The City of Fond du Lac discovered an ash tree infested by the Emerald Ash Borer in the southwest part of the City last week. DNR officials have confirmed that it is the EAB. Although an EAB infestation was found just south of the City limits in December, 2013, this is the first confirmed find within the City. Public Works director Jordan Skiff says the discovery represents a significant concern to the City, as a large number of public and private trees within the Fond du Lac community are ash trees. The Emerald Ash Borer has been found to be 100% fatal to untreated ash trees. Skiff says the City has been preemptively removing ash trees for several years to prepare for an infestation and will continue to implement a multi-facated approach to manage the infestation. Additionally, several dozen citizens have elected to chemically treat public or private ash trees at their home or business. Skiff says despite these efforts, approximately 5,000 publicly owned ash trees on terraces and in parks—as well as thousands of ash trees on private property—are likely to be destroyed by the Borer over the next decade.
