Bolingbrook To Plant 1,000 Trees After Others Lost To Ash Borer

BOLINGBROOK, IL — The Village of Bolingbrook's tree canopy has been severly impacted by the emerald ash borer, the invasive, tree-damage insect. But the a new order for 1,000 replacement trees, the village will soon come close to replace all the trees lost.

The emerald ash borer is an insect that can kill ash trees from the inside out. Bolingbrook has 36,000 ash trees, and has been fighting the problem since 2013. To date, the village has removed 10,000 trees impacted by the emerald ash borer, village documents show. But with recent action by the village board, Bolingbrook will soon make up for the previous tree removals.

Bolingbrook has already planted 8,500 replacement trees. Last week, the Village Board unanimously approved spending $437,500 to buy 1,000 replacement trees. That purchase contract — approved unanimously by the board — also includes 29 evergreen trees to be plants at the I-55 and Route 53 interchange. Those trees will replace ones that died from causes other than the emerald ash borer, Mayor Roger Claar said at the meeting.

The $437,500 contract is actually under budget, as the village earmarked $500,000 this year for its tree replacement program, Claar said. The village has spent hundreds of thousands on the emerald ash problem, including spending $66,000 to replace 124 trees in 2013. Bolingbrook in 2012 received a $16,000 grant to address the emerald ash borer problem.

Village crews do not replace the trees, but local landscapers are hired to do the work. The cost of the planting is included in the purchase contract.

According to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, the emerald ash borer is a small, metallic green pest whose larvae feeds under the bark of ash trees, cutting off nutrient flow essential
for a healthy tree. It has been found in several states from the east coast to the Midwest, and in June 2006 it was discovered in a residential neighborhood in Kane County.