UPDATE**UPDATE**UPDATE
EMERALD ASH BORER
CONFIRMED IN INDIAN HEAD PARK
May 2010
The Village of Indian Head Park has received official confirmation from the Illinois
Department of Agriculture of the Emerald Ash Borer’s presence in Indian Head Park. Two ash trees in the parkway of the 6300 block of Keokuk Drive were confirmed to be infested with the Emerald Ash Borer. These trees are scheduled for removal.
The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a small, metallic green, non-native invasive pest whose
larvae feast on the trunks of ash trees thereby cutting off their ability to transport nutrients
and ultimately causing the tree’s decline. Ash trees can be infested with EAB for a few years
before the tree begins to demonstrate any signs of EAB infestation. Symptoms of EAB
include canopy dieback, D-shaped exit holes, shoots sprouting from the tree trunks and S-
shaped larval galleries underneath the bark.
Ash tree owners may ask about treatment options in order to avoid removing their trees;
however, the only guaranteed method to control Emerald Ash Borer is to remove the host
tree(s). When considering usage of insecticidal control, one should weigh the value of the
tree against the cost of treatment.
“The Illinois Department of Agriculture certainly supports a tree owner’s right to determine
for themselves whether a pesticide treatment is appropriate in their specific circumstances,”
Illinois Department of Agriculture Bureau Manager of Environmental Programs Warren
Goetsch, said. “Tree owners are encouraged to thoroughly research the various treatment
options currently available and carefully weigh the costs associated with the required
repeated treatments. Please be advised, however, that treatment of an Ash tree will not
guarantee that a specific tree might eventually be required to be removed.”
A computerized inventory of all parkway and public property trees indicates that the Village
of Indian Head Park has approximately 100 Ash trees which makes up about 4% of the
Village’s total canopy. The majority of these Ash trees have been treated with a systemic
insecticide through the soil.
If you think your Ash tree has been infested, call the Public Works Department at (708) 246-
1233.
Emerald Ash Borer
Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, is an exotic beetle that was discovered in southeastern Michigan near Detroit in the summer of 2002. The adult beetles nibble on ash foliage but cause little damage. The larvae (the immature stage) feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients.
Emerald ash borer probably arrived in the United States on solid wood packing material carried in cargo ships or airplanes originating in its native Asia. Emerald ash borer is also established in Windsor, Ontario, was found in Ohio in 2003, northern Indiana in 2004, northern Illinois in 2006 and eastern Pennsylvania in 2007.
Since its discovery, EAB has:
- Killed more than 20 million ash trees in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Most of the devastation is in southeastern Michigan.
- Caused regulatory agencies and the USDA to enforce quarantines (Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania) and fines to prevent potentially infested ash trees, logs or hardwood firewood from moving out of areas where EAB occurs.
- Cost municipalities, property owners, nursery operators and forest products industries tens of millions of dollars.
More information can be found at the links to the left.