Ash trees infected by emerald ash borers (EAB) have been discovered in Sauganash and surrounding communities.

Members of the SCA Board have spoken to the chief forester for the City of Chicago and trusted certified arborists about the problem.

The city is responsible for parkway trees and homeowners are responsible for trees on their own property.

It is unlikely that the City will be able to take down infected parkway trees for some time.   The number of trees removed for safety reasons due to storm damage has put stress on crews and the city budget.

The EAB problem is complicated because unlike many infestations each beetle lays 600 eggs!  One infected tree will produce thousands of beetles all looking for food.  The problem is we have too much food – lots of ash trees. A survey shows we have approximately 220 ash trees in our parkways.    Even if all the trees in our neighborhood could all be treated there is the problem of the beetles coming in from surrounding communities. (Note:  Tree identification and evidence of infestation will appear at the end of this article.)

There are two ways to treat your tree to prevent or slow the infection of your tree.  Both treatments use an insecticide.  It will not kill vegetation   The poison is taken up by the capillary system in the tree and should kill most. if not all, of the beetles.  Treatments are best done in the spring.

      You can use Bayer Advanced Tree and Insect Control and pour it around the tree every year.  You will need to purchase the right amount for the size of your tree.  It is inexpensive and very effective.  Information can be found at the Bayer website or on the product label.  It  is sold in at least two container sizes so if is cheaper to buy the larger size if you have a big tree.

      You can have the tree injected by a tree service.  The tree should be injected annually.  This treatment is controversial because every time you inject the tree you have to make a large hole in the bark.  Each hole damages the tree and all those holes could cause the tree to die. 

These treatments may not save your trees but it may prolong the life of the tree for some years to come.  While many of the beetles will be poisoned on your tree, a few may not.  Hopefully some trees will survive.  We recommend you plant replacement trees in the likelihood that your tree will eventually succumb.  It takes years to grow large trees and trees add to the beauty and value of our neighborhood.

Ash trees have twigs and branches that grow in opposite pairs.   They have compound leaves of small glossy leaflets opposite each other.   Mature trees have gray furrowed bark (often diamond patterns) and younger ones have smooth bark.  If you are unsure refer to a tree identification book or website for pictures. 

The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) has established guidelines for recognizing EAB infested trees. There are eight identifiable signs and symptoms that a tree may be infested with EAB:

·         crown dieback

·        epicormic sprouting or suckers

·        bark splits

·        D-shaped exit holes in the bark

·        S-shaped larval galleries under the bark

·        presence of larvae

·        woodpecker damage to the outer bark (the presence of woodpeckers indicates all kinds of insect activity not jus EAB.  Redheaded woodpeckers which frequent our neighborhood are endangerd in Illinois)

·        presence of adult beetles 

If three or more of these signs and symptoms are present or the tree is at least 30% dead, it is likely that your tree is infested.

Finally if you must sacrifice your tree we encourage tree replacement.  The City of Chicago offers a rebate of up to $100 to plant a new tree on your Chicago residence.  Go to WWW.CityofChicago.org/rainbarrel for more information.

Would you dump your garbage, lawn clippings, yard waste, or other disposable household items on your neighbor's lawn? What about your Christmas tree? I'm sure if you did, your neighbor would take swift action against you!

Unfortunately, we need to be aware the forest preserve is our neighbor too. We all enjoy the benefits of living near the preserves, but some of our neighbors seem to think it is ok to use it as a dumping ground. A natural area can easily biodegrade the materials that live there, but any added materials cause it unnecessary stress. When you take into consideration air and water pollution, it already has additional stress. So lets be good neighbors to nature too!