Why Were Trees Cut Down at Veterans Park?

Veterans Park lagoon clearcut to fight emerald ash borer. Photo taken Oct. 8, 2024 by Graham Kilmer.

The effects of the Emerald Ash Borer are currently on full display in Veterans Park.

Along the southeast bank of the lagoon a huge swath of trees, shrubs and other plants have been mowed down. The clearcutting was performed to remove a large stand of dead trees, according to Milwaukee County Parks.

The little bug arrived in North America about two decades ago and has already destroyed an estimated 15 million trees in urban and forested areas in the U.S. and Canada. That includes thousands of trees across Milwaukee County. Most of the trees cleared out of Veterans Park were dead ash trees.

The contractor, TNT Tree Service, cleared approximately 2.7 acres of trees and vegetation using forestry mowing, leaving a bed of tree and plant material slashings that should curb the growth of invasive species, a spokesperson for Parks said. The work also cleared out invasives like buckthorn, honeysuckle, and boxelders, according to Peter Bratt, parks director of operations and skilled trades.

The trees were cleared right up to the edge of the lagoon, and in some cases were toppled over into it. The lagoon was created more than 100 years ago as part of a massive shoreline filling project that created McKinley and Bradford Beaches, Lincoln Memorial Drive and the beginnings of what is today Veterans Park.

Veterans Park is only the latest to suffer a significant — and sudden — loss of trees to the ash borer. Since 2012, Parks has removed more than 25,000 trees from the parks system. The department is working to remove all ash trees in the system by 2030. So far in 2024, Parks has targeted large stands of Ash trees for removal in Greenfield Golf Course, Madison Park, Greene Park, and Cooper Park, according to Bratt.

The department tries to maintain its forested areas, planting as many new trees as it has funding and staff for, but regularly removes more trees than it can plant in a given year. The department recently expanded its partnership with Milwaukee Riverkeeper and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District  to include tree planting efforts. It will also expand its forestry team this year with a $1.5 million federal grant funded through the federal Inflation Reduction Act.

Project Site Map

Tree Removal Around Veterans Park Lagoon

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