A good option: In Naperville, III., a public-private partnership demonstrates removal isn't the only option for EAB-infected trees

摘要

Municipality maintenance budgets typically have two line items for trees: prune and remove. Cities often don't have room in the budget to treat trees with control products, no matter how dire the need, but a public-private partnership in Naperville, 111., over the last few years proved it can be done and it can save thousands of ash trees. Naperville, like much of Illinois— and much of the Northeast U.S.—has an Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) problem. This tiny, green insect is lethal to ash trees if it goes undetected and untreated, and Naperville has about 16,000 ash trees on municipal property alone. The pest, which was first identified in the U.S. in Michigan in 2002, is predicted to cause $10 billion to $20 billion in losses to urban forests over the next decade.