Elgin's trees lack diversity, expert says

Elgin needs to plant fewer maple and ash trees.

That's one recommendation from the Davey Tree Expert Co., which recently completed a tree inventory for the city.

The inventory, similar to the census, counted all the trees on city right of way, parks and golf courses. It did not count trees on private property, such as backyards or business parks.

Of the 159 species and 47,858 total trees, one third are maple trees and 13.7 percent are ash trees, said Joe Gregory, an urban forester at the Ohio-based Davey Tree.

Many communities have more than 20 percent ash trees, so Elgin's percentage is good.

But the lack of diversity could leave the city vulnerable if there's ever an invasive species that targets both species, Gregory said.

"That's a management concern," he added.

Davey will work with the city to prune trees, replant new ones and develop a readiness plan for pests like Emerald Ask Borer.

Elgin Mayor Ed Schock stressed that any tree pruning needs to be coordinated with ComEd, which frequently trims back trees on public right of way that are close to overhead power lines.

"To be perfectly blunt, they can undo the good we're trying to do if we don't work with them," Schock said.

While larger trees and above-ground electrical lines are mainly confined to older parts of town, homeowners often complain that the electrical company cuts trees back too far, leaving them looking silly, or they just cut the entire tree down to the stump.

I've covered several neighborhood meetings in not only Elgin where homeowners vent their anger.

It's like getting a bad hair cut, but instead of a month to grow back, it takes decades for the trees to recover - if at all.

Road work may expandCiting low interest rates and even lower estimates for construction work, Elgin Mayor Ed Schock wants to look into whether the city should borrow money now to repave and reconstruct additional area roads this year and 2011 that normally would be slated for work later.Schock noted that the city has a bond rating of "AA+" - a designation shared by less than 10 percent of cities and villages that leads to lower interest rates on money borrowed. He also noted that contractors are bidding very, very low for road projects.For example, a Route 47 project in Huntley had a $41 million budget but the actual bids were around $24 million."We're talking 35 to 40 percent lower than the engineer's estimate," Schock said. "It seems to me we're never going to get these prices again."The staff is due to report back to the city council on April 14.