Bangor reviews Emerald Ash Borer response plan: treatment, removals and a cost-benefit case

Sofia ("Sophie") Cameron, who worked with the city through the University of Maine, presented a completed Emerald Ash Borer Response Plan to the Bangor City Infrastructure Committee Monday, recommending a mix of targeted chemical treatments and prioritized removals to protect public safety and retain urban canopy.

Cameron said the city’s tree inventory identified 8,574 municipal (public) urban trees and 1,854 ash trees — about 20 percent of the city’s urban canopy. Because ash has a high susceptibility to emerald ash borer (EAB) and an expected mortality rate near 98 percent absent intervention, the plan sets a multi-year treatment, removal and replacement approach focused on public safety and canopy resilience.

The inventory and plan matter because many of Bangor’s ash trees are mature and located in high‑use areas; Cameron warned that infested ash becomes brittle and can fail without storm conditions, creating risk to people and property. She said EAB has been detected in neighboring areas, that the city’s work so far has…