The devastation caused by an insect called the emerald ash borer is prompting Fort Dodge officials to take a more aggressive approach to dead and dying trees that may become dangerous.

The emerald ash borer is a tiny insect that burrows into ash trees and eventually kills them. It began moving into Iowa about a decade ago.

To deal with the expected problem, in 2014 the city began cutting down all the ash trees in public rights-of-way, parks and Lakeside Municipal Golf Course. Kevin Lunn, the city’s parks and forestry superintendent, told the City Council Monday that there were 2,463 ash trees on public property when the removal effort began. Now, he said, there are about 425 left.

However, there are an estimated 4,000 ash trees on private property in the city. Lunn said those trees will be killed by the emerald ash borer unless they receive preventive treatments.

“Once they die, they become very dangerous and have to be removed very quickly,” City Manager David Fierke said following the council meeting. “They dry out and they fall.”

“We’re expecting a lot of dead trees,” he added.

To deal with that potential Fierke and the city staff introduced a plan to the council which he said will allow a quicker response to dead or dying trees that have become dangerous. The proposal amends the existing city law on dangerous trees.

First, the proposal eliminates the need to have the City Council meet to order the removal of a dangerous tree. The city staff would have the power to do that under the proposal.

The proposal also gives the city staff the authority to determine a time frame a property owner would have to remove a dead or dying tree.

“We’ll give them a time frame to get it done,” Lunn said.

The proposal gives the city crews the power to go onto private property to remove a tree that poses an imminent danger.

Fierke said that power would be used if a tree was leaning over or was split open.

Fieke said city workers will not be driving around the community looking for dead or dying trees on private property. He said action on dangerous trees will usually be the result of complaints filed by residents.

The City Council on Monday unanimously approved the first of three readings on the new tree rules.