EMERALD ASH BORER MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE CITY OF MONROE

Transcription

1 EMERALD ASH BORER MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE CITY OF MONROE

2 Table of Contents I. Executive Summary (Page 3) II. Plan Administration (Page 3) III. Purpose (Page 4) IV. Symptoms of EAB (Page 4) V. Tree Inventory (Page 5) VI. City of Monroe Action Plan (Page 6) VII. Potential Cost (Page 6 & 7) VIII. Regulations (Page 7) IX. Disposal (Page 7 & 8) X. Monitoring EAB (Page 8 & 9) XI. What Can Residents Do? (Page 9) XII. EAB Updates and Additional Information (Page 9 & 10) 2

3 Executive Summary This Management Plan has been prepared due to the pending infestation of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). It is intended to serve as a guide to deal with this insect and dying ash trees. The Emerald Ash Borer or EAB is a metallic green beetle native to Asia. It is approximately ½ inch long and 1/8 inch wide. In its larval stage it feeds under the bark of an ash tree which creates channels that cut off water and nutrient movement in the tree. EAB was first discovered in the United States in 2002 near Detroit, Michigan. Since then, the beetle has spread to more than a dozen states including Wisconsin, and has killed millions of ash trees in the Midwest. EAB was detected for the first time in Wisconsin in August, 2008 in the community of Newburg near West Bend. Since then, it has been confirmed in thirteen counties including Rock County. It is important that we prepare for the impact of EAB. Like many other communities, Monroe was devastated by Dutch Elm Disease in the 1960 s and 1970 s. Ash trees were a popular species for replanting after Dutch Elm Disease. Ash Trees were considered to be a relatively disease free tree with good form, moderate growth rate and were tolerant of urban conditions. It is estimated 20% or more of the trees in public areas are ash trees. Trees, parks, and other green spaces contribute greatly to the quality of life. EAB will eventually make an appearance in Monroe and it will have an aesthetic effect on our community and a fiscal impact on our cities budget for many years. Plan Administration The implementation of the EAB Management Plan for the City of Monroe will be under the supervision of: Paul Klinzing- Park Director/City Forester City of Monroe th Avenue Monroe, WI (608) pklinzing@cityofmonroe.org 3

4 Purpose By implementing the provisions of this Management Plan, the City of Monroe is attempting to mitigate the disruption of its local urban forest caused by the pending infestation of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Taking a moderate approach to this pending infestation will enable the City of Monroe to address the needs in an efficient and effective manner. The City of Monroe must prepare to manage this pest on three fronts; street and right of way trees, park and public property trees, and trees on private property. With the discovery of EAB in neighboring Rock County there is an increased need to prepare the City of Monroe for a possible infestation. A moderate approach to the Emerald Ash Borer Local Management Plan will enable the city to: - Develop an ash tree reduction program. - Develop tree planting recommendations. - Remove ash trees as deemed appropriate and replant trees that are removed. - Develop a yearly budget for ash tree reduction and treatment. - Continue to train personnel and conduct surveys to look for EAB. - Develop and strengthen community awareness. - Keep local officials updated about EAB as it is continuing to be discovered in Wisconsin. Symptoms of EAB Be on the lookout for any ash tree showing general signs of decline. Look for: - Epicormic sprouting (unusual branches produced from the tree s base). - Dead or dying branches in the upper crown - Yellow or discolored foliage during the growing season Some more specific symptoms of EAB infestation includes: - D-shaped exit holes: When EAB adults emerge from beneath the bark; they create distinctive D-Shaped exit holes. - Vertical bark splits: The feeding of EAB larvae often causes a 2-5 inch split in the tree s bark. In some cases, larval galleries can be seen beneath these splits. - Increased woodpecker activity: woodpeckers feed on EAB larvae. - Presence of metallic green beetles: Adult EAB beetles are metallic green in color and are 3/8-1/2 inch in length and 1/8 of an inch in width. 4

5 Tree Inventory An important step in preparing for EAB was to inventory the number of ash trees in our city park areas and on our city terraces. In 2011, fifteen trees in city park areas were inventoried to determine the total number of trees in each area and how many of these trees were ash. The results of this survey are: Park Ash Tree Count Total Trees Twining North East 6 26 Water Tower 2 6 Recreation East 0 23 Rink 0 3 Farm Market 3 7 Lincoln 0 34 Advance 0 1 Valley View 0 5 Honey Creek Sunset 0 29 Park Garage 3 16 Street Dept. 3 9 Senior Center 0 15 TOTAL: In 2012 and 2013, a survey of the city terrace areas was completed to determine the number of ash trees. A total of 603 ash trees were determined to be in the public right of way. We have a reasonable estimate of the number of ash trees we have on public right of ways as well as parks and this provides us with information on how EAB will likely affect our community. A complete tree inventory should be considered. A tree inventory is the process of counting, characterizing and recording information about publicly owned trees that make up our urban forest. It documents information including the total number of trees, their condition, location and species. Complete inventories are usually done with the aid of a consultant. We should consider applying for an Urban Forestry Grant through the DNR to help fund this inventory. The completed inventory would help us manage the maintenance of our urban forest and guide us in our re-planting efforts. We should attempt to diversify our planting as much as possible and this would give us information to help achieve this with our re-planting efforts. 5

6 City of Monroe Action Plan The action plan will consist of a ten year pre-emptive removal plan, as well as selective treatment. As stated in the inventory section of this plan, the city of Monroe has 603 ash trees on public right of ways and 73 ash trees in the city park properties. In 2013, the first year of the plan, we will identify and remove 26 ash trees leaving 650 ash trees that will potentially need to be removed and/or treated. The following priority order will be used for our pre-emptive removal plan: 1. Large, structurally unsound ash in poor condition. 2. Smaller ash in poor condition 3. Ash that are improperly placed or are interfering with other infrastructures such as blocking stop signs or under power lines. 4. The ash trees that are remaining will be removed as the budget allows. The remaining number of trees to be removed will change depending on the effectiveness of treatments or the progression of the infestation. Chemical treatment of the best, mature ash trees in the city should be planned for. This will not guarantee the protection of the tree; however research has shown a very high success rate with regular treatment. Potential Cost In order to estimate the potential cost for removal and/or treatment of the public ash trees, the size of the average ash tree will need to be estimated first. Of the 603 ash trees on the public right of ways, 386 of these were planted between 1986 and The size of the trees planted in this 20 year span ranges from 5 to 18 in diameter. The remaining 217 trees were planted before this time and range from 25 to 36 in diameter. Based on these numbers, an average sized ash tree in Monroe could be estimated at about 16 in diameter. In 2013, we are paying $20.25 per diameter/inch for tree removal and $4.80 per diameter/inch for stump removal. The cost to remove a 16 diameter ash tree would be $ and the cost for the stump removal would be $76.80, making the total tree removal cost $ The cost to remove all 676 ash trees as well as the stumps would be $270, using the 2013 contract prices. In the spring of 2013, the village of DeForest asked for proposals to treat 63 ash trees. The proposals for treatment ranged from $5.79-$11.17 per diameter/inch. The treatment cost 6

7 for a 16 diameter ash tree would range from $92.64-$ The chemical they chose was Emamectin Benzoate which is injected in the trunk of the tree in the spring of the year after leaf out. This would potentially protect the tree for two years. Starting in 2014 with the 650 ash trees remaining we could plan to remove 36 ash trees each year and plan to treat 36 ash trees. The cost to remove 36 ash trees and stumps could be estimated at $14, Using the average cost of the proposals from DeForest, the cost could be estimated at $4, to treat 36 trees. I would recommend we plan to budget $20,000 beginning in 2014 for an ash tree reduction and treatment program. Regulations The state has a number of regulations that are in place in order to deal with the movement of EAB infected materials. When EAB is discovered in Green County it will be quarantined. This means that residents and affected businesses must not transport any hardwood firewood, ash nursery stock, ash logs, or timber out of the quarantined area, without a compliance agreement with the Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). This restriction helps prevent the introduction of the pest to new areas and minimizes the spread. The City of Monroe currently has an ordinance in place to manage the effects of Dutch Elm Disease. It is important that the city amends its ordinance to manage EAB activities. The majority of ash trees within the city will be found on private property. Dead and dying ash trees will pose a public safety hazard, so we will need the authority to declare infested or dead trees as a public nuisance and have that nuisance abated on private property. Another ordinance to consider would be to require private property tree removal permits for ash trees to insure the material is not moved out of a quarantined area. Disposal One of the challenges in EAB management is the disposal of ash material. The terrace and park trees that are currently removed under our forestry contract are the responsibility of the contractor doing the removal to dispose of. The current contractor utilizes a whole tree chipper to process much of the wood waste from a tree removal. Any trees that the city crews remove are taken to the city compost site off of Greenbush Road. This material is ground in a tub grinder and is then aged before it is available to use as mulch. 7

8 The following options are available for processing infested ash wood to kill EAB or prevent completion of its life cycle and spread to un-infested trees: - Chipping- ash wood, brush and stump grindings must be chipped or ground down to a maximum size of no more than 1 in two dimensions (two of the three measurements; length, width, and depth must be 1 or smaller). The typical chipper used in tree care operations will not reliably create chips that meet this specification. Chippers equipped with a 1 screen will assure compliance. - Debarking- complete removal of all bark plus one half inch of wood. The removed bark and wood must be chipped down to a maximum size of 1 by 1 in two dimensions. - Heat treatment- the wood temperature must reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 75 minutes in the center of the piece. Heat treatment chambers or kilns need to be certified by USDA APHIS. - Composting- to compost bark and the additional one-half inch wood, temperatures must reach at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit for four days and the compost pile must be turned after four days. - Fumigation- use labeled fumigants by a process approved by state or federal agencies. - Burning- wood, brush or chips may be burned prior to insect emergence. - Aging- Ash wood material that is aged for 2 years after tree death will be free of EAB. The wood will have dried to the point EAB can no longer survive in it and any EAB present when the tree died or that infested the wood shortly after cutting will have emerged during the 2 year period. If this processing option is used, it should be understood that EAB will continue to emerge during the 2 year aging period and this wood poses a risk of infestation to living ash in the area where it is being aged. This wood must not be moved out of a quarantined area during the aging period. Monitoring of EAB The city does not have a formal inspection program that would look at every ash tree on a regular basis during the year, we do attempt to monitor conditions of ash trees and randomly inspect trees for signs of EAB. If conditions warrant, a declining ash tree will be removed. If a Monroe resident suspects an EAB infected tree on either public property (parks/medians) or on private property (residences). They should call the DNR EAB Hotline phone number at , as well as contact the Park and Recreation Department office at Once 8

9 the city has been contacted we can make the proper contacts within the Department of Natural Resources to have the tree in question evaluated and appropriate action may be taken. What Can Residents Do? There are several things that residents can do to assist in the effort to control EAB: - Know the signs and symptoms of EAB - Know your trees: Have a certified arborist assess your tree s health. If you have ash trees, now is the time to start thinking about whether or not you will use insecticide treatments to try and save them. Although this is a long term investment and the cost can add up over the years, insecticides may be a good option for highly valued trees. - Understand the chemical treatment options information. An excellent resource for outlining these options is Insecticide Options for Protecting Ash Trees from Emerald Ash Borer. This may be obtained online at Local garden centers have soil drench products that can be applied by homeowners along with local tree care companies that do trunk injection treatments. - Plant trees (but not ash trees). Most tree nurseries have stopped stocking ash since this is no longer a smart planting choice. For a list of alternatives, visit ers.pdf. - Don t move firewood- EAB has spread quickly throughout the north central United States and into Canada not because it is highly mobile on its own, but because people have helped it. If you use firewood at home or when you travel, be sure to purchase it on site. - To learn more, go to or visit EAB Updates And Additional Information Listed below are a few excellent sites to obtain additional information in regards to EAB. - EAB portal for the state of Wisconsin - EAB web page administered by Michigan State University - WI DNR EAB web site 9

10 - UW Extension, Dept. of Entomology website - WI DATCP EAB - EAB toolkit developed by the WI DNR - State of Wisconsin EAB response plan - University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Entomology website describing pesticide treatments for EAB. 10