Trees will fall as forest district tackles emerald ash borer

Judy Harvey
Kendall -- 032515 FD ash borer PHOTO 1

Hoover Forest Preserve in Yorkville is one of the sites where the Kendall Forest Preserve District is going to be concentrating its efforts in coming weeks on removal of ash trees that have fallen victim to the emerald ash borer. Photo by Judy Harvey

The Kendall County Forest District is asking the public to be patient over the next few weeks as crews are out removing ash trees that are dying from an emerald ash borer infestation.

Beginning the week of March 23, staff will mobilize to high traffic sites where diseased trees are leaning or have already fallen, blocking paths or parkways.  The tree removal is necessary for the health of the woodlands and visitors alike, said Forest Preserve Executive Director David Guritz.

“It really is a safety concern at this point. We ask visitors to be cautious on trails if they see a leaning tree. Be patient with us as we close trails while we deal with this and remove trees that cause a real safety hazard,” Guritz said.

The forest district is embarking on a two- to three-year program, approved March 17 by the district board, to detect and remove all ash trees infested with the emerald ash borer.  Last fall, the district had its first real opportunity to do a wide spread detection program of affected trees, Guritz said. Now, crews will be out to remove those that are showing major damage. “We will see a lot of death in those trees this spring,” he said.

Crews will be focusing primarily on facilities that are high activity centers, such as Hoover Forest Preserve in Yorkville and the district’s highly-used trails.  Those sites that are more densely wooded will be left for “nature to take its course,” Guritz said.  As the dying trees fall, it will open opportunities for new growth. “New trees will come in and grow and we will keep an eye out for invasive species. It’s an adaptive management process,” he said.

The emerald ash borer was first detected in Kendall County in 2009 and found throughout the state, decimating all variety of North American ash tree, according to the forest district.

About every third tree in a forest preserve area is going to be an ash tree, Guritz said.

One of the factors that makes the emerald ash borer so insidious is how it can go unnoticed for a few years before the problem is discovered. It takes two to three years for a tree to die following the initial infestation, Guritz said.

“By the time we can detect it the tree is already dying, once the root system is attacked and atrophied. And when you are looking at an atrophied root system, the weight of the tree is going to be a factor. Is it leaning?  If so, then we need to remove it,” he said.

As the infestation spreads, the problem will continue over the next few years and the forest district will be presented with more hazards and will need to keep diligent on detection and tree removal.

“We ask for people to be patient with us as we go through this process. We have to manage it,” Guritz said.

The Kendall Forest Preserve District asks visitors to preserves to use extra caution on high wind days and to report trail impacts by calling the main phone at 630) 553-4025, or e-mailing to KCForest@co.kendall.il.us.

For more information on the emerald ash borer,  visit the Illinois Department of Natural Resources web site at http://dnr.state.il.us/orc/urbanforestry/eab.htm