We share and appreciate your care for the park.
After many inquiries, HPF contacted the County about all the trees that were cut down late winter. Most of the trees that were cut were infected by Emerald Ash Borer and were cut in an effort to remove the hazardous trees from the public spaces before they become critical and fail. Some were cut due to their age and to protect park users and wildlife.
Humboldt Park Friends replants trees every year at our Tree Day event in the fall. We are also launching a fundraising effort this summer to raise enough money to plant 100 trees in the park. Please consider following Humboldt Park Friends by subscribing to our email list and becoming a member to support our efforts.
The full response from the County is below;
“As you are likely aware Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive pest which was 1st detected in the upper Midwest about 17 years ago. It was confirmed in Oak Creek, Wisconsin in 2009. Once the trees are infested with E.A.B. they decline, become brittle and create a hazard to the public
Since 2011 we at the Parks Forestry division have been battling to keep up with over 1600 removals per year. This is about 4 times our normal tree removal workload before EAB. People have compared the net effect as the equivalent of a slow hurricane. Michigan has lost millions of trees. Wisconsin will as well. Humboldt Park is an example of where we have made a push to remove the hazardous trees from the public spaces before they become critical and fail.
We will stay diligent in identifying potentially hazardous Ash and other species in order to remove them from high use areas through the county parks. When we remove such trees we are always cognizant of the need to replenish the forest with new trees.
As we conclude this winters removal, we will complete the stump grinding. With help from the unit staff, the stump grindings will be cleaned up and top dressed with soil and grass seed. When and where feasible we plan to replant many of the areas impacted by this invasive pest. With regard to removal sites and replacement species, we will look at Humboldt this spring/summer to determine the best approach. When planting we consider species diversity, park use & function, stock availability, soil/urban/salt tolerance, mature size, mowing/maintenance, and aesthetics. The best time for planting occurs in Spring and Fall.
On the positive side, we have been planting @ Humboldt during the annual tree day event organized by the friend’s group in October for the past 15-20 years. This proactive planting program of adding several trees per year has created a staggered age population of trees which mimics the natural process and reduces the harsh impact of removing so many trees at once.
Thanks for your interest, I hope this addresses some of the concerns that you and others may have.
Sincerely,
Gregg Collins
Milwaukee County Department of Parks, Recreation & Culture