Montgomery Parks Staff Prepares for Dead Ash Trees (PHOTO)
Talk about a pest.
Montgomery Parks officials announced this week that a non-native invasive beetle from Asia, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), has been detected in the county and it is destroying Ash trees across the county.
The beetle feeds on the trees causing them to die within three years. While only two percent of the trees in Montgomery County are Ash trees, they make up an estimated 20 percent of trees located on parkland.
“Montgomery Parks is the largest holder of Ash trees in Montgomery County,” said Holly Thomas, horticulture and urban forestry manager. “The Emerald Ash Borer is an extremely destructive bug and we are expecting large quantities of standing dead trees in Montgomery Parks.”
Parks staff is developing a plan to address problems created by the Emerald Ash Borer. The plan will feature several phases including inventory and monitoring, removal and treatment and planting. The Parks Department is seeking funding to address the issue over the next several years. Public support will also make a huge difference.
“We are asking park patrons to help by continuing to report dead, dying and hazardous trees to the Montgomery Park Service Center,” said David Vismara, division chief, Horticulture, Forestry Environmental Education Division of Montgomery Parks.
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