Ash trees are declining throughout Kansas City — and in our neighborhood — as a result of the invasive emerald ash borer beetle. Healthy trees that weren’t treated with systemic insecticide this year probably won’t live more than a few years. City Forester Kevin Lapointe estimates that many ash trees will be 70-80 percent dead by next summer. Several streets in the Ward Parkway Homes Association are heavily planted with ash trees and will be significantly impacted.
KCMO plans to remove more city-owned ash trees in poor, critical and dead condition this fall and winter. Lapointe has confirmed that there are currently 48 ash street trees slated for removal in our neighborhood between late November 2017 and March 2018. The majority of them are located on the following streets:
Expect to see notification via door hangers a few weeks before any tree is scheduled for removal. Trees that are removed will ultimately be replaced — at no cost to the homeowner — with small specimens from an approved list.
The City of Kansas City, Missouri, has affixed a metal tag with a number on each ash street tree in our neighborhood to keep track of the tree’s condition. Look for tags at eye level facing the street.
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