CHEW ON THIS. Ash trees nationwide have been decimated by the invasive emerald ash borer, which leaves telltale grooves under the trees' bark. (Photo by USDA NRCS / CC BY-SA 2.0)

The City of Eau Claire’s Forestry Division recently announced that it’s making a “final push” to ax the remaining beetle-infested ash trees on public boulevards.

“Beginning on July 1, 2024, Forestry staff will begin marking boulevard trees that are slated for removal with a painted orange dot at the base of the tree, facing the street,” the city said in a media release in late June. “Marking and removal crews will work by neighborhood. In an effort to expedite this process, property owners will not be contacted individually about ash tree removals on boulevards.”

An invasive inspect species, the emerald ash borer, kills ash trees by consuming the tissue under the trees’ bark. First detected in Wisconsin in 2008, the ash borer was discovered in Eau Claire in 2017.

Since 2008, the city’s Forestry Division has removed more than 8,000 public ash trees and has planted a more diverse range of trees on public property, which the city says “will help offer protection against species-specific pests and diseases in the future.”

Learn more about the City of Eau Claire’s Forestry Division at www.eauclairewi.gov/boulevardtrees.