Village's Management Plan

La Grange Ash Trees

La Grange has approximately 2,000 ash trees located in public parkways. Many more are located on private property. Ironically, the ash was a very popular species planted during the 1970s and 1980s to replace trees lost to Dutch elm disease.

Village's Management Plan

Based on its experience with controlling Dutch elm disease, the Village's plan for managing the EAB is as follows:

• Continue to monitor new technologies and best practices for dealing with EAB
• Develop public education materials for distribution
• Identify funding sources for tree removal and tree planting, including possible grant opportunities
• Inventory the location of ash trees in the parkway throughout the Village and monitor them for signs of infestation
• Refine plan and budget figures for the tree removal and planting associated with the EAB
• Assess available treatment options and refine management plan as needed
• Research current best practices for the identification and removal of trees that become infected
• Review the Village Code to ensure that local ordinances adequately address the removal of infested ash trees from private property

La Grange Tree Removal Protocol

At this time, the Village is not proposing any preemptive removal of existing ash tree species. Rather, the Village prefers to retain affected trees until such time when declining health becomes evident and removal is required. This protocol will allow for staggered planting and re-growth of our urban forest.

Quarantine Area

Please note that La Grange sits deep within a quarantine area that covers much of northeastern Illinois. Wood from ash trees cannot be moved into or out of this zone. For more information regarding the quarantine zone, please visit the Illinois Department of Agriculture's EAB Resource website.

For More Information

If you have any questions regarding the EAB, or if you have concerns which you would like to share, please contact the Public Works Department at (708) 579-2328.