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Davenport Public Works to cut down Emerald Ash Borer infested trees

The city plans to replace the trees with a different species of tree sometime in April.

DAVENPORT, Iowa-- Public Works crews are working to cut down more than 100 Ash trees near west Davenport along Shawnee and Spring Green drives.

All of the Ash trees in that area are infested with Emerald Ash Borers, little green bugs that slowly kill the trees over time. Right now, crews are getting rid of 56 trees and plan to cut down the rest later. The goal is to get rid of 106 trees in the area by this summer or fall.

This is a problem Davenport has been working to solve for years, originally setting up a plan to get rid of about 3,800 Ash trees in the city, a project with an estimated $1 million price tag.

"Ash trees are essentially doomed, we won't be able to plant Ash because the Emerald Ash Borer has infested the trees out in that neighborhood. They haven't shown signs of decline yet but they will in the coming years for the ones that we haven't removed,"says City Arborist, Chris Johnson.

The city plans to replace the trees with a different species of tree sometime in April, after sidewalks in the area are repaired in March.

Residents can call Davenport Public Works to put in a request for what kinds of trees they want to see next in their neighborhood.

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