Ellsworth staff propose $100,000 to protect city trees from emerald ash borer; council weighs smaller option

A city presenter outlined a proposed $100,000 integrated pest‑management plan to begin monitoring and selectively treating high‑value public trees against the emerald ash borer.

The presenter said the request would fund data collection this summer and fall, a plan to prioritize trees worth saving, and targeted removals of high‑risk trees while costs remain relatively low. “If we choose to do nothing and we wait two or three years and the emerald ash borer infestation is allowed to go unchecked, we’ll incur way more than $100,000 annually in cost to remove publicly owned trees,” the presenter said.

Councilors pressed staff on evidence of local infestation: they noted a state 2026 survey showing no detection in Ellsworth and neighboring towns, and staff said the beetle can be present up to two years before visible crown dieback, so absence of visible symptoms does not guarantee absence of the pest. Staff also said the city has geolocated roughly 511 city‑core ash trees that would be candidates for assessment.

Members discussed complementary tactics including a volunteer tagging program (the state will train volunteers for free), public outreach on prohibiting firewood movement, and biological-control programs that the state is leading; staff said parasitic wasps are not municipally purchasable at scale and would take years to establish an effective population.

Some councilors suggested scaling the request (for example, to $50,000 initially) while ramping up public outreach and grant fundraising. No final appropriation was made; staff said they would return with more detailed outreach and funding options ahead of the final budget vote.