The Emerald Ash Borer has been confirmed in Dallas County and it’s likely only a matter of time before the infestation spreads to Perry.
The City is working to be proactive and do what they can to prevent the complete wipeout of ash trees in town. There are more than 700 ash trees in the parking area between the sidewalk and the curb in Perry alone. The cost to treat all of them is not feasible so right now they’re working on both prioritizing the trees and increasing public awareness about the issue.
“We’ve got some tape, it kind of looks like caution tape, and it says “ash tree” on it. So we’re going to run through Willis and 1st Street and we’re going to put tape on every ash tree that’s out in the parking area. So everybody when they drive down the street and they see this tape they’re going to want to know what it’s about because a lot of people can’t identify an ash tree.”
That’s Public Works Director Jack Butler who says the goal is to have all of the trees labeled before the 4th of July. The hope is that those who have an ash tree in front of their home that is of significance to them, consider treating it to help prevent infestation of the bug.
The Perry City Council approved the initial treatment cost for 12 trees at their meeting Monday for a total of $2,835.