Full Text of SR0083 098th General Assembly
SR0083 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | SR0083 | | LRB098 08383 MST 38488 r |
|
| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois comprises part of the | 3 | | largest urban landscape market in
the country with more than 4 | 4 | | million urban ash trees; Illinois' tree canopy now faces a | 5 | | crisis
due to the Emerald Ash Borer, and that will lead to a | 6 | | financial crisis for the State and its many
municipalities; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Mature trees provide homeowners and | 8 | | municipalities tremendous
environmental and economic benefits; | 9 | | trees reduce energy costs in the summer, play a role
in | 10 | | rainwater management, and filter air; trees represent a | 11 | | quantifiable value to homeowners; conservatively 5 percent of a | 12 | | home's value is attributable to the trees on its property; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois is now infested with the | 14 | | invasive species known as
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB); most all | 15 | | urban ash trees in the State of Illinois will be exposed
to EAB | 16 | | in the next 5 years and every ash tree not treated will expire | 17 | | shortly thereafter;
and | 18 | | WHEREAS, The average cost of tree removal and replacement | 19 | | in the State of Illinois is
approximately $1,000; this crisis | 20 | | will cost the State and its villages, towns, and cities $3
| 21 | | billion to $4 billion over the next several years; and |
| | | SR0083 | - 2 - | LRB098 08383 MST 38488 r |
|
| 1 | | WHEREAS, Trees can be treated for a fraction of the cost of | 2 | | removal and replacement; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois needs to update its | 4 | | understanding of the science of treating
EAB, as integrated | 5 | | management of EAB has evolved and improved greatly in the past | 6 | | 5 years; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Leading academic researchers from The University | 8 | | of Illinois, Michigan State
University, Purdue University and | 9 | | Ohio State have found insecticide treatment methods to
be | 10 | | effective, and one treatment method to be extremely effective | 11 | | at preserving ash trees; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, The Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA), the | 13 | | prestigious professional organization of practicing arborists, | 14 | | published in May 2012 its latest findings and recommendations | 15 | | on the management of the Emerald Ash Borer; the SMA paper warns | 16 | | municipalities of a "financial tsunami" if they are not | 17 | | proactive and develop an EAB management paper; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, The SMA found that the 2 extremes of removing | 19 | | trees and doing nothing is neither practical nor prudent; | 20 | | removing trees is not financially viable for many | 21 | | municipalities and does great harm to home values; doing | 22 | | nothing puts people and property at great risk as dead trees |
| | | SR0083 | - 3 - | LRB098 08383 MST 38488 r |
|
| 1 | | will come crashing down in an unpredictable fashion; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The SMA found that an integrated approach that | 3 | | utilizes treatment along with the removal of low-grade ash | 4 | | trees is the best management option; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, The International Society Arboriculture, the | 6 | | premier tree care organization in the world, supports the | 7 | | findings and recommendations of the SMA that advocates | 8 | | conservation of the urban ash canopy as the most prudent and | 9 | | practical management option; therefore, be it
| 10 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL | 11 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge every village, | 12 | | town, and city within the State of Illinois to reevaluate its | 13 | | EAB management plan in light of the latest facts and | 14 | | recommendations presented by the leading experts in the spring | 15 | | of 2012; specifically, municipalities should spend the little | 16 | | time required to evaluate EAB management options over a 20-year | 17 | | period utilizing readily available and online economic models | 18 | | from either University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point or Purdue | 19 | | University; and be it further
| 20 | | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Agriculture | 21 | | should publicly communicate and include on its website | 22 | | http://www.agr.state.il.us the 2012 EAB Management approach |
| | | SR0083 | - 4 - | LRB098 08383 MST 38488 r |
|
| 1 | | and explain the financial and environmental benefits to | 2 | | municipalities, citizens, and homeowners of that same | 3 | | approach.
|
|