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Emerald Ash BorerIntroduction | Frequently Asked Questions | Tree Talk Column | Contact UsMay 2006 Tree Talk Column Charles J. Hickey Vice Chair, Upper Arlington Tree Commission As published in the SNP/Arlington News My recent column on Emerald Ash Borer issues left some readers with the impression that jack booted storm troopers would arrive to remove all ash trees from private property in Upper Arlington. Nothing could be further from the truth. Parks and Forestry Superintendent Steve Cothrel tells me that his jack boots no longer fit after all of the recent marshmallow crème eggs he ate and he is too busy cutting the grass on the Northam Park tee ball fields to worry about private trees. Current City Code however does require the removal of dead or dangerous private trees if they threaten the public right of way or public infrastructure. The City Tree Commission is concerned that this leaves unaddressed the potential threat posed by dead or dangerous private trees looming over a neighbor's swing set or sun room. Waiting for death or injury to occur before activating the tort system seems to us on the Commission to lack prudence. We have therefore suggested that Upper Arlington City Council enact changes to Code 907 that would allow the City to require removal of trees or shrubs deemed a menace to persons, buildings or structures by a staff Certified Arborist. Such trees would require removal within 30 days of receipt of a certified letter notifying the resident. Failure to comply would allow the City to remove such trees and bill the resident 150% of the actual cost of the work. The intent here is to incentivize the tree owner to contract the removal work privately. The Tree Commission feels that a huge dead tree looming over a neighbor's property is no different than an unfenced swimming pool in terms of being a hazard. This proposed Code revision will have three readings before Council and will then be voted on. Jane C. Martin from the Ohio State University Extension-Franklin County published her EAB recommendations in a recent Dispatch article. She does not recommend insecticide treatments for trees outside of the current northwestern Ohio quarantine area at this time. Current research shows mixed results of such treatment with some outright failures. My advice for private ash tree owners who opt to keep large private ash trees is to send a Honey Baked Ham to your local tree surgeon. Cultivate a relationship so that he will take your phone call should you need him suddenly. April 2006 Tree Talk Column Charles J. Hickey Vice Chair, Upper Arlington Tree Commission The Upper Arlington Tree Commission continues to plan for eventual emerald ash borer infestation. Marianne Prue has recently joined the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry as an expert to provide EAB assistance to Ohio communities. It now seems that federally funded removal of infested trees is not a long term option and Upper Arlington needs to have a plan in place. Forester Prue's advice is quite stark. She recommends taking an inventory of all ash trees on public property and then she recommends that they should be removed gradually to reduce the risk and minimize the impact of an infestation . This is the first time Steve Cothrel, Upper Arlington Superintendent of Parks and Forestry, has ever heard a recommendation to remove healthy trees in advance of an infestation or blight problem. The reason why is that no ash trees seem to survive this bug, unlike some elm trees which were able to survive Dutch Elm disease. If all of the ash trees in U A were to die in a short one to two year period it could be extremely expensive to remove all of them at once and there would be a dearth of qualified experienced tree surgeons to do the work. The U A Tree Commission has thus decided that it would be prudent to begin the removal of public property ash trees and replace them with other species trees at the rate of ten percent a year. We plan to start with older trees in poor condition first with the goal being to remove first the ashes which would cause the most trouble, damage and expense were they to suddenly die. It is much more expensive to remove a dead tree than a live one. We will also attempt to remove and replace ashes which threaten power lines, buildings or public roads. We hope to avoid wholesale clearance of all ashes at once in any given neighborhood as it will minimize the impact if this can be done gradually over the ten years. The EAB may not give us that much time. Residents will be notified in advance of any ash tree removals and can appeal specific ash tree removals to the Commission. We plan to spare any particular ash that a resident is fond of with our overall goal still being to lessen the total number of public ash trees that we would have to deal with suddenly when the infestation strikes here. The Commissioners are heartsick over this but we feel this is the only responsible course to take. We welcome any public comments or questions. Parks & Forestry Division Parks & Recreation Department City of Upper Arlington 3600 Tremont Road Upper Arlington, OH 43221 Phone: 614-583-5340 www.ua-ohio.net |
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