How important are ash trees to Madison and Wisconsin?
About 30% of Wisconsins and 20% of Madisons street trees are ash. In Madison, that adds up to about 20,000 ash trees. The ash species was heavily planted after Dutch Elm Disease swept the city. Ash was so popular within urban areas because they could withstand all urban types of conditions such as clay soils, road salt accumulation, and air pollution. Many varieties of ash such as ‘Marshall Seedless’ green ash and ‘Autumn Purple’ ash were all originated at the U.W. -Madison in plant research and selection. The loss of these trees would be devastating to many communities and prohibitively expensive to remove and replace. There are also approximately 717 million ash trees in Wisconsins forests. Ash serves as an important species in Wisconsins northern and southern forests and is a key component of forests growing in wet areas including swamps and along river ways. What is being done about EAB? There is a national effort to limit the spread and impact of EAB. A national plan, coordinated
