100 infested ash trees to be removed from Kane Co. forest preserve

One hundred dead and dying ash trees that have been infested by the emerald ash-borer beetle are being removed from Campton Forest Preserve in Campton Township this week.

The infested trees are part of a 20-year-old tree planting that was damaged heavily by the emerald ash borer, according to Drew Ullberg, director of natural resources for the Kane County Forest Preserve District.

"This could be the start of a tidal wave," Ullberg said. "All the ash trees in the region -- and I'm talking about six counties -- may be infected."

Ullberg said the trees at the Campton preserve "look as though someone came by with a shotgun and blasted them."

"They're unsightly because the woodpeckers make the holes pecking for the ash-borer larvae," he said.

"The sad part is that the ash borer is hard to detect. It could be five years between infestation and when the ash tree begins to die," Ullberg said.

The ash trees being removed are concentrated within a roughly two-acre area near the Town Hall Road entrance and parking lot. The removal will change the appearance of the preserve.

"It's very disheartening and depressing," Ullberg said. "But we have to be proactive. The dead and dying trees are brittle and they're a safety hazard. Wind storms will blow down the branches.

"Also, if the trees are not cut down, the larvae will grow into adults and find mates. They will infest other ash trees in order to lay eggs."

Ullberg said that 20 years ago, the Kane County Forest Preserve District used ash trees in reforestation projects because they were inexpensive.

The district may have to hire a contractor to undertake wholesale removal of ash plantations in the future. The current removal is being done by the district staff, and trees are generally removed in the winter. Ash trees are not plentiful in the wild, Ullber said. He recommended that homeowners with ash trees on their property contact their village or city government.

The emerald ash borer was first discovered in the U.S. near Detroit in 2002 and confirmed in Campton Township in 2006. Since that time, more than 20 million ash trees in the Midwest have been destroyed.

Experts believe the adult beetles, which nibble on foliage, cause little damage. The larvae, however, feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients, thereby killing the tree.

The district will plant several other types of trees that are resistant to the emerald ash borer, such as oak, hickory and walnut, within the cleared area in the spring, Ullberg said.

The forest preserve district has planted more than 600 oak seedlings across the site to replace the ash trees that will be removed.

Campton is one of the largest preserves in the system, stretching 1.25 miles from Town Hall Road to La Fox Road. The length has allowed snowmobiling and horseback riding.

For more information on the emerald ash borer, visit the Illinois Department of Agriculture Web site at www.agr.state.il.us or www.emeraldashborer.info.