UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Due to an outbreak of elm yellows, a fatal and highly spreadable disease that affects elm trees, the Penn State Office of Physical Plant’s (OPP) team of arborists are scheduled to remove several infected elms on the University Park campus to prevent further spread.

Notably, a mature elm near the pond at Hintz Alumni Center is scheduled for removal on Tuesday, Aug. 15, due to positive test results for fatal elm yellows disease. If left standing, the tree may infect other campus elms and, eventually, could become hazardous. To prevent further spread of elm yellows, additional elm testing is taking place across campus, and in late August and early September, several additional trees will be scheduled for removal along the Allen Street mall and on Burrowes Road, both of which may require partial road closures. 

For everyone’s safety, the campus community is asked to obey all pedestrian and vehicular detours when crews are removing trees.  

In total, the University Park campus has approximately 120 remaining elm trees and OPP has instituted mechanisms to preserve and protect them, including annual spraying, injections and routine inspection from OPP arborists. Most of these elms are located in heritage groves along Burrowes Road and flanking the Old Main lawn (Pugh Street and Allen Street malls). 

OPP’s diligent landscape planning and restoration efforts contribute to an annual replanting program that exceeds the number of trees removed from campus.