An emerald ash borer. /USDA photo, public domain
The ash tree removal that has temporarily closed Petrifying Springs County Park in Somers will next be coming to two Western Kenosha County park facilities.
From a statement issued by the county’s Department of Public Works & Development Services Wednesday:
Petrifying Springs Park is expected to reopen on Feb 20th, Kenosha County Parks Director Jonathan Rudie said. Warmer temperatures slowed logging work at the park. The closure includes all of the park, golf course, bike trails, hiking trails, cross country ski trails, and the Carlisle Family Dog Park. The park and its amenities have been closed to the public due to unsafe conditions during the ash tree removal program, Rudie said. Brighton Dale Park and Fox River Park will also be closed when the loggers transfer operations to remove the ash trees at these parks. Each park will reopen as soon as the logger has finished the removal of the ash trees. The Kenosha County Parks is in the process of having over 2,600 ash trees removed by a logging company as part of the comprehensive emerald ash borer program. Loggers are working on the removal of ash trees within picnic areas, roadsides, parking areas, golf courses, dog parks and walking paths. The loggers are on a tight schedule to complete the removal of the ash trees and need to move and work uninterrupted in each park and before the ground thaws. Logging is one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States and to insure that the public is not placed in an unsafe situation during the project, the park will remain closed until the loggers complete their work. Openings and closings of each park will be updated on the Kenosha County Parks website and the Kenosha County Dog Park Facebook page. For more information, contact the Kenosha County Parks at (262) 857-1869.
Current plans call for work to begin at Brighton Dale in Brighton on Feb. 22, Rudie told westofthei.com in an email. The logging will effect only the golf course and not Brighton Dale Park. Logging at Fox River Park in Salem is set to follow the Brighton Dale work.
Logging is done during cold weather to minimize damage to grass areas or the golf courses, Rudi said. Warm spells could delay the work.
Emerald ash borer is a beetle considered an invasive species in the United States. It infests ash trees in such a way that the only effective treatment once a tree is infested is to cut the tree down to try to stop the spread of the beetle.
Will boards be made of the ash tree wood?