City of Chicago Invests Additional $2.6 Million In Forestry Services

City to Inoculate 35,000 Ash Trees in 2013; Trim 20,000 Additional Parkway Trees

As outlined in Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s 2013 Budget, the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation today announced the City is implementing an aggressive forestry plan including $2.6 million resources to support the inoculation of 35,000 ash trees against the emerald ash borer insect, as well as tree trimming for 20,000 additional parkway trees.

“The City of Chicago is committed to caring for the more than 500,000 parkway trees that enhance the aesthetics of our neighborhoods, and offer countless environmental benefits to our communities,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “This significant investment provides the additional resources needed to protect and maintain these valuable assets.”

For the first time ever, the City will have a dedicated workforce who will be tasked with inoculating ash trees. In 2013, the City will invest approximately $2 million in an emerald ash borer program, compared to $110,000 in 2012.

The City has hired and trained 26 general laborers to implement the first year of the multi-year plan to combat the insect which threatens approximately 85,000 of the City’s parkway trees. In 2013, 35,000 ash trees will be treated, compared to the 18,000 total parkway trees that have been inoculated in Chicago since the treatment became available in 2009.

In addition, the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation has hired seven additional forestry crews to provide regular tree maintenance, including trimmings and removals, for the nearly half million trees that line Chicago’s parkways. These crews will also support our emergency forestry response during storm seasons. With these crews, the department anticipates trimming up to 20,000 trees in 2013.

“We continue to be more efficient with our resources, and the additional resources and workers will have a positive impact on the number trees we can treat for infestations and the number of trims we provide across the city,” said Charles L. William, Commissioner of the Department of Streets and Sanitation.

Emerald ash borer inoculation crews will first target areas of known infestation to slow the progression of the insect and manage tree mortality. Forestry crews are expected to begin inoculating ash trees in early May and continue through September, when treatment is believed to be most effective.

The ash trees will be inoculated with Emamectin Benzoate which has been proven to kill 99 percent of emerald ash borer insects within a tree. Emamectin Benzoate protects the tree for up to three years. The average cost to inoculate a tree is $46, compared with $1,000 to remove and replace a tree.

The emerald ash borer is an exotic beetle native to Asia that was discovered in southeastern Michigan in 2002. The beetle has killed more than 30 million ash trees in southeastern Michigan alone, with millions more dying in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and other infested states.

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