It was just a matter of time. After predicting that the emerald ash borer would eventually infest trees in the village, Riverside’s village forester announced earlier this month that the wait is over.
In late December, said Michael Collins, the pest was found inside a flagging ash tree located in the triangle at the intersection of Repton and Southcote roads in the northwest corner of the village. It is the first, and so far only, tree known to have been infested with the emerald ash borer.
Collins made the announcement at the Riverside Village Board meeting on Jan. 17.
The 10-inch diameter ash tree was located in an area where the Illinois Department of Agriculture had placed a trap last spring. An adult emerald ash borer was found in the trap last fall, but it was not known at that time if it signaled an infestation in Riverside. Two other adult emerald ash borers were found in traps at the nearby intersection of Southcote and Uvedale and in Indian Gardens in the far south end of the village.
In 2010, an emerald ash borer was found in a trap near Blackhawk and Riverside roads.
When the tree in the Southcote/Repton triangle was removed, Collins said he discovered that the insect had probably infested the tree two years earlier, judging from the damage inside.
“It matches when we first found it in a trap,” said Collins. “It just took time for us to see the symptoms in trees.”
For a full report, see the Feb. 1 edition of the Landmark.
