Emerald Ash Borer

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has arrived in Flossmoor. Through the Public Works routine parkway and private tree survey, 10 trees infested with EAB were identified. Of those 10 trees, 6 Ash trees were located on Village owned parkway property and 4 Ash trees were located on private property. These are the 1st confirmed sightings within Flossmoor's Village Limits. Confirmation was made by our certified arborist from Natural Path Forestry who is conducting the Village's Parkway Tree Inventory update. A combination of locating live adult borers and visible signs of EAB activity throughout the infested trees were used for confirmation.

Infestation Response

Unfortunately, the infestation was not limited to 1 small area. The infested Ash trees were found in the northwest, northeast and the southeast sections of Flossmoor. The infested parkway trees were immediately placed on our parkway tree service removal list. Residents where private trees are identified will be notified to make arrangements for immediate removal and disposal.

Because Flossmoor is within a State of Illinois Quarantine area, only licensed Tree Service Contractors with a current Illinois Department of Agriculture EAB compliance agreement in place should be utilized to remove Ash Trees. Ash Tree owners may ask about treatment options in order to avoid removing their trees, however the only guaranteed method to control Emerald Ash Borer is to remove the host tree(s). When considering usage of sectional control, one should weigh the value of the tree against the cost of treatment.

Informational Pamphlet

An informational pamphlet on the EAB, which was provided by the Morton Arboretum, is available at either Village Hall (2800 Flossmoor Road) or the Public Works Service Center (1700 Central Park Avenue). Besides providing basic information on the life cycle of the borer and EAB infestation signs and symptoms, numerous other sources of information are included within the pamphlet to emphasize the immediate need to eliminate this pest.

Continued Efforts

Public Works will continue to survey our community for further evidence of EAB infestation throughout the borer's active season. As previously reported, Public Works will target only those trees infested with EAB for removal as we have in the past with our Dutch Elm Disease control efforts.