Andrew J. McMahon, director of the Massena Electric Department, said the grants will allow them to take care of the ash trees in part of Massena Parish.

“The area in our service area east of the Main Street corridor is the disadvantaged eastern half. Unfortunately, the western half of our service area did not meet the requirements,” he said.

The aim is to cut down ash trees and replace them with other trees that are not attacked by the borers.

“We qualified for the urban forestry grant through the DEC to remove ash trees where necessary, trim them and plant new trees. We went through one by one and identified the trees in all the locations where we were eligible for the grant. We documented them and submitted them to the DEC and they gave us the green light to do it,” McMahon said. “If you look around the community, the number of dead ash trees that we are dealing with right now is really remarkable.”

It’s not just the dead ash trees, though. There are also other ash trees that could be destroyed by the Emerald Ash Border and fall onto one of the MED borders or elsewhere, such as a house, vehicle, or person.

“Power reliability is an issue, but it’s also a public safety issue. The trees that are in our right-of-way and pose a threat to our lines are going to go. Either we cut them down or they fall uncontrollably and pose a hazard,” he said.

McMahon said that although they would not receive the money until later this year, they had already started cutting down ash trees.

“We are already investing money. We have already cut down some trees in the community as a preventative measure. I don’t know how much money we have spent so far because the trees absolutely had to be cut down. We couldn’t wait for the grants. Hopefully we will have the money on November 1st to really start this project. We will cut down the ash trees and replant them early next year. Hopefully we will plant trees that are not affected by invasive species,” he said.

He said they have been aware of the damage caused by the Asian ash beetle for about eight years.

“We saw the train coming. Now it’s here and I think the number of ash trees in our community is disproportionately high. We’re at a point right now, at least from my perspective, where we’re in the midst of rapid growth of these trees,” he said.

An infested ash tree is deprived of water and nutrients when adult beetles lay their eggs on the surface of the bark. Once hatched, the larvae use their flat heads to bore through the bark to feed on the tree’s tissue. As the larvae burrow through the tissue, disrupting the transport of water and nutrients, winding paths become visible.

Without adequate water and nutrient distribution, the tree becomes weaker and eventually tends to fall over. According to the Department of Environmental Conservation, most infected trees die within two to four years.

MED contributed to the $7.1 million grant that supports 23 urban forestry projects, particularly in disadvantaged communities most vulnerable to pollution and the impacts of climate change. The City of Watertown also received $400,000 for “implementation of a municipal forest management plan.”

The grants are administered through DEC’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, which aims to raise public awareness of the importance of trees and help communities create healthy forests while improving residents’ quality of life.

Funding for this grant comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service’s federal appropriation under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The USDA Forest Service awards these funds to support projects in disadvantaged communities to promote and maintain a healthy urban tree canopy and ensure equitable access to trees and the benefits they provide. The Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program awards funds for a wide range of activities, such as urban timber use, urban food forests, extreme heat mitigation, and workforce development.