Lake Zurich planning to replace parkway trees in fall

With a quicker-than-anticipated removal of public trees infected by the emerald ash borer, Lake Zurich intends to start planting replacements in the fall.

However, the first wave of residents would not have to accept standard trees for their parkways. They would have the option of paying the village for thicker parkway trees under a proposed test program.

Lake Zurich's Cedar Creek and Old Mill Grove subdivisions will be the first neighborhoods to receive a variety of new parkway trees. Lake Zurich's new budget, approved Monday night, allots $50,000 to begin the replanting of the public trees this year.

Management analyst Kyle Kordell said the final price from Chicago-area landscaping companies asked to bid for the business this summer will determine how many trees Lake Zurich can get for the budgeted $50,000.

"We are hoping bids come in favorably so we can stretch the limited public funds as far as possible," Kordell said.

Citing safety concerns, the village removed about 2,700 dying public trees infected by the emerald ash borer during the past three years. The ash trees disappeared well ahead of the mid-to-late 2016 target date.

Officials said roughly 175 homes in Cedar Creek and Old Mill Grove have been authorized to receive trees 1½ inches in diameter at no cost to property owners.

Public works Manager Michael Brown said residents willing to pay a projected $75 to $100 would receive an upgraded 2½-inch-diameter replacement tree through the proposed pilot program. An exact price for the upgraded trees won't be known until the bidding process is completed, he said.

Village board trustees are expected to formally approve the pilot program at a meeting May 2.

A greater diversity of species will be a result of the parkway tree replacement that Brown said is set for the fall. The varieties to be planted include oak, linden, elm, hackberry, ginkgo and catalpa.

Residents who don't live in Cedar Creek or Old Mill Grove will be allowed to purchase parkway trees this year if they don't want to wait. With this option, Brown said, it's expected a tree 1½ inches in diameter would cost $250, and $350 for species 2½ inches.