Village removing, replacing trees
infected by emerald ash borer

Thiensville Public Works crews are removing more than 150 dead and infected trees with emerald ash borer on a Village-owned parcel between Williamsburg Drive and the Canadian National Railway alongside Pigeon Creek.

Later in the year, the area will be replanted with a variety of Wisconsin-native trees that are resistant to disease and tolerant of road salt. The planting plan includes native plants and grasses that will filter and reduce storm water runoff.

The Village encourages property owners to remove infected ash trees before EAB has killed the tree to avoid associated safety hazards. Many private and public ash trees in the Village already are dead.

Tree services are very busy removing ash trees. The Village encourages you to find a contractor and get on a removal schedule as soon as possible before the dead tree causes damage to your home or becomes a safety hazard for your family or pedestrians passing by.

EAB kills ash trees by cutting off the flow of water and nutrients as worm-like larvae create feeding galleries in the tissue beneath the bark. Signs of infestation include distinctive canopy thinning, branch decline and death; limbs sprouting from the lower trunk; bark splitting above larval galleries and D-shaped exit holes created by emerging adults.

EAB will kill nearly all of Wisconsin's ash trees that are more than 1 inch in diameter. The length of time it takes to see tree damage and mortality depends on a variety of factors, including EAB population levels and tree health. When EAB populations are high, even trees that appear healthy can die within 3 to 4 years of infestation.