Arlington Heights neighborhood launches battle with emerald ash borer
A large-scale treatment of ash trees to protect against the emerald ash borer started Wednesday in Arlington Heights’ Northgate neighborhood.
Sunrise Tree Care of Hawthorn Woods will inject TREE-age insecticide into 448 of the neighborhood’s 698 parkway trees over 10 days, said Laurie Taylor, president of the Northgate Civic Association.
The average price for treating trees with the injection method is about $8 per inch of tree diameter, said Dru Sabatello, village forester. Organizations like the Northgate group can get lower prices by banding together and doing much of the administrative work for the tree care company they select.
Sabatello said he wishes more residents and community groups would treat their parkway ash trees. The civic association collected $47,000 from 358 residents, mostly with contributions of $135 each, and 50 of the donors do not have ash trees on their parkways, said Laurie Taylor. Northgate contributors will get refunds because the village will rebate up to $50 per tree that is professionally treated with the injection.
David Taylor, health care division manager for Sunrise and no relation to Laurie Taylor, said he already has found “more than a handful” of trees in Northgate that will not be treated because the pests have caused too much damage. The health of the trees can be judged this time of year by the amount of leafing.
The neighborhood sits between Arlington Heights and Buffalo Grove roads, north of Hintz Road and south of Dundee Road.
Sunrise and Northgate will stage a demonstration and answer questions at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 5, on Burr Oak Drive, across from Centennial Park, weather permitting. Visitors should check the community’s website, northgate60004.com/