Joliet’s borer war wages on

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A crew with Homer Tree Care removes an infested ash tree in Joliet. | Matthew Grotto~Sun-Times Media

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Updated: February 25, 2012 8:01AM

JOLIET — The ash tree in front of Steve Horrigan’s house was older than he is, and Horrigan is 48. But the ash tree is gone now — a victim of the emerald ash borer.

The city of Joliet last week started its ash tree removal program for 2012 on Horrigan’s street — West Acres Road. Ten trees were taken down. Anywhere between 300 and 700 ash trees on public property will be removed around Joliet this year.

“It’s going to be different not seeing it,” said Horrigan, who has lived in the same block, although in different houses, all his life and has been familiar with the ash trees that grow tall and offer plenteous shade in the summer.

“Our street will look different,” he said.

A lot of streets will look different this year as Joliet and other towns remove ash trees because the emerald ash borer has taken its toll.

The Joliet program is only targeting infested ash trees owned by the city. Joliet has about 20,000 ash trees planted in public areas, so the 2012 program will only remove a fraction of them.

The removal of ash trees did not start this week. Crews have been cutting them down here and there, said Jim Teiber, the city’s arborist. But this week marks the start of the officials 2012 program contracted with Homer Tree Service and costing some $60,000.

Homer Tree Service is expected back Tuesday on Dawes Avenue just north of Black Road.

The city will remove as many trees as Homer Tree Service can cut down for $60,000, Teiber said. The city’s own crews will cut down smaller ash trees.

Eating away each tree

Not everyone understands why the trees have to go.

“You wouldn’t believe the amount of complaints we’re getting because we’re removing the trees,” Teiber said.

Horrigan was not complaining. The tree in front of his house had been dropping branches weekly.

After it was cut down, Teiber was able to tear bark off of the tree as though he were peeling an orange.

“I can’t get over that,” Teiber said as he peeled more bark and revealed more damage from the emerald ash borer. “It’s killing the cambium. That’s why you can peel the bark away.”

Teiber pointed to serpentine grooves going up and down all the way along the huge tree branch, the sign of the emerald ash borer’s presence.

Usually, he said, he sees “a little section” of infestation, but the damage in this case “has taken everything away from half the tree.”

This particular branch was about 15 inches in diameter and about 15 feet long. It could do a lot of damage if it had fallen off instead of being taken down by professionals.

Teiber estimated that emerald ash borers have been eating away at the tree for about three years.

There were probably thousands of them inside the tree, he said, and the level of damage suggests how many emerald ash borers are getting around Joliet.

Using the best options

All year round, Lockport-based Homer Tree Service travels throughout the Chicago region to cut down ash trees infested with the emerald ash borer.

“We’ll remove about 250 trees a week in various municipalities and on private property as well,” said Dan Reposh, arborist with Homer Tree Service.

That’s just one tree contractor. Homer has competition from other tree services bidding for the work offered by municipalities that want ash trees cut down.

There are treatment methods. But Teiber said treatment is best done as a preventative measure, not once the tree is infested. The city does not have the funds to treat ash trees, a much more expensive process than cutting them down, Teiber said.

However, researchers are working on a formula; and Teiber said that’s a reason not to cut down every ash tree in town, although the city cannot afford to do that anyway.

Teiber said was accused recently by one resident of enjoying the job of cutting down the ash trees.

Not so, said Teiber.

As an arborist, he’s a tree lover, not a hater. But the damage does pose safety issues, he said. And, cutting down infested trees is one way to try to stop the emerald ash borer from spreading to healthy ash trees.

“Total eradication of the ash tree is not our goal,” Teiber said. “You never know what might happen. They might come up with a chemical next year that will save the trees.”