Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan. Parks, Recreation & Facilities Village of Glendale Heights Revised 2013

Transcription

1 Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan Parks, Recreation & Facilities Village of Glendale Heights Revised

2 Purpose The purpose of this Management/Action Plan is to evaluate and combat the destructive effects of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) on the Village tree population and how we are going to reforest our parks and parkways. There is also a high number of Ash trees on private property that could pose as a hazard and are assisting the borer to flourish. This plan will act as a guideline for the Village to follow as we battle against this foreign beetle. It should be noted that this is a living document and will need to be updated as the conditions change in our urban forest throughout the Village. "The Emerald Ash Borer" This exotic beetle from Asia was discovered in July of 2002 feeding on Ash trees in Southeastern Michigan. The larvae feed on the Cambium layer between the bark and wood of Ash trees which girdles the tree and eventually killing it. The insect has killed more than 6 million Ash trees in Michigan and now is spreading in the state of Illinois. The Village of Glendale Heights is one of the many communities in Northern Illinois that is infected with the insect. The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was first detected in Glendale Heights in 2007 by the Department of Agriculture. At that time, there was only one location known to be infected with EAB, a strip mall in the Village. EAB Larvae Damaged Cambium Layer Adult Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) EAB Compliance Agreement The Village of Glendale Heights has entered into an EAB compliance agreement with the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDA) on December 21, The compliance agreement equires the Village to take the necessary precautions to minimize and control the spread of EAB. Compliance agencies commit to contacting anyone giving, selling or receiving ash or other hardwood, to inform them of the EAB quarantine area and the resulting restrictions on wood movement. A copy of the Compliance Agreement is available at website as well as a listing of the communities who have entered into the EAB compliance agreement. State and Federal Response A coalition of local, state and federal agencies are working together to stop the national spread of EAB. In Illinois, the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDA) is the lead agency responsible for the control of invasive pests and the state's EAB program. The federal agency U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Servicee (USDA-APHIS) assists with the regulatory and control action at the request of the state. The USDA-APHIS has established a federal EAB quarantine to include the entire Village of Glendale Heights Page 2

3 states of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio and the entire lower peninsula of Michigan. This federal order restricts the interstate movement of regulated articles that originate within the quarantine area. Within the state, IDA established an interior quarantine area to include most of northeastern Illinois. The federal quarantine augments state quarantines, and both federal and state quarantines regulate the movement of regulated articles. Regulated articles include ash nursery stock and green lumber: and any other ash material including logs, stumps roots, branches, as well as composted and uncomposted wood chips. While the federal quarantine restricts trade between States or interstate movement, the interior state quarantines restrict movement of regulated articles our of those specific quarantine areas in each state. In addition to delimiting (identifying the outer edges of) the Illinois infestations, declaring EAB a Public Nuisance in Illinois, and enacting a quarantine restricting the movement of ash trees and non-coniferous firewood, IDA has created a comprehensive EAB website which is now frequently updated with useful information for communities and property owners. This website has maps of the federal and state quarantines, links to other EAB websites, copies of management plans and other treatment options. Glendale Heights Ash Tree Population In 2010, the EAB was found in a south side subdivision of Glendale Heights, among numerous parkway trees, and in 2011 almost Village wide. The Village had at that time over 2,900 Ash trees on its parkways and parks. That is about 1/4 of the Villages almost 12,000 trees. Since 2010, the Village has removed over 400 Ash trees that were found to be infected by the insect, bringing the number of Ash trees to 2,500. Out of those 2,500 remaining Ash trees, about 75% are infected with EAB - nearly 1,875 infected trees. We have no current data on private property Ash trees. The following elements of the Village of Glendale Heights EAB management plan have been adopted and are subject to periodic revision as new information about the borer is available. This plan is also subject to change should state or federal policies dictate. The Village of Glendale Heights Parks, Recreation & Facilities Department is the lead local agency responsible for plan implementation. The Village Arborist will provide public education and information regarding EAB as a routine service and an annual report to the Village Board will be prepared. The Village of Glendale Heights Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan The Village of Glendale Heights has made a continued commitment to preserve and perpetuate trees on Village property. Evidence of this commitment includes ordinances protecting trees during construction, an active urban forest management program, the Village's continued status as a Tree City USA community since 1997 and the addition of a Village Arborist to the Parks Division staff in This Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan is to serve as the Village of Glendale Heights guide to manage the Village's parkway Ash trees and how the Village will work with property owners to manage private Ash trees. The goal of this plan is to take a proactive, methodical, and measured approach to control Village of Glendale Heights Page 3

4 the spread of the Emerald Ash borer in Glendale heights while attempting to minimize the impact of tree loss to Glendale Heights neighborhoods. This management plan recognizes three important facts: 1. Infested and other distressed Ash trees represent a haven for the EAB and can promote the spread of the bug to other healthy trees, therefore these Ash trees on public property must be removed as soon as feasibly possible. 2. Healthy Ash trees that are not showing signs of distress or infestation are a positive part of Glendale Heights urban forest. These trees will remain until they are no longer healthy or infested and then will be removed. This will help slow the loss of tree canopy in Glendale Heights neighborhoods. 3. The removal of Ash trees from our urban forest will change the landscape of the community. Reforestation where Ash trees have been removed is essential for maintaining the appeal of our neighborhoods and emphasizing our continued commitment to the environment. Tree replacements will be made as funding is available. The management plan includes specific procedures the Village of Glendale Heights will implement to manage the spread of the EAB within its borders. Included with the procedures in this management plan are tables identifying the potential financial impact of each component. The potential financial impact values identified herein are for planning purposes only and are subject to change as infestations of the EAB are found. To make the management plan easier to use, it has been separated into the following five key components: 1. Resident & Business Outreach and Education 2. Village Owned Ash Trees 3. Privately Owned Ash Trees 4. Important Contact Information 5. Updating of the EAB Management Plan Resident & Business Outreach and Education The Village embarked on a public information program to educate its residents and business owners about EAB through the local cable network, newsletters and fliers handed out at public buildings. The Village of Glendale Heights is committed to reaching out to residents and businesses and educating them of the EAB and the threat it poses to Glendale Heights urban forest, the Village's actions to curb or slow the spread of the EAB, and options for residents and businesses with private Ash trees. Outreach and education requires the resources of multiple Village Departments including Community Development, Public Services and the Parks, recreation & Facilities Department. These resources will be used to create and implement the following informational tools: Informational Displays Pamphlets and Brochures Village of Glendale Heights Page 4

5 Newsletter Articles Village/Department Website Public Access Channel Onsite Resident Meetings The projected financial impact of resident outreach and education is expected to be minimal. In-house resources will be used wherever possible for the development of educational materials. The majority of the costs are related to printing and mailing. Village Owned Trees Ash trees represent just over 20% (2,500) of the Village of Glendale Heights approximately 12,000 parkway trees. To help slow the spread of the EAB, the Village is taking a proactive, multi-faceted approach that includes surveying of all Village owned Ash trees, treatment of some Ash trees with an insecticide, removing dead or declining trees, and replanting trees where Ash trees were removed. Specifically, the Village will remove approximately 2500 declining Ash trees (trees with a condition rating of 3 or 4) contractually and with in-house resources over the course of the next eight fiscal years, it will treat selected trees with an insecticide, and will plant approximately 2500 trees over the next eight fiscal years to replace what has been removed. Survey The first step taken by the Parks, Recreation & Facilities Department was to survey all parkway Ash trees to create a current benchmark of their condition. Surveying is done by observing trees and the amount of crown dieback, structural integrity and other evidence of declining health. This information is then used to categorize trees on the scale identified in Table 1. Category Description Good Minor Problems Major Problems Extreme/Dead Surveys of Category 1 and 2 trees will be updated annually and results will be utilized to plan for continued treatment and removal of parkway trees. The initial parkway Ash tree survey was completed in September Table 2: Ash Trees by Category Category Total Number of Trees 250 (10%) 250 (10%) 1300 (50%) 700 (30%) 2,500 Village of Glendale Heights Page 5

6 Category 1 : Good Category 2: Minor Problems Category 3: Major problems Category 4: Extreme/Dead Projected Financial Impact: The initial and future surveys of parkway Ash trees will be completed with in-house resources as part of regularly scheduled work. Treatment After the initial treatment and prior to additional treatments, the Village will be assessing the condition of the treated trees to determine the success level. Beginning in the Spring of, 25 Ash trees in good condition (scale level 1) or of significant site value (Camera Park & Public Services) will be treated on Village owned property to help preserve some Ash trees through the epidemic. Village of Glendale Heights Page 6

7 Projected Financial Impact: Fiscal Year Projected Costs of Treatments $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 Tree Removal In , Village crews in conjunction with a Grant from the DuPage Mayors Caucus, removed over 89 Ash trees with 629 man-hours at a cost of $14, in labor costs, $4, in stump grinding costs and approximately $1, in parkway restorations (laying soil and seed). Contracted tree planting funded by the Grant totaled $20,000 for the 89 tree replacements. In-house tree removal/trimming costs, not related to the EAB, for the Village in FY was $76, This was for all trees trimmings and removals (storm damage) for a total of 3,187 man hours. In addition, 104 Ash trees were removed from the North Ave median strip between President and Swift, at a cost of $5,000 in The Village of Glendale Heights will use a combination of Glendale Heights resources and contractor assistance to remove parkway Ash trees with a condition rating of 3 and 4 over the next eight (8) fiscal years. Tentative Number of Ash Trees to be Removed by Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Total Total Tree Removals Projected Financial Impact of Ash Tree Removals Fiscal Year Total Projected Tree $108,150 $111,394 $114,735 $118,177 $121,722 $125,373 $150,656 $155,175 $1,005,382 Removal Costs Reforestation Parkway Ash trees removed as part of this EAB Management Plan will be replaced at no cost to the resident if there is a sufficient amount of space available on the parkway (in accordance with the guidelines in the Municipal Forest Plan). The Parks, Recreation & Facilities Department's goal is to Village of Glendale Heights Page 7

8 replant trees within eighteen (18) months of removal, however replanting is contingent upon the queue of parkway tree planting commitments and the available funding for the tree planting program. Residents who have had a parkway Ash tree removed will be mailed a form notifying them of a replacement tree or the ability to opt out of having a replacement tree. Projected Financial Impact of Reforestation Fiscal Year Total Projected Tree $105,000 $108,150 $111,394 $114,735 $118,177 $121,722 $142,009 $146,269 $967,456 Replacement Costs The Village of Glendale Heights purchases it trees annually through the Suburban Tree Consortium and utilizes the Consortium's contractor to plant the trees. Ash trees will be replanted with a 2" inch tree valued at approximately $ Total Projected Financial Impact of the Emerald Ash Borer Fiscal Year Total Ash Tree Removals and $213,500 $219,544 $226,129 $232,912 $239,899 $247,095 $292,665 $301,444 $1,973,188 Replacements Privately Owned Ash Trees The Village of Glendale Heights recognizes that many residences and businesses may have Ash trees on their private property. The Village does not treat or remove trees on private property. If the owner suspects that their Ash tree might be infected with the EAB, they are asked to contact the Parks, Recreation o& Facilities Department immediately. Consultation The Village's certified Arborist will meet with the residents to help them determine if a tree on private property is an Ash tree. General assessments will be offered on the health of the tree (the tree looks healthy or does not look healthy), residents will be advised to contact an arborist for more specific diagnoses. If clear signs of the EAB are found on the tree in question during a consultation with the Village Arborist, the Village enforcement officer will notify the owner that the tree must be removed using methods for removal of EAB infested trees as approved by the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDA). Consultations will be scheduled as requested and as staff time allows. There is no cost for consultation with the Village Arborist. Village of Glendale Heights Page 8

9 Treatment Property owners are able and welcome to treat their private Ash trees. Two common tree treatments for the EAB include Merit and Tree-age. Merit is a soil drenching treatment applied at the base of the tree. Tree-age is injected directly into the trunk of trees. Owners wishing to treat their private trees should contact a certified Arborist to discuss treatment options. However, please use caution as no treatment is 100% effective. Should an infestation occur, the property owner will be required to remove the tree. Residents or businesses that are required to remove their tree(s) due to infestation will not be reimbursed by the Village for any treatment costs incurred. Important Contact information Village of Glendale Heights Parks, Recreation & Facilities Department (630) Community Development (630) Morton Arboretum United States Department of Agriculture Illinois Department of Agriculture Updating of this Management Plan This management plan will be reviewed by the Parks, Recreation & Facilities Director or her designee on an annual basis to determine if the plan is commensurate with the current infestation level. Recommended changes will be brought to the Village Board for their advice and consent. The Emerald Ash Borer management plan will be brought to the Village Board after three (3) years from the date of acceptance for a comprehensive review. Village of Glendale Heights Page 9