LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Most of Lincoln’s ash trees will end up casualties in the city’s war on the invasive emerald ash borer insect that’s killed millions of trees in the United States since it was found in Michigan in 2002.
But some sturdy ash specimens in key Lincoln locations may yet be saved.
Officials around the country have sought to slow the Asian insect’s spread by removing the ash trees it prefers. Lincoln removed 1,000 trees this year, bring its three-year total to about 1,900, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. The bugs were confirmed in Lincoln last year.
But what are called high-value trees may be in line for life-sustaining treatment. Their size, significance, health and location could make them candidates for long-term chemical treatment.
“We anticipated there would be some public trees that were important enough that we would continue to treat those,” said Lynn Johnson, the parks and recreation director.
Officials don’t yet know how much money they’ll have to work with.
Removing a tree ranges in cost from $300 to $2,000. Replacing it with another species costs the city $225.
The cost of chemical treatment to save a tree from the ash borer averages about $100 a year for the rest of the tree’s life.
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