X Marks the Rot: Township Fights Losing Battle Vs. Emerald Ash Borer

The white, painted Xs tattooed on trees throughout Frankfort Square look like vandalism, and they are after a fashion. But those marks indicate the work of insects, not bored teens, and the destruction they're causing is more than cosmetic and could cause the elimination of thousands of ash trees in the area.

The Road District has been identifying trees throughout its jurisdiction that have been infested by the emerald ash borer, a metallic-green beetle native of Asia that was identified in the United States around 2002. While the adults of this species do little damage to ash trees, the larvae tunnel under and feed on the inner bark, depriving the tree of water and nutrients, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This usually kills ash trees within two to four years, but heavy infestations can speed that up to around a year.

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"The problem has gotten worse," said Frankfort Township Road Commissioner Bill Carlson, the official on the frontline of this problem. " It's getting real bad. … We're gearing up for all the devastation of all the ash trees."

Carlson attributes the increase in ash borer activity to the mild winter and warmer temperatures that allowed the insect more time to reproduce. Now the township is trying to be proactive by identifying trees—by marking them with white paint—that have been infested but might not show signs of actual damage, he said.

"I've gone through two of my snow routes, and of those two routes, we're not even finished with the second route, and we have over a thousand trees [infested]," Carlson said, adding that in some cases, 75 percent to 90 percent of the tree was dead already. "There could be three, four, five thousand trees, just in the township. That doesn't include private property trees."

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Unfortunately, once ash borers have struck trees, there's very little that can be done, even if the damage from the bugs won't be seen for years, Carlson added. That's why road district crews are preparing to remove the infected trees on public property throughout the township. Although it's an extreme measure, it's the only way to tackle the problem, Carlson said. Earlier in the month, work crews took down more than 30 trees in two days, he said.

"There's no cure, no sprays," he said. "You can treat the trees, but that's just prolonging it, not preventing it. … Without a cure, I can't see spending taxpayers' money prolonging it. It's cheaper to plant a brand new tree."

And that's just what the township will be doing with the ash trees it removes. Carlson said he's been compiling a list of the tree varieties that could replace the ash trees. He'll then go over that list with arborists that he's been consulting throughout this entire process.

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Carlson also said he's sending a letter out to residents in Frankfort Square, Arbury Hills, Lincoln Estates and other neighborhoods in the township, explaining what his crews are doing and what the residents themselves can do with their own ash trees.

Although the road district is hard at work identifying and removing trees this summer, the project could take several years—from identification to replanting—before it's completed. Delays, such as the recent heatwaves ("I won't put my guys through that. It's just too much," Carlson said), are one factor. But the township will have to use an outside company to take down some of the bigger trees that are infested, Carlson said.

"It's unfortunate that we have to take them down," he said. "If I had a choice, I wouldn't do it."

Frankfort Township residents can call Road Commissioner Bill Carlson at 708-479-9673 if they have questions or concerns about the emerald ash borer and what the township is doing.

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