After years of mounting concerns, Nashville will soon begin cutting down hundreds of ash trees damaged by the invasive Emerald Ash Borer, a shimmering metallic green beetle that’s tiny but lethal.
The first phase will take down more than 469 ash trees in 51 different Metro Parks. Most are near trails, greenways or playgrounds, and they pose risks to visitors.
“The ash tend to go down. And that’s the real problem with getting them off the edges of the walks and the playgrounds … is knowing full well that this is what happens with trees that die from the Emerald Ash Borer,” says Randall Lantz, superintendent for horticulture for Metro Parks.
These removals are only the beginning. Metro expects the borer will ultimately kill all of Nashville’s thousands of ash trees by the year 2026. The city says the insect arrived in Nashville in 2014 and is already responsible for killing tens of millions of trees across North America.
More: Metro’s information page on Emerald Ash Borer
The city has tried to defend some, but has mostly been preparing by making a tree inventory and marking blue blazes on the vulnerable ash trees.
“It’s time. We’re seeing a lot of decline,” Lantz said. “As far as we can tell, from all the research and all the experience from other cities, it’s pretty much 100% mortality. We’re going to lose them all.”
The Warner Parks have been hit especially hard and will see more than 100 trees go in the next few months.
Metro and its contractors plan to begin cutting around Nov. 1. To raise awareness about what’s happening, the Nashville Tree Foundation plans to install public art made from ash wood in several places.
Removing trees from city parks will cost several million dollars, and represents just one part of Nashville’s response. Another effort is attempting to coordinate cuttings on private properties, including providing replacement trees to plant.
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