Ice storm's impacts to area trees could last years; Elizabethtown, KY; 1/31/09

Tree recovery from storm could take years News Enterprise - Elizabethtown, KY,USA
The exact toll of this past week’s storm on forests throughout the state remains gray, but foresters and arborists know it could be long-lasting and change landscapes statewide.
“It’s too soon to give an exact analysis on the storm’s impact, because it’s just too dangerous to get in the woods and look around,” said Leah MacSwords, director of Kentucky’s Division of Forestry. “But as people in the communities are seeing in their yards and in parks, there’s a lot of damage. And when trees are damaged like this, they are more susceptible to insects, disease and invasive species.”
Initial cleanup is one thing for MacSwords and Kentucky foresters tasked with ensuring health of the state’s swaths of harvestable trees, but clearing wood debris is only the beginning of a recovery that could take years.