Janesville will sacrifice 56 ash trees in Wisconsin's war against the emerald ash borer.
Crews from the state agriculture department will cut down half those trees. The other half will be stripped of 12 inches of bark in a process called girdling.
The bright green tree killer hasn't been found in Wisconsin yet, but state officials still believe it may just a matter of time before the bug shows up here-if it isn't here already. The closest it's come is about 40 miles south in Illinois.
Officials hope to isolate any infestation, so the earlier the bugs are detected, the better.
The work is a continuation of a two-year detection effort the ag department launched last fall. Hundreds of trees already have been cut or girdled in Rock and Walworth counties. Plans are to do the same to several thousand ashes.
The cutting and girdling in the city of Janesville will take place between late April and the end of May, said Cliff Englert, Janesville parks department supervisor.
The trees that are cut immediately will be stripped of their bark and examined for traces of ash borer damage. The girdled trees will stand for another year.
The distressed trees will send out chemicals called pheromones, which attract ash borers. The borers are attracted to damaged trees, although they will attack healthy trees as well.
The girdled trees will be cut next year and examined to see if the borers laid their eggs there.
Englert said only trees on city property will be cut or girdled. Only two trees will be cut from streetside terraces. They are two undesirable ashes on Kellogg Avenue in front of the Allied Transport parking lot on Kellogg Avenue.
The trees will be cut in 28 locations, two trees at each location.
If an infested tree is found, the problem is under the jurisdiction of state and federal authorities, Englert said.
The state would survey surrounding trees to determine the extent of the infestation.
If the infestation is limited, the state probably would order every ash tree within a half mile radius to be cut down, said Mick Skwarok, a plant pest and disease specialist with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. All other kinds of trees would be safe.
Eradicating a 1-mile circle of ashes is intended to stamp out the infestation
If the infestation is widespread, the state might decide that cutting down so many trees would be too costly, Skwarok said.
To learn more
For more information about emerald ash borer, try these Web sites:
