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- Invasive Insect Alert: Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)
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This small beetle, originally from Asia, is responsible for killing over 50 million Ash trees in the United States. Many Eastern and Midwestern municipalities have lost nearly all of their Ash trees due to this deadly pest. Emerald Ash Borer is now present in Boulder, Colorado. The State Department of Agriculture and USDA/APHIS have issued an Ash Quarantine for all of Boulder County, which prohibits the movement of any Ash material out of the Quarantine Area.
Experts agree that Emerald Ash Borer will reach Fort Collins through natural spread or through the transport of infested Ash material into our City. CSU Entomologists tell us it is not a matter of "if"; it is a matter of "when". So, what impacts will EAB have on Fort Collins? Eighteen percent of City-owned trees in Fort Collins are Ash; that means nearly 1 out of every 5 trees on public land have the potential to be infested and killed! We suspect that the percent of Ash on private property may be the same or even higher. In an effort to determine how many Ash are on private property, the Forestry Division will initiate an analysis of private property trees in 2015. What can you do to help? Be aware that we may contact you to seek permission to enter your property and collect data for the analysis. We will contact you ONLY of your property is selected as part of the sampling plan. Also, pass the word that moving ash material, such as logs, branches or firewood, threatens Colorado's urban forests.
For more information about detection, prevention, and treatment visit the Colorado Dept. of Agriculture webpage.
The Forestry Division is responsible for trees owned by the City. These are street trees located between the sidewalk and curb, trees in city medians, in parks and those located on other City property. The Forestry Division appreciates hearing from citizens about the location of storm-damaged City trees. Contact the Forestry Division office at 970-221-6660 to report a broken City tree.
- Tree pruning, removal, and requests
- Tree planting, questions, and requests
- Hazard tree identification and inspection
- Insect and disease identification and control
- Tree work permits on City property (pruning, removal, and planting)
- Trees blocking traffic signs and signals
- Arborist licensing
- General information, literature and presentations on trees (City Park Tree Tour, Notable Tree Tour, Champion Trees etc)
- Tree mulch program
- Tree insect and disease notification (Dutch Elm Disease, Mountain Pine Beetle and Ips Beetle)
- Private hazard trees threatening public property
- Development review
- Arbor Day program
- Memorial tree program
Property owners are responsible for their trees and can contact a private licensed tree service for pruning or removing a storm-damaged tree. Businesses that make tree pruning or removal cuts at 10 feet or greater above the ground when working within the City limits are required to be licensed by the City of Fort Collins. Licensed tree services have the skills needed to prune or remove a tree correctly. Homeowners can prune their own trees. Tree work can be dangerous and if not done correctly can further damage a tree. Using a skilled professional to do tree work can help insure that a damaged tree has the best chance for recovery.
Limbs
Branches from private trees can be chipped by a private tree service or hauled to Hageman Earth Cycle located on East Prospect. Limbs can also be hauled to the Larimer County landfill.
Downtown Street Tree Removal and Replacement Project
Due to existing underground utilities, the City of Fort Collins Forestry Division will need to reschedule the tree removal and replacements for the following sites:
- Fish, 150 W Oak St.
- Tasty Harmony, 160 W Oak St.
- Slyce Pizza Co.,163 W Mountain Ave.
- John Atencio, 164 N College Ave.
- Salus, 238 Walnut St.
- Curiosities, 242 Walnut St
When underground utilities reside within a stump grinding site or tree planting location, Forestry takes added safety precautions and potholes the site. Potholing is a procedure that utilizes pressurized water and a vacuum to remove the soil perpendicular to the underground utility. This is to ensure that the underground utilities are well below our working depths to keep our crews, contractors, passerby’s and businesses safe during the stump grinding and planting process.
The rescheduled tree work will be announced as soon as possible.
European Elm Scale Control Trials
On Wednesday, June 6, City of Fort Collins, Forestry Department participated in European Elm Scale Control trials in cooperation with Rainbow Tree Care, Davey Tree Care, and CSU. There were 5 different protocols used which involved soil drenching at the base of certain trees, trunk treatments on certain trees, foliar spraying on some trees, and trunk injections on others. The chemicals used are all approved for elm scale and will be applied in a manner to minimize exposure and risk to the public. However, due to the nature of the trials the chemical names will not be released until after the trial. This helps to eliminate bias and give proprietary information to research. These treatments pose no significant risk to park visitors and adjacent property owners. The soil injections were supervised on June 6 and the spray application was performed on June 7.
Call Molly Roche, Forestry Specialist (224-616-1992) with any questions.