July 3, 2008
The City of St. Charles has been proactively looking for signs of the EAB, or Emerald Ash Borer bug for several seasons. On June 20, 2008, the Illinois Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of the Emerald Ash Borer based on physical identification on a single tree on the 1300 block of 14th Street, making this the first confirmed case of the Emerald Ash Borer in St. Charles. Since June 20, the City's Public Works staff has confirmed findings of the bug within all quadrants of the City.
"This confirmed finding is not an isolated incident," said Public Works Assistant Director Richard Gallas. "The insect was found near this location in Geneva, and may have been in trees near this area of the City for up to two or more years," Gallas said.
The beetle was discovered during an inspection on June 20, when the City public works staff noticed "D" shaped holes in a storm-damaged tree they were trimming. The Emerald Ash Borer is an official declared Nuisance (505 ILCS 90/14 - pdf) and infested trees must be removed and destroyed by chipping. The City of St. Charles will not remove any infected trees for the weeks while the beetle is in "in flight."
"Due to the cool, late spring, the beetle is just starting to migrate and mate and is expected to continue migration for the next two to three weeks,” said City Arborist Ben Deutsch. "Therefore, the City will be assessing the need to remove any infested public trees until the end of the flight season."
"The City of St. Charles Public Works staff has taken steps over the last several years to help diversify the public tree population, educate staff and community members, and proactively monitor the EAB situation," said Community and Public Affairs Manager Beth Mund.
The City recommends that residents who have ash trees to consider the following actions:
"Addressing the presence of the EAB in St. Charles is going to be an involved, on-going process," said Deutsch.
"The city has been inspecting and inventorying all area ash trees and has installed 16 traps in a number of locations throughout the City, and in the area where the beetle was discovered," he continued. "We are still assessing the impact and the amount of trees that may need to be removed in the future. Trees without signs of distress caused by the borer will not be removed. This assessment will be done on a case-by-case basis, and will continue throughout this and the next several tree seasons," he said.
Additional information regarding EAB can be found at: