The second of two planned fungicide spray treatments of 34 London planetrees in Heritage Park will take place on Friday, April 29. The trees were first sprayed on April 8.

The treatment work will require the partial closure of Heritage Park, including the walking path adjacent to the 'Arc of Statehood' and the lake's eastern shoreline, for several hours that day.

The parking lot at 5th Avenue and Simmons Street in Olympia will also be closed during the treatment. The park areas off limits to public use will be indicated by barriers, yellow caution tape and signage. All areas sprayed will be flagged with treatment signs, in accordance with state law.

The treatment is scheduled to start at 5 a.m. and be finished around 7 a.m., but the park will not be fully reopened until the fungicide has dried completely, which could take several hours.

The treatment is weather dependent and cannot be done if conditions are wet or winds exceed about 5 mph. The fungicide will be applied to the entire tree using a truck-mounted sprayer.

The London planetrees are being affected by Sycamore anthracnose, a fungal disease that can cause premature leaf drop, cankers and the sudden death of most of a tree's new shoot growth. While the disease will probably not kill the trees, severe successive infections will weaken the trees and they could die if not properly cared for, according to Washington State University Extension. The state planted the trees in Heritage Park in 2005.

Enterprise Services grounds staff are taking other steps to keep the trees in good health, such as raking up and disposing (but not composting) of fallen leaves and twigs, adding mulch and compost around their base and inspecting the drainage system around each tree.

Heritage Park is a 24-acre state-owned property adjacent to Capitol Lake and downtown Olympia. The park is part of the North Capitol Campus and is managed by Enterprise Services.

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