Tree-destroying emerald ash borer confirmed in Burlington

City launches tree inventory to get a handle on situation

By Ed Nadolski

Editor in chief

It was only a matter of time, according to officials, but word came down late last week confirming the presence of the ash tree-destroying emerald ash borer in the City of Burlington.

With the invasive pest confirmed at other locations throughout Racine, Kenosha and Walworth counties – all of which are under a state firewood quarantine – public works officials in the city knew it would be a just matter of time before the emerald ash borer (EAB, for short) was found within the city limits.

“We’ve been peeling bark and looking at downed limbs for the last year or so,” said Craig Workman, director of public works for the city, on efforts to find and identify the EAB.

On Friday the state Department of Natural Resources confirmed that photos of the boring trails under the bark on city-owned trees were indeed the insidious work of the EAB.

Once an area receives confirmation, the goal is limiting the destructive impact of the EAB because there is currently no way to eradicate it.

According to Workman, DPW staff is in the process of a citywide tree survey. That should be complete sometime in August

“From there, we’ll have a better idea of the number of ash trees the city owns and their health,” he said.

That information will provide the basis for the city’s mitigation strategy, which typically includes the removal of dead and dying ash trees and the treating of trees that are likely to survive, Workman said.

The strategy will also include any preventative measures for unaffected ash trees.

According to a press release posted on the city’s website, the strategy will be to determine the most cost-effective methods of removing and treating ash trees within the city limits.

Workman said more information will be available to the public once the mitigation strategy is finished.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, there currently is no way to stop the spread of or eradicate the EAB.

City officials encourage residents concerned with the condition of an ash tree on their property to contact a tree service familiar with the EAB or a certified arborist. A listing of certified arborists may be found on the Wisconsin Arborist Association website at www.waa-isa.org.

Although city ordinances require residents to remove diseased and dying trees, Workman said the city won’t be cracking down any time soon.

“At this point the city isn’t going into a major enforcement mode,” he said. “We’ve got plenty of our own trees to worry about.”

Officials caution residents that there may be companies traveling to the Burlington area looking to scam ash tree owners or inflate prices for tree services in light of this week’s announcement. Residents with ash trees on their properties are encouraged review the state EAB websites to understand their options before contracting with any tree service company or arborist.

The state maintains a website dedicated to the EAB at https://datcpservices.wisconsin.gov/eab/index.jsp.

Here are a few facts about the EAB from the website:

• The metallic green beetle is native to East Asia. It was brought to the United States accidentally, in the wood of shipping crates from China.

• EAB is not a threat to human health but it kills native ash trees of any size, any age, healthy or unhealthy.

• The larva spends its life inside ash trees, feeding on the inner bark. This feeding disrupts the trees’ ability to move water and nutrients back and forth from the roots to the rest of the tree. The tree starves and eventually dies.

• A tree that has been attacked by EAB can die within 2-4 years. Researchers estimate that more than 50 million ash trees are dead or dying in the Midwest because of this insect.

• Wisconsin forests contain more than 770 million ash trees, nearly 7 percent of the tree population. In urban areas, we estimate that, on average, 20 percent of trees are ash.

• EAB moves far by hitching rides. On its own, the beetle will only fly a few miles. However, it is easily and quickly moved to new areas when people accidentally move emerald ash borer larvae inside of infested firewood, ash nursery stock, and other ash items.

Because the area is under quarantine, it is illegal to transport ash tree materials and hardwood firewood to non-quarantined areas without a special permit from the state.