SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (WHBL) -- City and state officials are gearing up for the fight against the emerald ash borer beetle after the bug was detected in Sheboygan this spring.
The beetles had already been found in Random Lake and Holland and city parks superintendent Joe Kerlin says it was only a matter of time until they came to Sheboygan. He says detecting the beetle is just the first step. "We've got a lot of work to do over the next few years. City residents, city landowners, if they have ash trees, they're going to have to make a decision also."
It's going to be a massive undertaking because city planners across the country picked the ash tree to replace the elm as their public tree of choice after the Dutch elm decimated that population in the 20th century. Kerlin says the city has been working on a plan to fight the beetle, but now that timeline will have to be moved forward. "We are looking at a tremendous amount of dying ash trees over the next 3 to 5, 3 to 8 years. Not only public trees, but also private trees." The city has already received state funding to work on parks planning, and part of that was preparing for Emerald Ash Borer. The management plan is near completion, and will soon be presented to the City Council for their review and approval.
Kerlin says the city is planning a meeting later this month to discuss the issue, and that they'll have a DNR representative on site to answer questions from the public. "Is my tree worth saving? If I want to go that route, then what does that mean? Some cost figures, things like that." That meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 20th, from 7:00pm to 8:00pm at the Kiwanis Field House. You can find out more online at the city's website at http://www.sheboyganwi.gov/
