Bowie staff to remove 15 diseased beech trees along Bel Air Drive after safety review

City of Bowie staff reported to the City Council on Oct. 6 that 15 American beech trees lining Bel Air Drive will be removed in a phased approach after disease and structural assessments identified a public‑safety risk. The staff presentation identified brittle cinder fungus affecting 11 trees and four additional trees judged structurally unstable; staff recommended removing one particularly risky tree adjacent to the Bel Air Stables as Phase 1, followed by removal of the remaining identified trees in Phase 2.

City forester Paul Schutz told the council, “Over 50 American beech trees line Bel Air Drive from Spangler Lane to Sunway,” and that the city had inventoried each specimen with metal tags. He said brittle cinder fungus is a root and trunk rot that “can cause sudden tree failure” and “it cannot be treated.” Bartlett Tree researchers attending the meeting noted an additional, spreading threat: beech leaf disease, caused by…