As many of you in the area have experienced, and like many of the large green spaces, parks and preserve throughout the region, the Emerald Ash Borer has decimated the population of Ash Trees in the Ambler Arboretum and around the campus.
Our first priorty is safety of the Arboretum and Campus users – students, faculty, staff and visitors. The two miles of trails that run through the perimter woodlands of campus are used frequently by classes, walkers, joggers and dog walkers.
We are in the process of cutting down the dead and dying ash trees along the trails. We ask that you please adhere to posted signage requesting people to stay off the paths while an active work area or in the case of paths still needing attention. We are opening and closing trails and paths as needed and the access to these paths will change accordingly.
Many people want to know what will happen to the wood. This is a good question. We are looking into a variety of options, but for now the wood will remain in the woodlands.
An equal amount of people would like to know what the plan is for restoring the woodland to help compensate for the loss of nearly all of the Ash trees. We will assess the damage and work with faculty and staff to determine the nest course of action and proceed accordingly. You can check back here, or contact the Arboretum for more details or to volunteer your efforts to the process.
To learn more about the devestation caused by the Emeraldd Ash Borer, how it became a problem and what you can do to prevent other insects like this from becoming a problem visit the USDA Hungry Pests wesbite.
