Taxes in Ashes: The Impact of Emerald Ash Borers on Tax Budgets
This article takes a look at the impact of emerald ash borer beetles in the context of taxpayer impact. With the decimation of the ash tree population, local governments have been forced to take action at the cost of public funds, demonstrating how invasive species can cost the general public a large amount of resources out of their own pockets.
“A “wild fire” of destruction is racing through the urban forests of Ohio, forcing localities to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to remove ten of thousands of ash trees infested with the emerald ash borer. It’s a double-hit to taxpayers: first, tax money normally used to run local government is being diverted to remove infested trees from public property; second, homeowners will be paying out of their pockets for private contractors to remove ash from their private property” (Page, 2012)
“Brian Shuler, a certified arborist with Dayton-based Tree Care Inc., said the company has seen an increase in calls for the removal of ash. For the homeowner, the options are limited. “It’s getting to the point where treating (an ash with insecticide) is almost too late,” Shuler said. Homeowners “should of been treating earlier.” (Page, 2012)
“We don’t even track the man-hours of labor any more. We tried to stay on top of it,” Murphy said. He estimated that 15 year ago 50 percent of the city’s tree canopy was ash. The boom in housing in the early 2000s, however, removed a lot of the ash from private property, he said. The city is spending between $10,000 to $15,000 annually to remove and replace ash from city property and right-of-ways, according to Murphy. The Heatherwood Golf Course recently took down 110 infested trees” (Page, 2012)
“Tree Care’s Schuler said treating a mature ash could cost hundreds of dollars annually. “Homeowners are going to have to weigh the economics.” He warned a homeowner should not wait until an ash dies to remove it.
Removing a living ash can run in the hundreds of dollars, depending on the size and location, he said. A dead ash, again depending on size and location, conceivably can runs in the thousands of dollars” (Page, 2012)
The Ohio forest — rural and urban — will be changed as millions of ash die, all agree. For urban forester Van Buren, there is a small silver lining.
“It’s an opportunity to add diversity to the urban canopy. It may be the only time we can change the dynamics of the urban forest,” she said, recommending the ash be replaced by maples, oaks, honey locust, tulip, ginko, coffee trees — all that can grow into large shade trees. A diverse urban forest, to some extent, can protect a city’s canopy “from whatever comes next,” OSU’s Boggs said” (Page, 2012)
Review
Invasive species, such as the emerald ash borer, cause a range of damage that is broader than the ecosystems it impacts. To deal with these issues, many resources, including the money of taxpayers, are required to keep these issues in check, making it both an ecological and an economic issue. What is particularly interesting about this case is that financial impact has historically been a strong motivator for policymakers and public support, both of which are highly necessary to grant proper funds for combating invasive species. While other surveys and instances show a level of concern from the public in terms of measures taken against these species, large amounts of taxpayer money can be significantly more effective at convincing people that action needs to be taken.
References
Page, D. (2012, December 23). Infected ash trees cost taxpayers twice. DaytonDailyNews.com. https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/infected-ash-trees-cost-taxpayers-twice/article_2c733c8d-bb4f-5bf2-8c4b-f843892c1c8e.html
