THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEEK OF APRIL 20, 2008
Board To Vote On Ash Borer Attack Plan
By TOM ROBB
Journal Reporter
The Glenview village board will vote on a management plan regarding the emerald ash borer at its meeting on Tuesday, May 1.
Trustees discussed the issue at their meeting on Tuesday, Apr. 15. Of the 110,442 total trees on both public and private property, 12,834 or 11.6% are ash trees.
Dr. Theodore Wynnychenko, who owns a home in town with 25 ash trees on his one and a half acres of land, testified. He urged the board not to enact a rule requiring the destruction of all trees found to have the beetle.
At that same meeting, former Public Works Director Bill Porter presented a management plan report on the status of the ash trees and the ash borer in Glenview. He said that to date, only one infected tree has been found in the village. However, he warned that once the ash borer infects the forest preserves, there would be no stopping it.
Wynnychenko said he studied the situation after realizing how susceptible his property is to the bug. He warned the village to be cautious in requiring that infected trees be removed. He predicted the village will become infested within the next four to five years and that removing all the trees would be very expensive and possibly unnecessary.
"Once you find a tree that's infected, the bug is long gone," he said. Wynnychenko added that several states and the federal government have found that cutting down trees is not effective in stemming the spread of the ash borer. Only Maryland requires infected trees be cut down, he said.
The Natural Resources Commission debated whether to require property owners to pay to remove infected trees at their Monday, Mar. 17 meeting. Porter said debate at the meeting was "rigorous" and ended in a tie vote of two to two on whether to require the removal of infected trees on private property.
Village Attorney Eric Patt said there is currently an ordinance on the books requiring homeowners to remove any trees from their property that are unsafe.
Trustee Paul Detlefs said that a dead tree could stand for many years before it becomes a hazard.
Porter said infestation by the borer is different than that of Dutch Elm disease. The elm disease spreads through the roots and will quickly spread to surrounding trees killing them quickly.
A suggestion that the village subsidize the cost of ash tree removal was discussed.
Porter recommended against the move saying that removing and restoring all the ash trees on private property could cost the village $7.2 million and removing and restoring trees on private property could cost as much as $1.9 million.
The Natural Resources Commission recommended a plan to subsidize preventative treatment for both elm and ash trees be implemented. What and how much the subsidy is still a matter of discussion. The report said a 50% subsidy for 100% participation among residents for ash trees would cost $157,807.
Another of the suggestions discussed was allowing residents to use village contractors to remove trees on private property, paid for by the property owner but at village rates. The report recommended that the removal of historic trees, currently banned under the Historic Preservation ordinance, be exempt.