Ash borer already on Gurnee's radar

Gurnee intends to be prepared long before the destructive emerald ash borer is discovered in the village.

Village forester Jake Balmes said at a meeting this week it's a matter of when - not if - the emerald ash borer hits town. He said it would be prudent for the village to be prepared on how to handle losing scores of ash trees sooner rather than later.

Balmes said Gurnee is more vulnerable than other suburbs because 32 percent of its 10,630 village-owned trees are ash. That doesn't count those on private property. Ash also is the favored tree in many subdivisions, accounting for 59 percent in Kingsport Woods and 57 percent in Westgate, for example.

"I think this is going to be a real problem for us," Balmes told village board members.

Balmes pitched some ideas for what he called an emerald ash borer action plan. They include increasing education for residents about the pest, and figuring out how to handle debris collection and processing.

Mayor Kristina Kovarik floated the possibility of creating a program providing village money to help residents remove parkway ash trees and replace them with another species.

Balmes said ash trees were favored by developers because they were inexpensive and grow fast.

St. Charles, Evanston, Wilmette and Glendale Heights are among the suburbs where the emerald ash borer has been found. Removal of infested ash trees remains the only proven way to limit the beetle from spreading, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In Gurnee, Balmes expressed concern about what Kingsport Drive on Gurnee's west side would look like if the emerald ash borer surfaces. "That thing is almost all ash trees, end to end," Balmes said.

Balmes said it'll be key for the village to limit catastrophic ash tree losses. He said Gurnee has a moratorium on ash tree planting.

Village trustees are expected to receive a detailed emerald ash borer plan in November. Balmes said there are standardized plans that can be tweaked to fit Gurnee's needs.