Fox Point Prepping to Fight Emerald Ash Borer

Before the infamous Emerald Ash Borer can make it's way to infesting a major number of trees in Fox Point, this little bug that makes a big problem is getting cut off.

Fox Point is working to remove and replace the Ash trees, which represent about 28 percent of the trees in the village. The average Southeastern Wisconsin community has about 20 percent ash trees.

“A lot of communities are doing preemptive removal so when the insect starts taking over, communities don’t become overwhelmed,” said John Gall, Fox Point village forester. Gall.  “Budgets can’t handle taking down hundreds of trees at a time.”

Trees would only be replaced on village property, like along neighborhood streets.  Residents of Fox Point will have to decide what they’d like to do with ash trees on their own property, whether it’s replacement or another form of treatment.

The village will use money from a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Urban Forestry Grant.  Fox Point applied for the grant in 2010 hoping to get almost $22,000.  However, Scott Brandmeier, director of public works, says he’s already been informed the village will not receive the full amount, and he’s still waiting on a final number.

Regardless, Gall says the process of accounting for and deciding which trees are susceptible to removal has already begun.

“The village has an inventory of all the trees on streets and village properties,” Gall began.  “From that inventory, there are a fairly high number of ash trees in these areas.  With emerald ash borer in southern Milwaukee County and also up Ozaukee County, it’s continuing to spread.

“Now we have to do selective removal of poor quality trees,” Gall continued.  “We give condition ratings to trees.  Some are in better condition than others.  We go in and remove the lower condition of ash trees and replace them.”

Gall said it’s very important for areas to have a greater diversity of trees and not to have a monopoly of one type of species.  Ash trees in the Fox Point area have flourished naturally, meaning now there’s a disproportionate amount of them.

However, Gall also urges people not to get overly worried about the emerald ash borer or the possible replacement program, saying he’s done his research.

“I don’t want people to get up-in-arms thinking there’s no thought behind the replacement process, but there’s a lot of thought – a lot of research,” explained Gall.  “I was just down in northern Illinois last month.  They have been battling the ash borer for the last five years, and it’s a very destructive pest.  It gets ahead of you.”