Ash Trees On Midway Plaisance Coming Down Due To Ash Borer Infestation
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The invasive Emerald Ash Borer has taken its toll along an historic stretch of the South Side, and now dozens of ash trees are coming down.
Dozens of ash trees are being cut down along the Midway Plaisance, which is where the amusements were staged during the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893.
Chicago Park District arborist Marcus Horan said he and a tree-cutting crew have been at the job for several weeks, cutting down two or three infected ash trees a day.
Horan made a count on Wednesday, and said he figures there are at least another 62 ash trees that still need to come down. They had been planted in a row along the south and the north end of the Midway.
The remaining ash trees on the north end display the real evidence of the devastation the Emerald Ash Borer beetle can do. There are no leaves on any of the ash trees, which stand in stark contrast to the green leaves of several other species of trees along the Midway.
Horan figured the ash trees had been infested with the Emerald Ash Borer for at least a couple years. That's when the trees show in a big way how they're dying or are dead.
The same thing happened on the Midway Plaisance 40 to 50 years ago, when elm trees along the Midway were stricken with Dutch Elm Disease and had to be cut down, according to Horan
The wood from the infested trees is being ground up in tree chippers, and then processed for use as mulch.
