Emerald Ash Borer

Emerald Ash Borer

On May 3, 2011 Village staff was notified of a potential EAB infestation on High Point Circle in the White Birch Lakes subdivision. Field inspection showed preliminary evidence of EAB and the native ash borer. Samples were sent to the USDA laboratory in DeKalb and were confirmed as Emerald Ash Borer.

The Emerald Ash Borer is a small, metallic green, non-native invasive pest whose larva 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 they begin to demonstrate any signs of infestation. Symptoms of EAB include canopy dieback, D-shaped exit holes, shoots sprouting from tree trunks, and S-shaped larva galleries underneath the bark.

Ash tree owners may ask about treatments options in order to avoid removing their trees, but the only guaranteed method to control Emerald Ash Borer is to remove the host tree. The Village of Hawthorn Woods certainly respects the rights of every property owner to attempt to treat and preserve their trees, but treatment may not guarantee that a specific tree might eventually be required to be removed.

Under the provisions of the State of Illinois Insect Pest and Plant Disease Act, as well as the Nuisance Declaration issued in July of 2006, the State has the authority to order the removal of any tree infested with the Emerald Ash Borer, regardless of whether it has been previously treated with a pesticide or not.

Emerald Ash Borer was first discovered in North America in 2002 in the Detroit and Ontario areas. EAB was first found in Illinois near Lily Lake in Kane County in 2006 and has spread to numerous communities in the Chicago area. It is estimated that 25 million ash trees have been felled due to EAB.

The Village of Hawthorn Woods is planning a public meeting in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Agriculture in July to assist in answering any questions residents have about this insect and how to control it. 

 If you suspect that an ash tree on your property may be infested with Emerald Ash Borer, please contact Public Works and be sure to include your full name and street address.

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