Save Your Ash! is a collaborative campaign aimed at educating the Greater Grand Rapids community and West Michigan about immediate threats to the Ash Trees in our urban forests.
Issue – Our Ash Trees Are Under Attack!
Over 40,000 ash trees in Grand Rapids are under attack from the Emerald Ash Borer. That means we could lose up to 15% of all our trees in Grand Rapids, to a beetle from Asia discovered just six years ago. Scientists have had little time to study and understand the possible solutions to this problem. In the meantime, the Emerald Ash Borer, can kill a tree in 1 – 5 years. Time is our enemy and there are tough decisions to make, but you may be able to Save Your Ash!
Want to know more? Not sure if you have an ash tree on your property? We can help. Scroll down to review the resources available on this web page.
Click the link below to a news video and learn more about WMEAC's campaign to Save Your Ash! Thanks to WZZM 13 for helping raise awareness about this issue.
New 2009 research on controlling the emerald ash borer at Michigan State University is discussed in the video below.
Upcoming Events
You can help your neighborhood to Save Your Ash! Please volunteer and be part of the solution.
How can you help? Join WMEAC as a neighborhood Ash Advocate in 2008 and 2009, and learn how to teach others to save ash trees in your neighborhood.
A great percentage of ash trees are on private property. Homeowners may be unsure of the options available to prevent or treat an infestation.
This is why we need you! Please help by learning how to educate your neighbors, friends, faith communities, and others about what they can do to take action to Save Your Ash. Learn how to be an effective Save Your Ash leader in your community. Attend one of WMEAC's FREE trainings.
We need your help to get the word out about steps everyone can take to protect our precious urban canopy from the ash borer. Please help us with a small amount of your time, before our ash trees are gone. We will train you how to do outreach activities such as hosting an informational house party, going door to door handing out fliers, or identifying and wrapping ash trees. Please join us!
Learn more about how you can educate your neighborhood; call WMEAC at 616-451-3051 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .
WMEAC offices are at 1007 Lake Drive SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan (intersection of Lake Drive and Diamond).
Thank you for being part of the solution!
Save Your Ash! Public Forum was a resounding success
Tue, April 15, 2008 - 9:00pm
The Save Your Ash! public forum of April 15th was a success. Around 90 people attended.
A diverse group of speakers shared a variety of views and perspectives about your opportunities to prevent disease and/or removal of your Ash Tree(s).
Speakers included:
Deb McCullough, MSU's National Ash Tree Expert
Greg Sundstrom, City of Grand Rapids
Vic Foerster, West Michigan Tree Services
Brian Hiemstra, Bartlett Tree Services
Please check this site often for the most current information on action to save our ash trees.
