Take that, skanky pine trees

OKC Beautiful was on a mission to help Oklahoma City residents get rid of their dead and dying pine trees. Here’s a news release the group sent out, along with some photos.

OKLAHOMA CITY— OKC Beautiful and several volunteer tree services took down 40 dead or diseased Pine trees on Saturday, January 28, 2012 to help stop Pine Wilt.

OKC Beautiful partnered with Bill Long at Southern Tree Preservation and five other tree services around the metro to take down 40 diseased Pine trees in OKC. Companies that volunteered their services were Micah Oliver Tree Service, Tip Top Tree Service, Arbor Masters, The Tree Guy, 1st Choice Lawn & Landscape and Southern Tree Preservation.

The trees were cut down and many volunteers helped pull limbs to the curb. OKC Beautiful works with the City of Oklahoma City to have the tree pieces picked up.

Pine wilt has been spreading around our city and killing non-native pines at an alarming rate. The blight can only be stopped by cutting down the pines that are sustaining the nematodes (the cause of the disease). This year, we assisted a church, neighborhood associations and residents who could not afford the cost of removing the tree, many of whom were elderly or disabled.