Over the past year, Lebanon Parks Department employees removed nearly 90 trees throughout the city’s parks. Many fell victim to the Emerald ash borer, others died of their own accord, and most were purged from Memorial Park.
Donated by the Lebanon Park Foundation through a grant, Parks Department Director John Messenger said 50 trees have now replaced many that were razed. Messenger said while landscape items like mulch, weed killer and the like make the department’s budget each year, funds for trees do not.
“We really look for donations and the Lebanon Park Foundation does a great job of helping out when we need to purchase trees,” Messenger said. “We also get several memorial trees each year from those donating trees in loved one's names.”
Memorial trees typically cost $125 to $175 and the addition of a plaque adds between $50 to $75. Messenger said the parks grant came in at $6,500.
Lebanon Parks Superintendent Todd Janssen said his crew planted tulip poplar, redwood, white oak, red oak, and sweet gum trees. The trees, ranging in circumference from 2-inches to 4-inches, were located strategically around Memorial Park.
Janssen also said a couple of willow trees have been chosen to be placed at the Hot Pond Park on Noble Street.
Nearly 85 percent of the 90 razed park department trees fell victim to the Emerald ash borer. Native to northeast Asia, the jewel beetle wreaked havoc on the city’s numerous ash trees.
The beetle’s been found in over 30 states, mostly in the east, south and Midwest. Damage estimates for municipalities, property owners, nursery operators and forest products industries in those states range into the hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the emeraldashborer.info website.