ThisWeek CW 09/15/2011
Canal Winchester has stepped up its efforts to remove publicly owned ash trees because the emerald ash borer infestation has increased.
In 2006, the city tagged 200 public ash trees for removal. A year later, the city began its emerald ash borer management plan to remove and replace ash trees over a 10-year period. Because of the increased infestation rate, however, the city estimates all of the remaining 167 ash trees will have to be removed within the next three years.
“There’s no getting ahead of the borers. They’re here, and we’ve got 167 ash trees still standing and a larger percentage of those are infested. So we’re stepping up the removals,” Canal Winchester urban forester Dick Miller said. “Once a tree is infested, it takes two or maybe three years to kill the tree.”
He explained that the rainfall this year has helped mask the problem, as the infested trees have had a better chance of showing signs of growth.
“If this had been a drought year, you’d have seen a lot more damage,” he said.
According to Miller, there are pesticides that may kill 80 to 90 percent of the insects, but there are no prevention methods and, ultimately, no cures. He said treating trees only prolongs the inevitable infestation and destruction of the tree.
“Pesticides are a waste of money, in my opinion, not to mention the harm you might be doing to the environment using them,” Miller said. “Virtually every ash tree is going to get the borer at some point, which is why I highly recommend that people remove their ash trees now, before they are infested.”
The city recommends that residents contract with an ISA Certified Arborist to ensure their ash trees are removed safely. Once a tree has been removed, the city is offering replacement tree seedlings to residents who present evidence that they removed an ash tree from their property.
“Residents can call the city and I’ll come out to confirm whether or not a tree on your property is an ash tree and whether or not it has already been affected by the emerald ash borer,” Miller said. “We currently have about 20 replacement tree seedlings available for the public. As funding becomes available, we’ll continue to add replacement trees to our reserve.”
The Ohio State University and the Ohio Division of Forestry have an urban wood utilization program that offers options for residents who would like their removed ash trees to be reused or recycled. More information is available by contacting The Ohio State University Extension at http://extension.osu.edu.
To request a property visit by the city, call Miller at (614) 834-5100, ext. 110.