N.J. City Sacrificing 2,000 Trees To Thwart Troublesome Beetle
MONTCLAIR, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A New Jersey city is giving the axe to thousands of ash trees to help fight off the invasive emerald ash borer beetle.
As CBSN New York's Charlie Cooper found out Thursday, not all residents may like the idea, but it's likely necessary.
Ash trees make up about a fifth of the trees in Montclair, but the city said it plans to cut down 2,000 of them, whether they're infected or not.
MORE: Invasive Beetle Threatens 9/11 Memorial Trees At Liberty State Park
It's a way to fight off emerald ash borer beetles that have already attacked dozens of trees in the area. Arborists say the likelihood of an uninfected tree being impacted is very high.
Cooper spoke to Montclair State University biology professor Dirk Vanderklein, who said the best bet is to cut them down despite some neighbors wanting to keep them around for beauty purposes.
"There or some insecticides that could be used, but that's very expensive," Vanderklein said. "So there's a trade off. Do you want the city to spend a lot of money on an insecticide that may or may not kill off the insect? You'd have to basically treat all the trees in the town."
FLASHBACK: Emerald Ash Borer Beetle Causes Trouble For NJ Residents
Arborists say ash tree treatments can cost up to $600 per tree. Montclair first had an issue with the emerald ash borer invading back in 2016.
The city has a plan to cut down ash trees on at least a half a dozen streets by November.
"There were some comments on our street's Facebook page like 'What's going on? Why are they cutting down our trees?'" said Jeremy Carlisle, who lives on tree-lined Fairfield Street. "I seem to recall walking our dog being like, 'Oh my God, oh my gosh, every single tree is gone.'"
Although shocking to see at first, he said most neighbors are on board with the idea.
When asked what the likelihood is of a perfectly good ash tree being invaded by a beetle, Vanderklein said, "Very high, very high. Once the beetle is in the town it's pretty much the end of the ash trees."
Vanderklein said the shady ash helps beautify neighborhoods, keeps them cool and filters rain water into the ground, but noted all trees do that.
"So if they're cutting down trees to get rid of an invasive species, why not? That's great, I think," Carlisle said.
The plan is to only remove township trees, so property owners are responsible for cutting their own. The town said it will replace the trees with a different variety.
Vanderklein said the beetles are causing such a problem, wood shops around the country aren't accepting wood from ash trees as often. So once the trees are cut down they will likely be chipped, composted or burned.
