Chippewa Falls Seeking to Complete Ash Tree Removal This Year

The City of Chippewa Falls is hoping to finish removing all of the dead or dying ash trees from public streets this year.

The Chippewa Falls City Council approved a request to remove more of the trees at its meeting last week. The City has pursued the project for years, hoping to minimize the potential damage caused by the invasive emerald ash borer.

John Jimenez is the Director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry for the City, and says they’re hoping to remove over 300 ash trees this year. “The goal is to remove all of the remaining ash trees that are left on public boulevard streets within the city limits,” he said. “Back in 2016 I believe the department, much like others across Wisconsin, were addressing Emerald Ash and so the process started then. And so it’s come a long way but in the past couple years, it’s been challenging to keep up with everything.”

Conservation experts estimate the invasive beetles will eventually kill 99% of the ash trees in Wisconsin. They spread to the state’s last uninfected county in 2024. Jimenez also says the damage caused by the beetles can pose a safety risk for people with ash trees on their properties or pedestrians walking near one.

“They damage and hurt the vital structure of the tree, allowing the tree to be weak enough to where, you know, in a heavy storm or winds, the branches and things can fall and cause damage to persons or private, public property,” he said. “And so in efforts to avoid that and do our best to ensure that those things don’t happen, we want to be as proactive as we can with this.”

The City will begin accepting bids from contractors for the work which will determine how much the project will cost in total and if the city can remove all of the remaining ash trees and stumps. Jimenez is also hoping that completing the tree removal project will free up their staff members to focus on other projects and services for the community.

A number of Wisconsin municipalities including the City of Eau Claire are working on removing ash trees from public streets as well. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is also exploring alternative options to manage the invasive species and protect remaining ash trees, like using a native wasp species to reduce the emerald ash borer population.