Village might expand ash tree replacement program

West Dundee officials will consider pumping more money into one of its tree programs designed to help residents replace ash trees destroyed by the emerald ash borer.

The village board will vote Monday on allocating another $2,500 to buy 20 more trees for its 50/50 program. There are 27 trees left in the program and 21 are spoken for, Village Manager Joseph Cavallaro said.

The village wants to make sure all requests for replacement trees is fully funded, and Cavallaro anticipates demand will exceed the current supply.

“The 50/50 program is a good way for the community to help alleviate or provide replacement trees that are lost through the ash borer,” Cavallaro said. “It’s an opportunity to reinvest into their community.”

The village will also consider awarding $4,800 to the Fairhills of Canterfield Homeowners Association through the village’s 50/50 tree replacement program, a move that would help the group buy 40 more trees for its parkways, said Paul Vincelette, the association’s president.

This way, the village wouldn’t deplete its remaining tree supply, he said.

“We realized the village is having some problems with all the trees they’ve lost and this community’s just a little over 17½ years old. And we felt it best for the homeowners to keep our wonderful tree line,” Vincelette said. “The problem is we’re going to be starting anew.”

Those 40 new trees will make the subdivision almost whole again, because it lost between 40 and 49 ash trees this year, Vincelette said. Last year it lost, then replaced 32 trees, he said.

West Dundee has already spent $40,000 it allocated to replace all of the 152 trees it removed last year.

The village has removed 500 trees this year, Cavallaro said.