What's a park without trees?

Just what happened to all those trees in the City Park? Blame it on a troublesome bug. 

The fast growing ash is an excellent ornamental tree and at one time was the tree of choice in parks and along streets. The 17 ash trees planted at Ogden City Park were thriving until a beetle originating from Asia, made its way here.

The invasive emerald ash borer beetle has killed millions of ash trees and as of April 2014, infestations were known to be present in 22 states, including Iowa.

Due to its presence in Boone County, the Ogden Parks Committee was forced to evaluate the ash population at the City Park. They found some of the trees were already showing signs of damage.

For the complete story, see this week's issue of The Ogden Reporter.