Thousands of Trees are Falling in our Backyards, Will You Make a Sound?

Posted: Thu, 11/03/2011 - 12:18pm
By: J Barth

Have you noticed that the old evergreen tree in your backyard isn't looking so good these days? It's possible that old age is the culprit, but if Dupont's Imprelis herbicide has been sprayed on you or your neighbor's property lately, there might be more to the story. Imprelis was introduced in the fall of 2010, and was thought to be an environmentally friendly option for ridding lawns of weeds like dandelions and clover. Since that time thousands of trees, especially spruces and pines, have died, and many more have been severely damaged in areas where Imprelis was used. These tree deaths have been especially common in Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Wisconsin, but there have been reports all over the country. Reports first surfaced in the late spring of this year, but Dupont kept this dangerous product on the market for months before the EPA finally issued an order to immediately halt the sale and distribution of Imprelis in mid August.

The trickiest part of all of this is that your yard could have been treated with Imprelis without you realizing it. Imprelis was only sold to lawn care professionals, so it's likely that you wouldn't even know it if Imprelis was used in your yard if you've hired private landscapers.

This whole situation is becoming all too common. A chemical company releases a new product that they claim is harmless, and then to everyone's surprise, a few months after it hits the market, it turns out that there is some horrible side effect that the company never saw coming. The only way to stop this vicious cycle is to stand up and let these companies know that you will not tolerate this kind of treatment. This time it's your trees, next time it could be your loved ones.

If you have noticed recent tree damage or deaths on your property, check with your landscaper and find out if they were using Imprelis. If they were, do the right thing and take a stand.

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