Well-known for its beautiful and robust landscape, Ball State has started the summer of 2012 with the hopes of preserving that title.
Michael Planton, associate director for Landscape and Environmental Management, said the university has began replacing and maintaining approximately 750 ash trees on campus.
"These trees are infected with emerald ash borer and we can't afford to chemically treat them every year," Planton said. "Not only buying the chemical, but the man power."
Emerald ash borer is a beetle native to Asia, and is species of insect that causes devastation to ash trees.
The invasive insect was first found in Indiana in 2004 and in Delaware County in 2009.
The infestation causes the tree to die within 1-3 years.
So far, Planton and his team have removed 100 ash trees from campus, from areas such as the parking lots north of Worthen Arena and west of the commuter lot located on Bethel Avenue.
The infected trees are being eliminated and replaced with new species varieties while nearly 300 more are being chemically treated, Planton said.
"We still have to make decisions on whether we can treat them or take them down," Planton said. "We're going to basically be changing the urban forest on campus over the next couple of years."
Tree removal on this scale is taking place all over campus, with trees having already been removed from Scheidler Apartments and plans to remove trees near Cooper Science Complex next week, Planton said.
Once the infected trees are removed, the actual wood does not leave campus. Instead, the wood is taken to the Facilities Planning and Management farm and is ran through a grinder and turned into compost.
The only problems that occur with infested ash is when the wood is taken into an uninfected area.
Planton said the university's landscape is more than just planting trees and letting them go. Removing trees after a certain amount of time is just part of the process.
"You're going to get about 20-25 years out of a tree then you're going to have to replace it," Planton said. "That's just the way life is."
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