Chicago Park District’s Argument For Cutting Down Ash Trees: Parks Will Be Nicer In 2043

CHICAGO - April 24, 2013 - PRLog -- A spokesperson for the Chicago Park District confirmed in today’s Chicago Tribune plans to cut down tens of thousands of ash trees rather than protect them from emerald ash borer with a safe and economical insecticide. The decision to cut down the ash trees is in direct opposition to a unanimous resolution passed in the City Council last year, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s own plans to preserve as many ash trees on public streets as possible.

Parkway trees treated by the city since 2008 are today completely healthy. Many studies have been published that clearly indicate treatment is financially advantageous to removal and replacement.

The Chicago Park District was quoted in the Tribune article as saying it will cost an average of $67.50 a year to treat each tree, a figure treatment experts dispute. A spokesperson for the Department of Forestry last week at a meeting on Emerald Ash Borer quoted “less than $20 per year,” figures that treatment experts agree is accurate. The Park District says treatment is necessary every two years, which inflates costs, versus the City’s three-year treatment cycle.

A tree industry professional said the Chicago Park District’s math is incorrect and being twisted to support removal of mature ash trees. Treating on a three-year cycle reduces the cost by 33%. However, the Chicago Park District’s pricing is still well above current market prices and the tree industry professional suggested that putting a contract out to bid would generate pricing more in line with market, which should be less than $30 a year per tree.

In its statement to the Chicago Tribune, the Park District said, “We will also have lost up to 30 years of growth.” In other words, Park District officials prefer that current city tax payers have less enjoyable parks today and incur 100% of the cost of emerald ash borer so that the residents of 2043 have nice parks and incur no expense.

This approach is the opposite of what the prestigious Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA) recommends for managing emerald ash borer. The SMA recommends cities transition from heavy ash populations gradually, over many years, so that the benefits of a mature tree population can be enjoyed by every generation. Treating trees facilitates this approach.

It is unclear why the Chicago Park District would come to a completely different conclusion than the City of Chicago, Milwaukee and other major cities. "Our coalition is staging community meetings in conjunction with the city's Bureau of Forestry and alderman throughout the city to alert residents about the impending emerald ash borer disaster,” stated John Friedmann of Save Your Ash Coalition. “We encourage Park District officials to attend and explain Park District math to a room full of Chicago taxpayers.”