Former parks superintendent warns Vigo County of dangerous dead ash trees along county roads

Keith Ruble, a retired Vigo County park superintendent and longtime forestry consultant, told the Vigo County Board of Commissioners that emerald ash borer‑killed trees lining county roads pose an immediate safety hazard.

Ruble said he met with a commissioner and with Bob Bruner, a Purdue University entomologist who specializes in emerald ash borer and invasive species, and described the roadside trees as “widowmakers” that are prone to falling onto roadways. He pointed to multiple sites in the county — including south of Carlisle and near the county garage — and offered a photograph to the commissioners showing several dead ash trees he said were ready to fall.

"Every time you go up with some of these county roads, you're taking your life in your hand right now because these trees are so dead," Ruble said during the public‑comment period. He described the different ash species present and said the trees' root systems fail as they die, leaving large trees likely to fall.

Commissioners acknowledged the scale of the problem and said the county highway department may not be able to respond alone, given other scheduled work. One commissioner said the matter had been discussed previously and that additional action beyond routine highway department work may be required.

Ruble offered to advise the county on identifying and removing hazardous ash trees. The board did not take formal action during the meeting; the concerns were raised during public comment for commissioners' follow‑up.

Ending: Commissioners indicated they will consider how to address hazardous roadside trees and may engage additional resources beyond the highway department to respond; no timeline or specific directive was recorded during the meeting.