That cost of about $200 a tree is reasonable, local arborists say, because Omaha is replacing its ash trees responsibly. It’s planting 19 different tree species native to the area.

This ensures that the new trees are different enough from one another to resist falling prey all at once to new pests that will inevitably arrive, said Graham Herbst of the Nebraska Forest Service.

Omaha is still treating a handful of ash trees it deems essential, including some prominent trees in the parks and on golf courses, officials say, but cutting down trees is Parks and Recreation’s new normal.

The city’s shift to cutting down trees was largely unavoidable, Herbst said. Other cities made similar decisions at this point in the emerald ash borer’s march. It’s smarter to plant trees that can survive on their own, he said.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture confirmed in June 2016 that the invasive and destructive beetle had arrived in Pulaski Park in South Omaha.

Most cities use chemical treatments to make sure that crews don’t have to remove as many ash trees at once, Herbst said. They stagger the work and costs over multiple years.