Emerald ash borer found in Mount Prospect

Mount Prospect arborists found the village's first evidence of the emerald ash borer earlier this month on five trees near East Henry and North Albert streets, said Forestry Superintendent Sandy Clark.

The discovery of the tree-devouring insect will have a devastating effect on Mount Prospect's landscape as one out of every six village trees is an ash.

"Though we knew it was only a matter of time, it's still heartbreaking to think that we may lose one of every six of our community's trees in the next ten years," Clark said.

About 3,900 of Mount Prospect's 25,000 parkway trees are ash trees, Clark said. Thousands more ash trees sit on private property throughout the village.

Mount Prospect plans to remove all infested trees immediately and continue scouting for additional trees in need of removal.

Changes to the village code will require property owners to remove infested ash trees at their own expense. Removal costs between $500 and $1,000 per tree, depending on its age and location, Clark said.

The insect probably has been in the infested trees near Henry and Albert for at least two or three years, Clark said. The arrival of fall will make any additional detections this year more difficult, since bare branches that can announce the insect's arrival may be due to normal fall leaf drop.

In 2007, the village starting trimming back their supply of 4,100 ash trees. Today, there are about 3,900 ash trees and eventually they will all be gone, except for about 800 mostly white ash trees the village is trying to save.

Mount Prospect joins the ever growing list of Illinois communities where the insect has been located. First found in Illinois four years ago in Kane County, the insect has since been spotted in more than 125 Illinois communities, including Palatine, Arlington Heights, Elk Grove and Des Plaines, said Clark.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture also confirmed the emerald ash borer find in Mount Prospect.

For more information on the village's Emerald Ash Borer plan go to www.mountprospect.org.