Ashland University campus looks vastly different from how it did a semester go. Between 30 and 40 Ash trees were taken down over the summer break. The Emerald Ash Borer, which of been progressively killing off numerous trees on Ashland University’s campus, had finally taking it’s toll. Vice President for Facilities Management and Planning, Rick Ewing said that the removal of the trees was absolutely necessary. “A dead tree is nothing but a risk,” Ewing said.

The removal of these trees was not a small project. In fact, Ewing estimated $20-$30,000 was spent on their removal. He also mentioned that a difficult task was made even more so by the constant rain through the month of June. The process which involved cutting, hauling away, grinding stumps, and then reconditioning the space has left AU’s campus looking ravaged and bare. Heather Talkington, a senior at AU said, “I have a hard time believing that this will be appealing to incoming students. Especially with how the city looks too.”

Unfortunately the cutting might not be done yet. There are some massive pines in the front lawn that has Ewing concerned. He said that his department is making a conscious effort to maintain those trees. “I’m not a tree hugger but I hate to cut down trees.” Ewing said of the ancient pines. He also mentioned that those particular trees might have been here since the college was founded.

The main reason that Ewing gave for the removal was campus safety. Considering the foot traffic on the front lawn and the quad they were high risk areas. He said, “In an area with so many pedestrians you have to manage the risks.” Ewing also mentioned that while the trees had to go for safety reasons their absence was also conducive to other maintenance activities on campus. A main water line was replaced along the Founders side of the quad a project that would have been much more complex if all those had still been there.

Going forward Ewing is working to develop a plan to plant more trees. He hopes to plant them in a way that makes sense for the areas they would be used on campus. “I hope that Ashland can find a way to renew the atmosphere that the trees brought to the campus,” said AU senior Cameron Ressel.