All Ash Trees in Grand Prairie Subdivision to Be Removed

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The insect, the larvae of which burrows beneath the bark of the ask trees and systematically kills it in one to three years, leaves trees that are safety hazards, a news release on the latest tree removal plan said. It's nearly impossible to tell if a tree has been infested until it starts dying.

The Grand Prairie subdivision, located off Hennepin Drive and south of the Louis Joliet Mall, has a particularly high number of ash trees.

"The mortality rate for infested ash trees is one hundred percent; all untreated ash trees will eventually die," the news release said.

The is the second subdivision that will have all of its ash trees removed. The first, announced last week, is Warwick, which is located off Essington Road and Theodore Street.

It's estimated that the city will remove more than 1,000 trees by year's end, and will likely remove that many in 2014 because of the borer infestation.

For more information about the emerald ash borer, go to www.cityofjoliet.info and click on the EAB link or call the City of Joliet Forestry Division at 815-724-4046.