Baston Park Announcement

We are devastated to announce that the ash trees in Baston Park on Rt 9 bordering the Royal River have been heavily infested by the Emerald Ash Borer. The emerald ash borer (EAB) is a highly invasive small wood-boring beetle from Asia. EAB attacks our native ash trees (not mountain ash) in large numbers, tunneling through the conductive tissue and cutting off the flow of water and nutrients - killing the trees in three to five years.

 

For public safety, every ash tree in Baston Park must be cut down as they are dying and cannot be saved. Sadly, that means that the majority of trees in the park will soon be gone and the park will look vastly different.

 

The Maine Forest Service has recommended that the wood should not be used for firewood but it can be chipped and brought to a biomass facility for energy generation. N Yarmouth Public Works will be cutting and chipping the trees.

 

Baston Park will be closed while the wood is being processed.

 

Seeds from the flowering trees will be collected by Royal River Conservation Trust and shared with The Wild Seed Project to be planted in the future.

 

The Parks Committee is investigating options for planting new trees in the park and will monitor all our town parks for signs of infestation. We recommend that everyone who has ash trees on their property check for signs of the EAB. If caught early enough, the trees can be treated.

 

For information on identification of ash trees and details about the EAB, please visit: