By JIMMY LAWTON

OGDENSBURG -- The emerald ash borer is coming to Ogdensburg and has the potential decimate trees and property, but being proactive could save the city’s ash inventory and reduce substantial removal costs.

St. Lawrence County Planner John Tenbusch and Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture and Natural Resource Educator Paul Hetzler spoke to city council Monday warning that the ash borer is in Cornwall and could arrive in the city anytime.

Hetzler said once the ash borer arrives it will quickly destroy trees, making them weak and dangerous.

Since the green beetle arrived from Asia in 2002 it has destroyed 50 million trees in the United States and cost a total of $20 billion in damage.

Hetzler said he is reaching out to communities across St. Lawrence County to raise awareness of the imminent threat and discuss ways to lessen the impact physically and financially.

Hetzler said that when an ash borer damages trees they become brittle and dangerous. He said the science is unclear as to exactly why this is, but suggest that these weakened trees are dangerous.

The trees become unstable and can fall without losing branches. He said they become a greater liability during wind, snow and ice storms and have great potential to knock out power lines or damage vehicles, homes or other structures.

Hetzler said when such damage occurs it’s not always clear who is liable, but joked that often the entity found liable is the one with the deepest pockets.

Using estimates of similar sized cities, with similar ash tree inventories, Hetzler estimated the removal cost for trees destroyed by ash borers at more than $112,000.

Hetzler suggested that trees could be saved using chemical treatments. He said additional cost savings may be found if the county pools it’s resources to purchase the treatments in bulk. He also said recent studies are showing that the amount of chemicals needed to treat ash borer infestations is less than was once thought.

City Manager Sarah Purdy said she would be interested in talking about the issue and options in further detail with Hetzler.

Also speaking at the meeting was Ogdensburg resident and master gardener Donald O’Shea.

O’Shea told the council there are roughly nine trees in the city that should come down prior to the ash borers arrival, due to their age and potential hazards they pose if they were to fall.

He said that while many trees are worth saving, these trees should be taken down to avoid high removal costs and damage that they could cause in the future.

According to estimates presented at the meeting ash trees make up about 7 percent of the total shade trees in the city’s inventory, with about 140 ash trees in Ogdensburg.