Indiana drought threatens to kill water-starved trees

DISCUSS

Comments Comment on this story

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana's lingering drought has turned lawns brown across the state, but it's also beginning to kill some of the state's water-starved trees.

Indianapolis commercial horticulturist Courtney Stellhorn tells The Indianapolis Star she's seen mature trees, including 40-year-old white pines and spruces, dying around the city.

About 80 teenagers hired by Keep Indianapolis Beautiful to plant trees this year are instead working to keep trees planted in previous years in alive by watering them. The teens are watering about 5,000 trees each week in parks and greenways using 500-gallon tanks moved in horse trailers.

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Inc. President David Forsell calls their work an urgent action to keep threatened trees alive until the drought breaks.

Forecasters say Indiana's worst drought in decades may linger into this fall.