Westminster residents urged to act on their Ash trees

City hopes federal aid will help slow spread of emerald pests

BY LUKE ZARZECKI LZARZECKI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Westminster looks to treat its urban forests and trees as critical parts of the infrastructure as a way to get some help battling a little green invader.

At the Feb. 13 city council meeting, adding a new chapter to Westminster municipal code that designates trees as critical green infrastructure was approved unanimously. at’s because the Emerald Ash Borer issue is becoming worse.

“We are dealing with the largest urban tree disaster in United States history,” said City Forester Bryan McCoy. e move was a strategic way to receive more grant money and funds from the federal In ation Reduction Act, and Community Block Grants and as a way to streamline funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency after severe weather.

City Councilor Bruce Baker asked how much money could be obtained. McCoy said there is about $1.5 billion available for local governments across the country from the In ation Reduction Act, with some of it geared towards green infrastructure.

more destructive than the Dutch Elm Disease and is 100% fatal to ash trees.

Only 2% of Westminster’s ash trees are located on public property and maintained by the city. e rest stand on private property.

“We are going to be facing signicant economic and environmental impact to the city, citizens and businesses,” he said.

According to the Colorado State Forest Service, there are at least 69,000 Ash trees in Westminster.

the Denver Metro area.

McCoy said the majority of tree mortality occurs within the rst 4-8 years of infestation. Westminster is in year four.

“It’s not too late to stop this,” he said.

McCoy said even if the city can convince the public to conserve half of the trees on private property, it will cost $33 million in replacement costs, and $67 million if zero are preserved.

Treatment for trees is cheaper, and about 98% e ective. It would be $150 per tree every three years. Removing trees in poor condition costs $1,000 per tree.

Due to the possibility of dehydration and uprooting, the trees can come down quickly, which can be dangerous for residents and homes.

“We are encouraging the public to have their trees evaluated by a private tree care company, and if they are in good enough condition and (the resident) can a ord it, yes, preserve your tree. If it’s not in good enough condition to treat, we are encouraging (residents) to remove them,” McCoy said.

He said the longer residents wait to treat or remove their tree, the more expensive and more dangerous it becomes.

City councilor Ezeadi asked about how the EAB impacts a tree. McCoy eggs which turn into larva, and the larva then begins to chew around underneath the bark, which stops the ow of water and nutrients.

Baker asked what the long game for the Ash trees is. McCoy said the city could slowly ween o the trees, or do other ailments take care of the trees. But there might not be many left in the future.

“We are potentially looking at the slow extinction of a species, and we are trying to slow down that rate,” McCoy said.

Last summer, the EAB was confirmed in Thornton. The bug was first found in Boulder in 2013, but Colorado’s municipal forestry departments have been preparing for an infestation for years. The pest was first discovered in the U.S. in Michigan in 2002 and has been detected in Boulder, Gunbarrel, Longmont and Lafayette since 2013.

Moving forward, City Manager Mark Freitag called for diversifying new trees planted in the city to maintain canopies and urban forests.

“If history repeats itself, give it 30, 40, 50 years and we could be in the same sort of situation with something else,” he said.

He noted the city’s website lists possible trees to plant that can diversify Westminster.

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Sunday School & Bible Study: 11-12 500 Drake Street Denver, Colorado 80221 303-429-0165 concern among residents that councilmembers and city sta hear about e program may come to more areas since Geyer said the city will start small and add more if the program is deemed successful.

“ is is the path we are on to provide a solution,” Geyer said.

She said it’s residential street-focused — not major arterial roadways like 120th or 104th.

Mayor Meredith Leighty asked why.

Geyer said the proposal is supposed to complement work that’s being done on the major roads. For streets like 104th and Huron, Geyer said, the tra c unit has been deployed to those areas during certain times of the day.

She also said the police department has been transitioning to all o cers doing tra c enforcement when possible, not only the tra c unit. Tra c citations have increased as a result of the realignment.

“We’re trying to nd and add another tool to our toolbox,” Geyer said.