding among us in Pittsburgh.

Zombie trees are trees that are still standing and look alive but are dead or dangerous in some way. In forests or areas away from humans, zombie trees aren’t as much of a concern. They have the resources of their natural environment, and they’re unlikely to injure anyone or damage anything if they fall. But trees in urban or residential areas are at risk of becoming zombies — and harming people or property if they turn.

“The difference between a tree in a residential urban type space is they're a lot more stressed. They're not living in the woods with all the leaf debris and all that decomposing nice soil,” says Davey Tree East Pittsburgh district manager Eric Countryman.

To continue reading what can be done about zombie trees, click here

The Davey Tree Expert Company, headquartered in Kent, Ohio, provides research-driven tree services, grounds maintenance and environmental and utility infrastructure consulting for residential, utility, commercial and environmental partners in the U.S. and Canada. As one of the top ten largest employee-owned companies in the U.S., Davey's 12,000 employees have been dedicated to creating and delivering sustainable solutions since 1880. Apply today to join the Davey legacy, and learn about how we're growing with our new SEED Campus

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