A progression of loss

The Nanticoke River and Marshyhope Creek are two of the Eastern Shore’s major tidal waterways. Where they meet, a lush carpet of ash trees spreads across the land. In a few years, this vast, life-nurturing forest – one of the most extensive on the Delmarva peninsula – will be transformed.

Below, a series of increasingly denuded treetops reveals the deadly work of the emerald ash borer. These images are from Marshyhope Creek, Nanticoke River and Tuckahoe Creek on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Notice the clear demarcation of dead ash trees in the last image.

Drone images by Yazan Hasan