Where have all the ash trees gone?

Over the past five years, the emerald ash borer (EAB) beetle has had a devastating impact on our local forests. To protect the people in the parks, Great Parks had to take down thousands of dead and dying ash trees. Although the number of trees felled is depressing, we have taken a proactive approach to using what remains.

If the trees are cut down in a natural area, they are left to decompose and return their nutrients to the forest floor. But many of the trees taken down in public areas were chipped into mulch that we were able to put to good use at Winton Woods. We mulched all of Harper Meadows, Parky’s Farm orchard and the campground, as well as signs and gate posts and the tree rings and landscape beds on both golf courses. We also created large mulch beds in hard-to-mow areas, making the area aesthetically pleasing and easier on the equipment. As an added bonus, we used some of the large logs for seating at the campground gathering space. So even though we’re unhappy to lose any of the ash trees, there is something heartening about making the most out of a sad situation.

Dawn Werling, Maintenance Technician, Winton Woods