Trees cannot be effectively managed in a community setting until their location and general condition are known .The period before EAB arrives is an excellent time for your community to conduct a thorough inventory of all of its trees.
Communities interested in performing complete inventories may be eligible for grant funds from the Community and Urban Forestry program. If you do not have the time or finances to do a complete inventory, at least document where your ash trees are and record their general condition
Identify and count your ash trees
Determine how many ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) are in your urban area by doing a simple count or inventory. First, check to see if there is a current inventory on file. If not, conduct and inventory all true ash trees, including those in all public, park, cemetery, and private lands. (How to Identify Ash)
Assess the health and condition of all ash trees on public property during the inventory.
Inform the Mayor and other elected officials of the potential effects that the loss of the community’s ash trees will have on the area and how the loss might affect the environmental health and public safety of the community.
Preemptively remove any ash trees that are in severe decline from any cause.
Select replacements from a diversity of tree species and cultivars; consider types that are not over-planted in the community.
The Division of Forestry at the Indiana DNR does not recommend planting ash tree species in Indiana at this time.
Encourage property owners whose ash trees are currently healthy to begin mixing in trees from the Ash Tree Alternative list on their property. This will ensure that there will already be established, larger trees in place if their ash trees are killed by EAB and have to be removed. This is vital because it is the maturing size of large trees that offers the community the greatest environmental benefit.
