Over one hundred ash trees are dying in the Kirksville R-3 School District. About 50 affected trees will be cut down, turned into lumber and some will be given to Kirksville Area Technical Center to be used in the Construction Trades classroom.
Yevette Amerman, a forester, came to KHS’s Publications class to talk about this issue. It all started from an invasive species, the emerald ash borer (EAB), that arrived in Kirksville from wood pallets imported from Asia in 2019.
Due to this insect, many trees all over Missouri need to be cut down, including many of the trees surrounding the School District. If the trees are left alone, they will all die within the next three years.
The Conservation Department and School District are working together to fix this issue. They have decided to cut down the trees over Christmas break. Once they cut the trees down, they will be given to a local mill to be turned into lumber and given to Vince McQueen at the Tech Center to be made into ash furniture.
According to McQueen, “I am figuring on using them in the school shop in order to build more beds, nightstand, tables, etc. Whatever we decide to build for projects.” The furniture will then be sold as a fundraiser for the school.
Because there will now be a lack of trees around the school, the Conservation Department and School District will be planting more trees. They will specifically be planting more of them around the loop, a place where many people walk and run, and Ray Miller Elementary School’s playground where every tree except two are ash.
If the trees at the elementary school were left alone, all of the trees there would die. There would be no shade for seven to ten years until new trees would grow. That is why they have decided to use an insecticide injection to save some of the trees.
Not all of the trees around the school have to be cut. Some trees are yet to be infected by EAB. Some will be given an insecticide injection to save them. Only trees that are healthy will be able to get this chemical treatment. The Missouri Department of Conservation states, “to be considered for the treatment, the trees need to grow with less than 50% dieback and showing few outward signs of EAB or any other borer infestations.” By doing this, many trees that may have died in a few years from now can be saved, however they will need to be injected every three years for the rest of its life to survive.
The cost of everything was around $14,000. To reduce some of the costs for themselves, they applied for a TRIM (Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance) grant through the MDC. They got it and now the School District only has to pay up to $2,500.
As more and more ash trees are dying around Kirksville, it is important to look out for the signs of it happening around the community. Some signs of EAB are increased woodpecker activity on the tree, winding S-shaped tunnels under the bark, and sparse leaves and/or branches dying in the upper part of the tree. It is important that if you see signs of contact the Conservation Department.
Anam Azim 11 Kirksville High School