EAB fight moves to new zone

Superior is a little ahead of the fight to take out ash trees and the emerald ash borer killing them before the trees pose a hazard. Later this month, the city takes that fight to a new zone that includes Central Park toward East End. The metallic green menace was discovered in Superior’s North End in August 2013 placing Douglas County under a quarantine and prompting city officials to respond quickly to the crisis. After discovering an infested tree in the 600 block of Grand Avenue, city officials discovered the beetle in the 400 block of Baxter Avenue and the state entomologist confirmed the discovery. Not long after, the council adopted a plan to eliminate all 3,000 public ash trees rather than entering a costly program to treat the trees with uncertain long-term results. The cost to remove the 3,000 ash trees and replace almost half of them was about one-tenth the cost of a program to treat them. Emerald ash borer, a shimmering green beetle about one-half inch in length, is native to eastern Russia, China, Japan and Korea. It was first identified in southeast Michigan in 2002 and has since spread to 20 states and two Canadian provinces. The fatality rate for untreated trees is 100 percent eight to nine years after infestation. After initially removing numerous sick trees in North End, city crews began removing ash trees block by block in November 2013, first in North End, then in the neighborhoods south of Belknap Street to North 28th Street. “We’re trying to be as efficient as possible,” said Mary Morgan, parks, recreation and forestry director for the city. Staying ahead of that curve has city officials concerned, and while they are ahead of schedule now, that could change, according to Morgan. “We are not waiting for them to die,” Morgan said. “We are in year six of our infestation … We know the next couple of years are going to be full of ash mortality.” In preparation for moving into the next zone of the city, Morgan said the city arborist scraped the bark on some of the ash trees and found evidence of larval tunneling. The tunneling is what causes the tree to die; channels created in the trees’ vascular systems prevent water and nutrients from reaching the top of the tree. Evidence of the impending death is visible in new growth at the base of the tree and dieback at the crown. Work is wrapping up in the second zone of the city where ash trees were most prevalent. When that zone is complete, Morgan said about 1,000 ash trees would be gone from city boulevards and parks. However, if a tree is in good health and a homeowner wants to save it, Morgan said they have an opportunity to save it at their own expense. The trees can be treated with an injection system by a certified pesticide applicator, and residents must get a free permit from the city so the orange dot painted on the trees can be replaced with a green one to notify city crews that the tree is being treated. Morgan said city crews won’t actually move into the next zone to start removing trees until the last week of the month, around Sept. 29 or Sept. 30. The community is invited to a public meeting to discuss the issue at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Moose Lodge, 66 E. Fifth St. For private property owners affected by emerald ash borer, visit www.emeraldashborer.wi.gov for more information.
Superior is a little ahead of the fight to take out ash trees and the emerald ash borer killing them before the trees pose a hazard.Later this month, the city takes that fight to a new zone that includes Central Park toward East End.The metallic green menace was discovered in Superior’s North End in August 2013 placing Douglas County under a quarantine and prompting city officials to respond quickly to the crisis. After discovering an infested tree in the 600 block of Grand Avenue, city officials discovered the beetle in the 400 block of Baxter Avenue and the state entomologist confirmed the discovery.Not long after, the council adopted a plan to eliminate all 3,000 public ash trees rather than entering a costly program to treat the trees with uncertain long-term results. The cost to remove the 3,000 ash trees and replace almost half of them was about one-tenth the cost of a program to treat them.Emerald ash borer, a shimmering green beetle about one-half inch in length, is native to eastern Russia, China, Japan and Korea. It was first identified in southeast Michigan in 2002 and has since spread to 20 states and two Canadian provinces. The fatality rate for untreated trees is 100 percent eight to nine years after infestation.After initially removing numerous sick trees in North End, city crews began removing ash trees block by block in November 2013, first in North End, then in the neighborhoods south of Belknap Street to North 28th Street.“We’re trying to be as efficient as possible,” said Mary Morgan, parks, recreation and forestry director for the city.Staying ahead of that curve has city officials concerned, and while they are ahead of schedule now, that could change, according to Morgan.“We are not waiting for them to die,” Morgan said. “We are in year six of our infestation … We know the next couple of years are going to be full of ash mortality.”In preparation for moving into the next zone of the city, Morgan said the city arborist scraped the bark on some of the ash trees and found evidence of larval tunneling. The tunneling is what causes the tree to die; channels created in the trees’ vascular systems prevent water and nutrients from reaching the top of the tree. Evidence of the impending death is visible in new growth at the base of the tree and dieback at the crown.Work is wrapping up in the second zone of the city where ash trees were most prevalent. When that zone is complete, Morgan said about 1,000 ash trees would be gone from city boulevards and parks.However, if a tree is in good health and a homeowner wants to save it, Morgan said they have an opportunity to save it at their own expense.The trees can be treated with an injection system by a certified pesticide applicator, and residents must get a free permit from the city so the orange dot painted on the trees can be replaced with a green one to notify city crews that the tree is being treated.Morgan said city crews won’t actually move into the next zone to start removing trees until the last week of the month, around Sept. 29 or Sept. 30.The community is invited to a public meeting to discuss the issue at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Moose Lodge, 66 E. Fifth St.For private property owners affected by emerald ash borer, visit www.emeraldashborer.wi.gov for more information.