Clark Nature Center Trails Closed 'Indefinitely' Due To Emerald Ash Borer Infestation

NEWTOWN, PA — The walking trails at Clark Nature Center have been closed indefinitely due to an infestation of the tree-killing Emerald Ash Borer. The amount of trees that will need to be removed before a reopening is "massive," township Manager Kurt Ferguson told Patch.

"The park will be closed indefinitely," Ferguson said via email.

The closure was put into place Friday, June 9.

Ferguson said about 80 percent of the trees in the Clark Nature Center area are ash trees. "We are talking about at least 1,000 trees maybe more," he said. To mediate the problem, "we are likely talking about a total cost into the high hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Most of the ash trees immediately adjacent to the open space have been cleared, Ferguson said.

"We will be able to have programming in that open space, but the rest of the park will be closed for the foreseeable future," Ferguson said.

Township officials are anticipating a report from an arborist within the next week. The issue will be discussed at an upcoming Board of Supervisors meeting.

In the meantime, authorities ask that people not bypass barricades to access the trails.

The emerald ash borer is an exotic beetle that was first discovered in southeastern Michigan in the summer of 2002. It has since been found in 25 states and killed tens of millions of ash trees.

The insect likely arrived in the United States on solid wood packing material carried in cargo ships or airplanes originating in its native Asia, according to experts. The adult emerald ash borer is a metallic green insect about one-half inch long and one-eighth inch wide making it hard to detect in the wild, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture explains on its website.

"The female beetles lay eggs on the bark of ash trees. The eggs hatch and the larvae bore into the bark to the fluid-conducting vessels underneath.

The larvae feed and develop, cutting off the flow of nutrients and, eventually killing the tree.

PHOTO: EAB via N.J. Department of Agriculture website.