It’s not soley the existence in Jacot Park that worries McMullen, as Public Works Director Dave Duritsch said the city will pay to remove the trees.
With more confirmed infestations in Middletown, the real issue is the possibility of EAB spreading to what McMullen estimates are thousands of ash trees on commercial and private properties.
“It’s expensive. It can be more than $1,000 to remove an infected tree and if it is in a side yard or backyard where they can’t get normal equipment in they have to use a crane,” McMullen said. “It all adds up.”
Butler County is one of 53 Ohio counties with confirmed infestations. State officials earlier this month declared that the tree-killing bug had won the fight in Ohio, and EAB is expected to eventually spread to ash trees across the state.
It only takes two to five years for EAB to kill an ash tree, rendering it brittle and in danger of collapsing and causing damage and/or injuries. The city has about 150 ash trees on public property, McMullen said, and has been removing them on an as-needed basis. The Jacot Park trees will likely be cut down and mulched nearby to reduce the possibility of the bugs spreading.
But to help residents, McMullen said the tree commission is recommending the city amp up education about the beetle.
While there are some treatments for ash trees available, McMullen said his opinion is most are a waste of money unless the tree has some special or historical significance. And he recommends homeowners who have an infected specimen acquire multiple bids for cutting down the tree.
For more information, go to cityofmiddletown.org/misc/eab.html.
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