Chemical Treatment to save your Ash Tree becomes cheaper

A little wonky, and specific, but relevant to some. And could help change what our city looks like in 10 years!

From: “Eddy, Marla”
Date: June 8, 2015 at 11:35:38 AM CDT
To:
Subject: Emerald Ash Borer: Recommendation for a Three Year Treatment Cycle

Dear Alders,

As the Emerald Ash Borer continues to move across our region and our City, Parks Division staff along with the EAB taskforce continue to learn from, and shape our response to this pest based on valuable lessons learned from our own hands on experience, experiences of our peers in other communities as well reviewing ongoing field research. We have and will continue to, provide our annual EAB plan and progress updates each year in November. The reason for this communication now and our appearance before Council in July is due to an exciting development in the chemical treatment of ash trees against the Emerald Ash Borer. University Of Wisconsin research by Dr. Williamson, conducted in various sites thru southern Wisconsin, now strongly suggests that our treatment rates of one injection of Treeage® protects the ash tree for three years rather than two years as we originally thought. The US Forest Service research also supports that TREEage® is effective against EAB at a three year treatment cycle. We will present more information on this topic at the July 21st Common Council meeting. We are recommending moving the City from a two year treatment cycle to a three year treatment cycle based on this research and we have high confidence in it. The drawbacks appear to be virtually non existent, the advantages include less insecticide in our environment, an approximately $110,000 savings to the Forestry Section Operating budget related to the annual chemical treatment program. We will move from treating approx. 5,000 trees annually to 3,300 trees annually, allowing trees more time to heal from previous injection sites and freeing up staff to more quickly move thru the renewing of our urban forest both on the terrace and in the parks. We look forward to answering your questions at an upcoming July Common Council meeting.

Marla Eddy Charles Romines
City Forester Asst. Superintendent of Park Operations, Services and Facilities
266-4450 267-8804