It’s no secret that the local ash tree population has dwindled. Following massive infestations of the pesky emerald ash borer, municipalities across Illinois have been forced to remove dead and dying ash trees that have been eaten from the inside out by the pests.
In Plainfield, more than 1,700 trees were removed from parkways last year.
But the village has invested in replacing those trees, with several hundred more on the way.
“Our population of ash trees has dwindled significantly,” said Allen Persons, director of public works. “We’re down to about only about 500 ash trees out of the original 5,000… we had at one time.”
But, Persons said the village is ahead of the curve when it comes to replacing those trees, thanks to membership in the Suburban Tree Consortium.
The village joined STC in April of this year. The consortium has increased its membership to 38 communities and continues to grow.
The STC provides its members with quality trees at an affordable price by maintaining contracts with several northern Illinois tree nurseries.
“The tree consortium provided some outstanding trees,” Persons said.
Membership in the consortium costs the village $500 annually. The group evaluates trees at different nurseries and selects the right ones for each community.
“It’s good to be ahead of the curve at this point, because as the other communities catch up, it will be harder to find more trees,” Persons said.
The trees come at no cost to homeowners, and trees have a one-year warranty.
“The homeowner will get a brand new tree, and if for some reason it fails, the homeowner will get another tree at no cost,” Persons said. “We get a lot of calls on how great these trees are, so it is a popular program and we’re proud of it.”
Trustee James Racich made a point to remind the public that they need to pitch in to keep those new trees healthy.
“I think we should put on our website in some fashion… alert people to the fact that it wouldn’t hurt to run a hose out to the new tree or throw a couple buckets of water on it,” Racich said. “We’re not going to do it, it’s a responsibility that falls on the [homeowner].”
According to the SPC’s literature, the group exists to maintain and improve the urban forest within the Chicago metropolitan region.
The STC was created in 1985 by a group of municipalities wishing to improve the quality and selection of parkway trees in the Chicago area. The STC program helps serve urban forestry needs by allowing municipalities to enter a five-year program that allows towns with long-term tree plans to map out their replanting strategies. Member communities of the STC include Aurora, Batavia, Des Plaines, Elmhurst, Geneva and Sugar Grove.
The purchase of new trees will not exceed $200,000. The money is budgeted in the capital Improvement fund under the emerald ash borer line item.
The village will begin to plant the 800 trees this fall over the next month.