Management of Ash Debris and Utilization Opportunities
When EAB becomes established in your community, all unprotected ash trees will be killed and will need to be removed.
- Become familiar with state quarantine procedures and compliance agreements before the beetle arrives so that you can act as a resource for residents. Know who to contact for any questions you may have regarding these issues (Quarantines and Compliance Agreements).
- Designate a disposal site or sites within the community or county for ash wood debris before EAB arrives. This could be a landfill, solid waste area, or industrial site where the debris can be buried or chipped. If burning is an option in your area, a burn permit from Indiana Department of Environmental Management must be obtained in advance.
- Identify and contact operators and owners of portable saw mills in the area. After bark is removed from ash, the slabbed logs can be used for lumber. This lumber could be used for park projects, community kiosks, benches, playground equipment, etc. Private property owners could join together and hire a portable sawmill operator to slab logs on site. They may use the resulting lumber for home projects or donate it to woodcrafters in the county.
- Identify tree care companies and landscape businesses capable of tree removal and chipping services. For the ash wood chips to become exempt from quarantine, they must be processed to smaller than 1x1 inch in 2 dimensions. EAB larvae cannot survive in small wood chips as they quickly desiccate.
- Determine a mulch/compost site for the ash wood chips that will be processed to smaller than 1x1 inch in 2 dimensions. Offer the mulch to residents and parks in the area
Suggestions for urban tree utilization from the US Forest Service
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