Glen Cove to replace beetle-infested ash trees

Glen Cove will replace ash trees damaged by the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle from Asia that has destroyed tens of millions of trees across North America, city officials said.

The city will use more than $25,000 in state grants to replace the ash trees with another plant species. New York State is distributing $7.1 million for initiatives that boost forest resiliency in disadvantaged communities.

The city's public workers discovered the dying ash trees during routine inspections of Glen Cove, officials said.

Ash trees should be removed as soon as an infestation is spotted, said Eric North, a program manager of urban and community forestry for the Arbor Day Foundation.

"We remove ash trees now because once they're infested with emerald ash borer, they can become dangerous as they start to fall apart," North said.

Glen Cove Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck said that "dead and rotting trees are dangerous to cars driving by, pedestrians and homes."

The initiative is "helping us to take care of a problem and alleviating some of the cost to us," Panzenbeck said.

The emerald ash borer is in nearly every New York county, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The metallic-green beetle lays its eggs on the tree bark before its larvae chew into the living tissue beneath that layer. 

Distinctive D-shaped exit holes are left in the bark, while the leaves on an infested tree can turn yellow and brown.

Ash trees are key to the environment as they work to cool temperatures and improve air quality. When replacing the trees, municipalities should plant a diversity of species so the forests can better withstand pests and extreme weather, experts said. There have been emerald ash borer infestations in 36 states across the country, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"Mitigating the future risk is planting a diversity of tree species," North said.

The initiative is "improving air quality, reducing extreme heat, and providing many other benefits for New Yorkers," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement announcing the funding. The state is using money from the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

Panzenbeck said the trees will be replaced on multiple streets, including Highland Road, Fairmont Place, Lounga Lane and the Landing Road area.

She did not say when the ash trees would be replaced and with what plant species.

Smithtown officials have removed infested ash trees in Kings Park, Nesconset and Commack, town officials said in 2021. Smithtown officials first discovered infestations on trees outside of a St. James man's house. Then they found other clusters through town, officials said at the time.

Town officials have been surveying streets for damaged trees and have removed 56 in recent years, officials said on Tuesday.

Many of the ash trees are showing sign of damage. While officials try pruning trees to extend their lives, "some are far too gone," said David Barnes, the town's environmental protection director for the Department of Environment and Waterways.

If a street tree is removed in Smithtown, a resident can ask the town to plant a new tree there. 

Emerald ash borers were first detected in North America in 2002, in southeast Michigan, according to the USDA.

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ