City receives grant to remove Ash Trees at risk of borer disease

By Becky Uehling

Grant Tribune Sentinel

In an effort to get ahead of a disease caused by the Emerald Ash Borer, the City of Grant applied for and received a $9,500 matching grant from the State Urban Forest Resilience (SUFR) program to replace at-risk Ash Trees within city limits. The City of Grant is providing the $9,500 match for the project, which must be complete by July 31, 2025.

Approximately nine Ash Trees will be taken out within the city limits of Grant, with two replacement trees of a non-threatened species being planted in its place, according to Grant Tree Board President Jon Forney. At-risk trees continue to be identified for removal and contacts made to homeowners, he said. The ones that will be first on the list for removal are those that threaten to fall into streets and onto houses.

According to Forney, the Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive wood-boring beetle native to Asia that has been causing significant damage to ash trees in North America since its discovery in 2002 near Detroit, Michigan. The Emerald Ash Borer has been detected in 35 states in the U.S. and 5 provinces in Canada. In Nebraska the EAB has been found in approximately 12 counties, most of them in eastern Nebraska, he said. However, it has also been found in North Platte and possibly Ogallala. Forney said the transmission of the borer happens mainly with the transportation of fire wood and in wooden shipping materials.

Forney said the EAB affects all species of ash trees including white, green, black and blue ash. Once an ash tree is infested with EAB, it typically dies within 2-4 years.

According to the website of the Invasive Species Center, the larvae of the Emerald Ash Borer feed on the tissues beneath the bark, disrupting the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients, which leads to canopy (leaf) dieback and eventually the death of the tree. Adult borers emerge from the tree in June and July.

Signs and symptoms of an EAB infestation include canopy dieback, bark deformities such as vertical cracks and shoots growing from the lower trunk, D-shaped exit holes, woodpecker feeding holes and yellowing foliage. Borer larva leave tunnels called galleries, which are S-shaped tunnels packed with a mixture of sawdust and insect excrement, are found beneath the bark. According to the Invasive Species Center website, the economic and ecological impact of EAB is significant. In Michigan, the first state infested with EAB, the greatest economic impact has been on communities faced with the removal of thousands of dead ash trees on streets and in yards.

Forney said Brandon Wood was chosen through a competitive bidding process to do the work of removing the trees and the stumps, with the tree board being responsible for replanting the new trees. Besides Forney, tree board members include Doug Tatum, Shari Friedel and Emily Poppe, and Breanne Sims. Possible trees that will be planted in place of the removed Ash trees include such species as Maple, Linden or Hackberry. Those who have Ash trees and are interested in the program are asked to talk with Forney or any Tree Board members.