Dead Ash Trees To Be Removed In Ellicott City Starting Monday

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — Starting Monday, workers will be removing dead ash trees along the Dorsey Hall pathway system, specifically along Columbia Road between Rams Horn Row and Broken Lute Way. The pathway will be shut down during this time without access to the public. Weather permitting, the work will be done by mid-March.

According to county officials, the ash trees were destroyed by invasive emerald ash borer beetles. The dead trees pose a danger to pedestrians and cyclists passing by, officials noted. The wood and debris left behind by the removal project will be left at the site to "allow for nutrient recycling and local wildlife habitat."

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the emerald ash borer has destroyed millions of ash trees in more than half the nation. Native to Asia, officials believe the pest arrived in the U.S. hidden in wood packing materials. It was first discovered in Michigan in 2002.