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The emerald ash borer has made inroads in several Midwest states. Here in Michigan, billboards and news reports advise us not to take firewood with us when we go camping, but to purchase it at the camp site, in order to avoid inadvertantly transporting the insect. Thousands of ash trees have been cut down when infestations are discovered.
Howell, Michigan is one city that is selling trees to residents who lost trees to the ash borer. The Ann Arbor News reports that ginkgo trees are one of the varieties that are recommended as replacement trees:
Under a special incentive program underwritten by the DTE Energy Foundation, 1,600 trees of various species will be made available in the spring for a reduced cost to homeowners.
The city of Howell and other partners will have 200 landscape-quality trees in seven-gallon containers for purchase by residents for approximately $25. Available species include sugar maple, red maple, gingko, tulip tree, red oak and littleleaf linden. Distribution will be in April 2007. Agencies and organizations partnering to make the ROOT Program possible, in addition to the DNR, MDA and DTE Energy Foundation include the USDA Forest Service and Ray Wiegand’s Nursery.
In Wisconsin, which has not yet experienced the infestation, residents are advised not to plant ash trees at all:
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has released a list of alternative tree species for urban settings. It is wise not to plant any new ash trees in yards and landscapes. Some alternatives are Freeman maple, State Street miyabe maple, ginkgo (male cultivars only), Kentucky coffee tree, Amur maackia, eyestopper corktree, Chinkapin oak, bald cypress and triumph elm.