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City proposes cutting trees to fight bug
2007-07-20
The city would make a pre-emptive strike against a destructive insect by cutting down thousands of street-side ash trees, under a proposal from city foresters. The emerald ash borer already has attacked ash trees on the city's northeast side, and removing healthy ones now will keep the infestation from spreading, said forester Jack Low. An estimated 11,775 ash trees would be taken out and replaced with other species in a plan that would cost the city $6 million dollars spread out over 10 years. The proposal will be included in a city Recreation and Parks Department budget plan for next year that will be delivered to Mayor Michael Coleman in August, Low said. The ash borer has been blamed for killing about 20 million ash trees in Ohio, neighboring states and Ontario, Canada, since it was first spotted in the region in 2002. The insect was discovered in northern Ohio in 2003 and has now been confirmed in 31 of the state's 88 counties, according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The state doesn't have the funding to fight the pest and has encouraged local communities to develop their own battle plans. As part of its strategy, Cleveland earlier this week announced that it would remove more than 1,400 ash trees by 2009, at a cost of $900,000.
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