State of
Department of
Agriculture
Department of
Natural Resources
EMERALD ASH
BORER (EAB) COMMUNITY READINESS PLAN
-A Checklist
For Local EAB Preparedness
Originated March, 2006
Updated June, 2006
State of
Department of
Agriculture
Department of
Natural Resources
EMERALD ASH
BORER (EAB)
COMMUNITY
READINESS PLAN
-A Checklist
For Local EAB Preparedness
EMERALD ASH BORER (EAB) ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE BY THE ILLINOIS
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE IN COOPERATION WITH APHIS on JUNE 13, 2006.
The official announcement of the Emerald Ash Borer was made June
13th at the
Local Preparedness Plan
____ 1) Identify a team for creating a local Emerald Ash Borer
Readiness Plan of Action
____2) Consider the following elements for inclusion in the
plan:
a) Community name, location and population
b) Local community forestry management history
c) Current decision‑making hierarchy
pertaining to trees, nuisance provisions of the
ordinance, and law enforcement pertaining to trees
d) Policies relating
to the local Community Forest/Policy Update Needs
e) Assessment of Current Fiscal Considerations
f) Assessment of Communities Tree
Population emphasizing the Ash population
g) Analysis of the Potential Fiscal impact
on the current budget structure
h) Establish a
local protocol for reporting potential local
EAB findings and determine a
point
person or department for contacting the Illinois
Department of Agriculture at
847-294-4343 (
i) Establish
Readiness Team and city official training on EAB prior to any public
relations
outreach so they will be able to respond to potential questions.
j) Develop a strategy for public awareness when
or if EAB arrives in your community
that
will not evoke public panic.
i)
Identify local media and public information
outlets and determine the
appropriate message via outlet.
ii) Include
in any public information the local protocol for requesting an
inspection of a site.
iii)
Do not encourage citizens to directly contact
Illinois Department of Agriculture or APHIS (due to workload issues).
iv)
It is advisably to provide a phone message
on the point person’s/agencies phone after the EAB reaches your community that
allows citizens to hear critical information on EAB larva/adult stage or other
commonly asked questions that might mitigate the need to talk directly to a
person.
v)
Include Public officials and decision
makers in the public
awareness/training
events when appropriate.
____2) Consider the following elements for inclusion in the plan
(cont.):
k) Develop
a communications and public relations plan of actions for the time when/if
EAB reaches your community
l)
Include Tree Removal/Replacement program specifications
including tree planting
and care standards plus program monitoring procedures to be used during
this
process
Policy Considerations
___1) Implement a Tree care ordinance or make sure your local
community has a tree care
ordinance that
addresses nuisance trees on private lands as well as public lands. This will provide community officials with
the legal authorities to enforce the removal of trees killed by EAB within the
community boundaries. The State of
___2) Review your local ordinance to see what
authorities your community has concerning the movement of firewood into
your community and the inspection of said wood.
It is advisably to create a firewood vendor permit to help regulate
movement of firewood in and around your community.
Fiscal Considerations
___1) Determine the costs to your community
considering your percent of ash trees in your community's canopy. Provide this
information to the Mayor and other appropriate elected officials so that they
are aware of the potential losses of trees in your community. Suggestions
include: a) the potential cost to your community in tree losses, b) costs to replacement trees, c) losses to individuals due to trees losses
as they impact heating and cooling bills;
d) losses of major visual impacts on the communities aesthetics. Ex. Entry ways into the community lined with
ash trees or ash trees in prominent visual locations. e) compare your current
budget to the budget needs for an EAB outbreak;
f) raise questions of using emergency funds or other sources of funding
to mitigate the effects of the Emerald Ash Borer and the loss of forest canopy
in your community.
___2) Watch for state and federal funding that could
assist with Emerald Ash Borer or Urban and Community Forestry Management.
Public Education and Awareness Campaigns
___1) Identify and educate the core internal team
first. Provide staff training to Forestry
Department, Street Department, Public Works Department and other local tree
authorities.
___2) Make sure the Mayor's office and other
appropriate elected officials are aware of the potential losses of trees in
your community. Determine the potential
cost to your community in tree losses and tree replacement costs.
___3) Educate local advisory and tree advocacy
groups of the Emerald Ash Borer biology and provide instructions for local
monitoring programs. Provide a local
protocol for reporting potential incidents in your community. Make sure that
all inquiries go through one main local professional or tree authority. That one authority should be responsible for
following standard protocol for reporting potential EAB sites. Emphasize that only the community's designee
should be responsible for calling in the state officials in case a potential
site is found. Please realize that the
state system is not staffed heavily enough to accommodate the amount of calls
that could potentially be generated from an unorganized approach to this
potential epidemic. The locally
authorized person should contact the Department of Agriculture at the Ag
Hotline or Mark Cinnamon's office to verify a potential EAB finding.
___4) Develop a local public outreach program to
inform citizens of the Emerald Ash Borer that clearly identifies local protocol
for calling in state and federal officials.
Be careful not to create a public panic in this public education
outreach. Only conduct local public
outreach if you have an educated team in place to assist with initial response
and identification.
____5) Implement a public education campaign of
educating real estate agents through out your community and providing them with
a flyer to inform new residents not to bring their firewood into your community
to leave it at their old home is advisably.
Sharing a series of public relations articles with the local media
during prime "out of state" vacation dates such as Memorial Weekend,
Labor Day... is advisably. For
example" "IT'S GOOD TO LEAVE YOUR WOOD! Don't bring firewood back from your vacation.
"
___6) Consider providing the local library and other
public information locations in your community with EAB information and local
procedures. Put up display boards that
clearly identify local officials or urban
___7. Keep informed by
internet information from the following e‑mail addresses:
http://na.fs.fed.us/fhp/eab/ www.emeraldashborer.info
http://www.entm.purdue.edu/EAB/images/maps/fullSize/nationalMap.jpg
___ 8. Keep networked by attending meetings such as
the Northeastern Illinois Municipal Foresters Meetings, Illinois Arborist
Association training sessions.
___ 9. In case EAB reaches your community, have a
list of reporters and media outlets you will contact for an official
announcement. Prepare a press release
with information such as: who find the site within your community, when was it
found, what was the process that you
went through to verify the finding, and what should citizens to now that it is
found in your community (check their trees, don’t move firewood, who is the point
of contact, don’t remove trees, who will handle residual wood, should they
treat the trees).
Natural Resource Management
___1) Conduct/Use a
Street Tree Inventory to identify target areas of the community with high
ash
populations.
___2) From your tree inventory, list all Fraxinus
(ash) species by street address and use this list for monitoring between April
to July. Remember that EAB is considered
the "HIDDEN THREAT". This
means that you may have to rely not just on a visual inspection for die‑back,
yellows and sprouting but for suspect trees and areas you should consider
checking for loose bark or even checking trees that are potential removal trees
for galleries, egg masses and larvae depending on season.
___3) Consider
evaluating the ash tree population and removing trees in poor condition and
replacing them with a different species.
This will help reduce the overall financial impact to your local
community forestry budget should EAB come to your community.
___4) Consider diversifying the tree population in
your community forest. Plant no more
than 10% of one genus species (ex. red oak) and no more than 25% of one species
(Ex. oaks). In the mid 1900's Dutch Elm
Disease caught some communities with 80% American Elm. Based on that experience, communities
implemented local community forestry program and have diversified their
community forests species composition.
In
___5) Establish residual
wood burning and recycling centers. NOTE: The outer slabs need to be cut off and
burned. Since the infestation occurs
only in the outer phloem, cambial and surface of the xylem of the wood, the inner wood can be used for structural
lumber.
___ 6) A list of potential contractors for tree removal and
debris handling should be created.
KEY ACTIONS WITH EMERALD
ASH BORER
Review local firewood
policies. If none exist consider implementing a no movement of firewood
policy for new homeowners and /or a permitting policy for firewood vendors.
If you have a tree
inventory/ urban and community
forestry management plan, generate a list of the ash trees on
public lands and conduct an initial inspection either with staff or by
contacting homeowners with ash trees on or near their property.
Keep local authorities updated
on the status of EAB as it moves or is found throughout
Develop and implement Local
Community Readiness Plan of Action addressing local readiness team assignments, protocol and
local actions to be taken, pro-active community forestry management strategies,
and public relations for when EAB arrives.
IF EMERALD ASH BORER IS
FOUND IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Implement Local Community
Readiness Plan of Action addressing local readiness team
assignments, protocol and local actions to be taken, pro-active community
forestry management strategies, and public relations for when EAB arrives.
A Public relations campaign is critical. In case EAB reaches your community, have a
list of
reporters and media
outlets you will contact for an official announcement. Prepare a press
release with information
such as: who find the site within your community, when was it found,
what was the process that
you went through to verify the finding, and what should citizens to
now that it is found in
your community (check their trees, don’t move firewood, who is the point
of contact, don’t remove
trees, who will handle residual wood, should they treat the trees).
Arrangements should be made for tree removal and wood disposal,
once IDOA approves tree removal
Written and Edited by:
Reinee Hildebrandt
Urban Conservation Program Admin.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Phone: 217‑785‑8771
Contributing Authors:
Warren Goetsch
Illinois Department of Agriculture
State Fairgrounds;
Phone: 217-785-4233
Jeffrey Coath
Pest Survey Specialist –
2300
Phone: 847-299-6939
Tom Dilley
Phone: 847-866-9311x14
Tom Wilson
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Phone: 217‑785‑8772
Fax: 217‑785‑2438
EARLY
DETECTION IS THE KEY TO CONTROLLING THE EMERALD ASH BORER AND THE INEVITABLE
DAMAGE THAT OCCURS WITH A LACK OF DETECTION AND SOUND URBAN AND COMMUNITY
FORESTRY MANAGEMENT.
