Apr 13, 2018 By Jack Hughes for The 3 min read

I had a chance to get in some late season cross country skiing this past Sunday. The day before some 3-5 inches of heavy wet snow blanketed the mountains and a couple of inches fell across the rest of Southwestern Pennsylvania. In spite of the sunshine, last Saturday the temperatures remained cold enough to allow the snow to stick around. The high temperature on Saturday was only 33 degrees and the low Sunday morning dropped to 18 degrees. These cold temperatures allowed the snow to bond to the surface and create some fantastic ski conditions. Area ski resorts were also open this past weekend enjoying some of the finest skiing of the season.

A mix of open areas and wooded trails provided a great ski experience, but once on the wooded trails, I was immediately reminded of the dangers that are lurking in these woods. Downed branches were scattered throughout the woods and several dead and dying ash and spruce trees were seen overhead.

Millions of ash trees across Southwestern Pennsylvania are either dead or soon will be as the Emerald ash borer infects more and more trees. Last summer a tree fell on the bike trail just a few hundred feet in front of me and recent winds have brought down more trees, some even taking power lines with them. As grandma warned little Red Riding Hood about the big bad wolf, today it’s about the big dead trees hanging overhead in those woods. Anyone who spends time in the woods this coming spring (yes spring is scheduled to arrive later this week with temperatures pushing into the 60s and 70s), will want to be aware of the danger, whether it’s a hike to your favorite fishing hole for the opening of the trout season this weekend or just a hike to see the emerging wildflowers. Hopefully, parks and land managers are preparing for the vast number of trees that will fall and you can help by making them aware of any dangers you see.

Last fall, I notified a nearby property owner who lived out of the area about a large dead tree that was on his property and hanging out over a school bus shelter that posed a danger to the children. Within a day or two the tree was removed and the area is now safe. Since the infestation is still affecting new trees this problem is only going to get worse.

Spring storms can materialize rather quickly and often bring strong winds as they pass through your area. Weather forecasts should be taken into consideration when planning any outside activity this spring and summer as these periods of inclement weather can be very dangerous in our woods. Let’s all heed grandma’s warning and be careful about what is looming in our woods these days.

Temperatures this coming week should get closer to the average of 65 degrees for the high and 37 for the morning low. Perhaps we can say good-by to winter or just good riddance.