Improving the EAB cost calculator to address variable rates of mortality and changing management scenarios

The arrival of the emerald ash borer in the US threatens the health of ash trees and the ecosystem services they provide to cities. Although managers have a number of treatment options that can save ash trees, their expense limits the number of trees that can be saved. For this reason, managers with tight budgets need tools to compare projected costs and benefits of implementing management plans that integrate the options of tree removal, replacement and treatment. After two years of use in 22 states, we received numerous suggestions on how to improve our web based cost calculator to make it more useful to city managers making decisions about emerald ash borer. The improved EAB cost calculator is designed to help foresters use information about existing levels of tree mortality to more accurately predict future costs of EAB as the infestation wave moves through a city. We also improved graphic capacity to make it easier to compare the resulting forest sizes over time.