Ash trees infected by emerald ash borer present looming problem for Village of Elk Mound
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
ELK MOUND — All of the ash trees in Elk Mound that could be infested by the emerald ash borer are either already dead or are dying, creating another looming problem for the village.
Several village residents have expressed concerns about trees that are dead or dying, said Terry Stamm, Elk Mound Village president, at the Elk Mound Village Board’s August 19 meeting during a discussion of the village’s ordinance on the abatement of tree diseases.
There are at least 20 dead trees in Elk Mound, but the number could be double that amount, Stamm said, noting that the village should identify those trees that present a safety issue.
Of all the dead trees, 99 percent of them will be because of the emerald ash borer, so the spreading of the insect to additional trees is not a concern, said Mark Levra, director of public works.
The Village of Elk Mound has the most wooded land and would probably have the most dead trees, he said.
An elm tree that was taken down in an alley recently cost $2,000 to remove, and if there are 20 dead trees on village property, that would amount to $40,000, Levra said.
The village owns a wooded park, and there are dead trees at the park. Tree removal “comes at a cost,” he said.
“Safety is good,” but the village also must “lead by example,” Levra said.
“If we tell people they have to take down their dead trees, (the village) does, too,” he said.
Downhill
All of the ash trees are infected and are on a “downhill” trajectory. There are no more trees to infect, Levra said.
The elm trees are all sick, too, he noted.
The village board could send the ordinance to committee, could have foresters look at the trees and could budget for tree removal, Stamm said.
One village board member asked how many trees could be handled at the Elk Mound solid waste and recycling site.
The population of the Responsible Unit for the Elk Mound solid waste site is more than 12,000 people, Stamm said.
The Village of Elk Mound is one of nine municipalities in the Colfax Responsible Unit for recycling. The two collection sites in the RU are in Colfax and Elk Mound.
State law requires municipalities to either be their own Responsible Unit for recycling or to join another Responsible Unit.
The other municipalities in the Colfax RU are the Village of Colfax and the Towns of Colfax, Elk Mound, Grant, Otter Creek, Tainter, Spring Brook and Wilson.
If the village had already cut the trees at the park, there would nine stumps at the park instead of nine trees that barely have leaves, Levra said.
The trees were already showing signs of disease, and Levra said it had seemed to him that trees with some leaves would be better than stumps.
The ordinance includes “sick trees” too, he noted.
No ash trees
The emerald ash borer does not really matter anymore because the state will not have any ash trees left in four years, Levra said.
A few years back, a resident took down a tree to keep other trees from getting sick, but even if trees infested with the ash borer are taken down, the ash borer will still be there anyway, he said.
If Pat Lien’s trees fall in his own yard, “that’s none of my business,” Levra said.
Lien serves as a trustee on the Elk Mound Village Board.
Even where there are dead trees that could land on the house, that is still the property owners own business, Levra said.
Some trees that could fall in the village would affect right-of-way or power lines or streets, but “trees in Pat’s yard will kill grass,” he said.
If the property owners have been made aware of the hazard by their insurance company, what is the village’s obligation? Stamm asked.
The village board must also look at the village’s interests, must set an example and must decide how much money to spend, he said.
If Elk Mound has a program in place for the abatement of diseased or dead trees, the village would be better off, Stamm said.
The village board could read through the ordinance and then come back next month to make decisions on revising the ordinance, suggested Chad Weinberger, Elk Mound police chief.
If a dead tree is a safety hazard, that’s one thing, said Tim Benjamin, village trustee.
The Elk Mound Village Board unanimously approved tabling the diseased tree ordinance and reviewing it at the September meeting.
