In an ongoing battle against the infestation of a tree-killing insect known as the emerald ash borer (EAB), town officials will be voting next week to grant Princeton property owners the right to cut down ash trees without paying the usual $40 permit fee or replacing trees that are removed.

Municipal arborist Lorraine Konopka pointed out that the town wanted to alleviate the burden on residents, particularly those with numerous ash trees on their property, though they will still be required to notify her when removing ash trees of eight inches or more in diameter. “We’d like to know when that work is happening,” she said, “in case neighbors get upset or we need to help keep everything running smoothly.” 

In removing and/or treating numerous ash trees on their property, “some people will be upset and will be facing a large bill,” Ms. Konopka said. The Town will also be urging, but not requiring, residents to replace at least 10 percent of the trees they take down.

“We didn’t want to insist that replacement trees go in,” she said, but, in the long term, she emphasized, “We’d like to try to avoid losing the tree canopy cover for the town.”

The next step, according to Council member Bernie Miller, is to pass this amendment to the Shade Tree Ordinance “and then for the Shade Tree Commission (STC) and our professional staff to recommend an action plan to Council for the ash trees in the municipal right of way and along the paths in our parks.”

After the plan is adopted by Council, funds for removal and treatment must be approved in the budget for 2017 and succeeding years.

Since its arrival in the United States in Michigan in 2002, the EAB, a non-native insect pest, has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in at least 25 states. In the past year it has been found in Princeton and surrounding communities “The emerald ash borer will kill 99 percent of all untreated ash trees within the next few years,” Ms. Konopka said.

Though removal may be the necessary course of action in many cases, Ms. Konopka noted that some ash trees could be saved by periodic use of pesticide injections. “I hope people will consider
trying to save trees if they qualify for injection,” she said.

Ash trees in good health can be treated effectively before they become infested, but for trees that are in poor health the injection will not be effective and is not recommended, according to Ms. Konopka. It may be best to remove those trees before they die and pose a hazard.

The costs are significant, for either removal or treatment, with estimates ranging from $425 to $1000 for removal of each tree, $540 to $1300 for treatments for each tree over ten years, and $400 to replace each ash tree with a different species.

With potential damage from building construction, along with the bacterial leaf scorch attacking oak trees and the EAB invasion, Ms. Konopka observed that tree preservation in Princeton is “a tall order.”

The Council, the Shade Tree Commission and the town arborist are working together with residents to retain trees as much as possible, while being realistic about the ones that have to come down. “We’re kind of under attack,” Ms. Konopka added, “but we’re paying attention to the problems and we’re doing the best we can.”

The Princeton STC website (www.princetonshadetree.org) provides further information about identifying ash trees, monitoring them for the EAB, assessing damage, deciding on treatment options and contacting certified tree experts in Mercer County.