Emerald ash borer discovered in St. Charles near Geneva

St. Charles officials broke some bad news to the city Thursday about the emerald ash borer: it's here.

The recent discovery was made as city crews trimmed storm-damaged trees on the 1300 block of 14th Street, near the Geneva border, officials said. Since then, the invasive tree-killing insect's presence has been confirmed in all quadrants of the city.

According to city arborist Ben Deutsch, addressing the situation is "going to be an involved, ongoing process."

"Due to the cool, late spring, the beetle is just starting to migrate and mate, and is expected to continue migration for the next two to three weeks," Deutsch said in a news release. "The city will be assessing the need to remove any infested ash trees until the end of the flight season."

The emerald ash borer has been blamed for the deaths of millions of ash trees in the Midwest since it was first discovered in this country six years ago in Michigan.

In recent years, additional cases have been confirmed across Northern Illinois, including in several municipalities surrounding St. Charles - Geneva, Batavia and Campton Township - as well as Naperville, Carol Stream, Chicago and, most recently, Algonquin.

Worried their town was next, St. Charles officials have been looking for signs of the insect for several seasons.

"We viewed it as only a matter of time before it reached St. Charles," Mayor Don DeWitte said. "We're fortunate it took as long as it did."

The borer kills by feeding on ash trees' inner bark, depriving its host of water and nutrients. Symptoms often don't appear for two or three years, making it difficult to detect.

Deutsch said the city will not remove any ash trees for at least a few weeks while the borer is still in flight. Meanwhile, efforts continue to inspect and inventory all ash trees on public property, and more than a dozen traps have been set at strategic locations across the city, Deutsch said.

"We are still assessing the impact and the amount of trees that may need to be removed in the future," he said. "This assessment will be done on a case-by-case basis, and will continue throughout this and the next several flight seasons."

Added DeWitte: "We're going to be very cautious and very conservative ... to try and preserve as many ash trees as possible."

There are an estimated 5,500 ash trees in St. Charles. Residents who know of one that might be infested are asked to reference a list of symptoms online at www.stcharlesil.gov and report to the public works office any cases confirmed by a certified arborist.

Public works can be reached at (630) 377-4486.