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player ready...Burr Ridge’s program to treat ash trees infested with emerald ash borers has far surpassed the village’s own expectations.
While all ash trees in the village will eventually die due to the insect’s infestation throughout the region, parkway trees being treated have a less than 5 percent annual mortality rate. When the village instituted the treatment program in 2013, Public Works Director Paul May was hoping for a 30 percent annual mortality rate.
“I thought we would have a 70 percent success rate,” May said. “At this point, we have far exceeded that. I don’t expect us to hold this percentage, but I don’t expect us to drop down to 70 percent either.”
On Monday, Village Board members unanimously approved awarding the village’s 2015 EAB treatment contract to Kramer Tree Specialists for $1.24 per diameter inch of tree, not to exceed $22,000. Board members Diane Bolos and John Manieri were absent from the meeting.
Kramer was the ash borer treatment contractor for the village last year and was the low bidder for this year’s work. The company’s bid for this year’s work was a 3.3 percent increase from its 2014 price.
The approved contract is only to treat trees on village parkways. Homeowners and homeowner associations will be notified when Kramer will be in their area so that they can talk with company representatives about treating trees on private property.
“We will let homeowners know the village’s price so they can use it as a bargaining tool,” May said.
Work is expected to begin at the end of April and be finished by June 1.
Even with the treatment, all ash trees in the village will die, May said. However, treated trees are only dying at an annual rate of 3.5 percent compared to an annual rate of 30 percent for untreated trees. Only 30 of the 868 treated trees have died, the public works director noted.
May estimated that all untreated trees will die within five years.
Knowing that all ash trees will die because of the infestation, the village chose to go with a “managed decline” methodology, May said. The methodology allows the village to spread the cost of replacing parkway trees out over time, he said.
All parkway ash trees that are 12 inches in diameter or larger and determined by the village arborist to be in good or excellent condition will receive the treatment to try to extend their life.
There are 868 parkway trees, with a total aggregate diameter of 14,000 to 16,000 inches, that meet the two village criteria, May said.
May noted that the village has an abundance of ash and maple trees. Those two trees make up close to 40 percent of the village’s tree stock. He said no type of tree should make up more than 5 percent of an urban community’s tree stock.
There are 2,152 ash trees on village parkways, 18 percent of the community’s tree stock. There are 2,413 maple trees on village parkways, 20 percent of the tree stock.
“The more diversity you have, the less impact something like the emerald ash borer has,” May said.
Kevin Beese is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.