Algonquin may make homeowners chop infested trees

Emerald ash borers are much like the uninvited guests who crash parties to snack on free food.

And the only way to keep people like that from coming in the first place is to cut off their food supply.

Algonquin officials are applying the same principle to the pesky bugs that surfaced in town last week and are responsible for killing more than 20 million trees in the Midwest.

The village's committee of the whole Tuesday night approved a proposal that would require homeowners to remove infested trees within 60 days after obtaining the proper permits.

If the trees are within a 10-inch diameter, homeowners could remove them personally, with the village picking up the remains and disposing of them properly.

Residents with trees thicker than that would have to hire a certified contractor to cut down the entire tree and get rid of its remains, thus preventing the bugs from spreading.

In both cases, homeowners would have the option of replacing felled trees with other kinds.

Those who don't comply with the 60-day deadline would face fines, said Bob Mitchard, head of the public works department.

Meanwhile, the village would begin getting rid of the infected, dead, declining and dangerous ash trees it owns around town, a grand undertaking given there are more than 4,400 ash trees in the town's rights-of-way alone.

The proposal now moves to the village board for approval.

"This is very important to try to control the spread of this disease," Mitchard said.

Complicating matters is whether Algonquin will place a priority of replacing the trees it uproots.

Village Manager William Ganek warned that the $20,000 to $30,000 the village sets aside in its budget for tree replacement would barely be a drop in the bucket.

"It will have to be several times those numbers," he said. "As we start talking about next year's budget, it's going to be an issue. I'm not sure we can absolutely keep up with what's being destroyed."

Trustee Robert Smith said guidelines should be in place to keep the costs down for residents forced to hire qualified contractors; some of the larger trees could cost anywhere between $800 and $1,200 each, Mitchard said.

"We obviously have to be cautious about how this affects residents financially," Smith said.

Officials last week discovered the village's only known case of the infection outside resident Stan Gladbach's home, news that upset the 15-year resident.

Gladback says the proposed 60-day window is not enough time to clear the nine diseased trees off his property, although his plan involves treating the trees in hopes of rescuing them.

"Who knows that removal costs?" he said.

Yet even with prevention, ash borers are sure to have a devastating impact on Algonquin's tree population, given that one out of every four in the village's urban forest are ash trees, officials say.

"We need to take a deep breath because this is going to be a very difficult situation for this community," Mitchard said.

"It's sad, but this is what the reality is of this situation."