(Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Studies show temperatures of -30°F will kill 98% of ash borer beetle larvae. Guess when Chicago was last that cold.

Several communities have raised funds to treat their neighborhood ash trees. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
,

During Thursday’s City Council meeting, alderpeople introduced a resolution calling for the Department of Streets and Sanitation to reinstate treatment of the city’s remaining parkway ash trees — numbering close to 50,000 — and also develop a systematic program for removing and replacing infested trees.

"Green Lady" in Jackson Park is the latest sculpture to breathe new life into one of Chicago's dead ash trees. (Chicago Sculpture International)
,

Since 2014, the Chicago Tree Project has commissioned more than two dozen sculptures across the city, bringing new life to dead ash trees. The latest is a work by artist Gary Keenan.

The mayor announced Thursday the city's Bureau of Forestry would plant 3,000 new trees this year. (Streets and Sanitation Department)

Amid public outcry over police oversight, rising crime and uncertainty surrounding the cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools, Mayor Rahm Emanuel had some good news for city residents on Thursday.

Less than half of the plant life found in the Chicago region is native to the area. As the Morton Arboretum's tree improvement specialist, it's Joe Rothleutner's job to make sure those native plants are protected.

In recent years, pileated woodpeckers have been noticed more frequently in areas closer to Chicago, an urban setting they generally avoid. (Joshlaymon / Wikimedia Commons)

Recent news coverage has suggested a spike in pileated woodpecker sightings in the western suburbs may be linked to the emerald ash borer. But according to at least two wildlife experts, it probably has more to do with the restoration of local habitat.

We see how the city is taking care of Ash trees hit by the Emerald Ash borer.

The City of Chicago says it now has a greener and more cost-effective way to treat ash trees infested by the destructive Emerald Ash Borer. City crews are inoculating the trees. Officials say the treatment will spare tens of thousands of trees from being cut down, and saves $1,000 per tree in removal costs. We look at how effective the treatment is. Read an article.

We learn winter gardening tips, and why now is the best time to look for signs of the Emerald Ash Borer, from Chicago Botanic Garden's Eliza Fournier.

The emerald ash borer is devastating ash trees in the area. We meet some researchers who are trying to understand the tiny green bug well enough to find an ash tree that can co-exist with this pervasive pest.