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Politics & Government

EAB Spells Trouble for Trees

Glen Ellyn Public Works spreads the word about the Emerald Ash Borer.

Many Glen Ellyn residents have heard of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), many even know it’s not a good thing. But what is it, really??

According to the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s Web site, the beetle originates from Asia. Transplanted in North America, it has the potential to completely wipe out the ash tree species here. The site explains the insect as no larger than a penny and advises that while the adults cause little to no damage to the trees, the larvae feed on the inner bark, or cambium layer, which the trees use to transport water and nutrients, essentially causing the malnourished specimen to perish.

How does a Glen Ellyn resident know if EABs are present?

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Only attacking ash trees, the adults are a metallic green color and are only about ½ inch long. If the ash trees show D-shaped holes in spring, that’s evidence of the adults having bored out of the tree. Woodpeckers are strongly pulled to EAB larvae, so heavy woodpecker damage to an ash tree is also evidence of a potential EAB infestation.

When asked what Glen Ellyn is doing to prevent the spread of EAB, village forester Peggy Drescher advised, “We’re participating in the Legacy Tree Project this year. We’re hoping this helps keep the ash trees around and spreads the word to residents on what to be on the lookout for.”

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According to a Glen Ellyn Public Works press release, The Legacy Tree Project is a partnership with Valent Professional Products and is designed to raise public awareness and motivate homeowners to be proactive about it while protecting certain parkway ash trees from infestation and certain death.

“Glen Ellyn has approximately 1,600 parkway ash trees, of which 199 are enrolled in the Legacy Tree Project,” the press release explained. The project is funded by Valent for five consecutive years, meaning there’s no taxpayer cost during that time. This is estimated to save the village $30,000 in treatment costs.

Some residents are wondering how this will affect their health, their family’s health, and the health of their pets. The answer to that is, according to the press release: It won’t. The Davey Tree Expert Company has been contracted by Valent to administer the treatments, the public works department said. The company will be using underground soil injection treatments of a U.S Environmental Protection Agency-registered product, in order to keep human and pet contact to a minimum.

The press release also advised that residents with ash trees on their property should, “seek professional assessment of tree health and suitability for treatment,” before the problem gets out of hand.

The treatments are expected to bring additional benefits to residents in the form of an $8,557 annual property value increase and annual benefits of $21,691 by the way of decreased energy demands, improved air quality, and storm water management, the release stated.

For more information on the EAB or the Legacy Tree Project, call Drescher at 630-547-5505.

Additional information can be found online at the Legacy Tree Project's Web site, the Illinois Department of Agriculture's Web site, and the Village of Glen Ellyn's Web site. Additional information about Valent Professional Products can be found at the company’s Web site.

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