HOLS SAVE YOUR ASH FUNDRAISER Has Ended for 2021!
Congratulations to everyone involved!! We had some amazing help with donors and volunteers and were able to save a large majority of our trees thanks to their efforts!
We are treating the trees starting July 2021 and then of the trees that are left unsponsored, we will leave up the map below which you can check and still save independently. Please CHECK IT FIRST though before you do to make sure it is not already sponsored and treated.
If you were interested in saving a tree privately, you would do so by contacting a certified EAB Treatment arborist to arrange the treatment needed. We recommend contacting one of the following arborists who has worked on this project through the North River Commission that will honor and give you a reduced rate when you mention “Chicago EAB”:
SavATree - Chrissy Morales & Kevin White, 847-729-1963
The Davey Tree Expert Company - 312-492-7206
Kinnucan Tree Experts & Landscape Company - TJ Blockhus, 847-234-5327
TruGreen - Joel McKay, 708 -297-9913
HOLS Save Your Ash Fundraiser
ASH TREES ARE EVERYWHERE
Please see the map below of our over 330 trees within our boundaries that would be affected by the EAB! You can click on the map to zoom in and see the address and details of each tree we have recorded thus far. Blue trees are ones that have been sponsored already and purple trees are ones that are MEGA sized at 90 inches or more in circumference. We have also changed a small number over to yellow trees as they were considered to be in poor or fair/poor condition as determined by the arborist and they did not recommend treatment. If you click on the map, you can click through the different categories on the legend to turn those options on or off as you go through it.
Here is where we Started
Here is HOW We Ended
We want to thank all of our volunteers who helped inventory the trees in the area, talked to neighbors, put up signs on the trees, delivered flyers, promoted this on social media, and helped pitch in wherever they could. We could NOT have done this without you!
What is Save Your Ash?
Ash trees are a huge part of Lincoln Square’s beautiful tree canopy — at least 30 percent of it, actually.
But they are under constant threat from a deadly pest known as emerald ash borer (EAB).
All of our neighborhood’s ash trees will likely die within a few years unless they are treated, leaving our urban canopy depleted and our streetscapes decimated.
There is an affordable and effective treatment that provides up to three years of protection against EAB, but the city of Chicago has stopped these treatments due to budget cuts.
Instead, the city will focus on removing dead and infected ash and replacing them with other species, an approach that’s actually been shown to cost millions more than treatment.
(Plus, they’re replacing these broad, shade-giving trees with saplings that will take at least 50 years to reach maturity.)
We’re actively urging the city to reconsider this policy — but we must be proactive in the meantime.
Save Your Ash is designed to preserve the integrity of the local tree canopy sustainably and cost effectively.
Heart of Lincoln Square is working with the North River Commission to treat and preserve ash trees in our community. There are also multiple other civic group areas that are leading the charge in saving their trees and you may fall within those boundaries. See below to check!
WHAT IF I AM OUTSIDE OF HOLS BOUNDARIES?
Map including other SYA Campaigns we are aware of
This issue affects every neighborhood in Chicago and the surrounding states. The more we get involved, the more we can save these trees. Many neighborhood groups are working on similar treatment programs either through the North River Commission or own their own. Please check this map of what we currently know as active campaigns to see if you are already covered by one of these local civic groups.
But there are many areas without a plan in place to save ash trees. If that is your area, feel free to reach out and we would be happy to help you set up a similar program.
How to IDentify local ash trees
Ash trees have metal Chicago Bureau of Forestry tags on the street side from previous years treatments.
You will need to know where your local Ash trees are in order to protect them. They will have metal tags from the Chicago Bureau of Forestry on them along the street side as seen in the picture.
If you are starting your own campaign or doing this independently, the arborist will need the following information:
Tree’s location
Tag Number
Circumference (you’ll need a soft measuring tape and we recommend measuring around the trunk at approximately chest height)
Help Stop the Invisible Forest Fire
The Save Your Ash Coalition Chicago (SYACC) is a new group formed to protect Chicago’s at-risk ash trees. Ash Trees make up 15-20% of our parkway trees -- the trees lining our streets. They are in danger of dying in the next three years without treatment against an insect attacking them: the emerald ash borer (EAB). The Bureau of Forestry was treating them up until 2019 when budget cuts stopped the program.
The SYACC’s objective is to restore Chicago’s discontinued emerald ash borer treatment program in the 2022 budget which is voted on in the fall of 2021. Here is their Statement of Purpose:
They want to use multiple strategies to accomplish this including: talking with alderpeople, social media campaigns, and connecting with potential coalition partners. They can use your help!
If you would like to get occasional newsletters about this effort please enter your information below:
More Information
Here are links to additional information on this topic:
Emerald Ash Borer Information Network
Arborjet - Chicago Citizens Unite to “Save Our Ash” with New Program Launch in 2020