Scotts Mills Plants for Future, Fights Beetle

Kids enjoy Butte Creek’s waterfall at Scotts Mills Park, a scene threatened by the emerald ash borer.

SCOTTS MILLS, Ore. — A quiet battle is unfolding at Scotts Mills Park along Butte Creek in Marion County. The emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle from East Asia, threatens the park’s ash trees. But a determined group of volunteers is fighting back, planting 500 new trees to blunt the pest’s impact.

Led by Marion County Parks Supervisor Kevin Thompson, more than 40 locals gathered recently to take action. Among them was Markie Hess of the Pudding River Watershed Council. Their goal: outpace the beetle’s destructive spread.

Beetle’s Relentless March

The emerald ash borer, with its shimmering green shell, has ravaged ash trees across North America since the 1990s. By 2025, it has invaded 37 states, landing in Oregon’s Washington County in 2022. “They found a big population in public parks there,” Hess said. “Around here, it’s mostly private land, but Butte Creek has a lot of ash.”

a penny is often used to demonstrate the size of the emerald ash borer (EAB). The adult emerald ash borer is a small, metallic green beetle that typically measures between 0.3 and 0.5 inches long (about 7.5 to 13.5 millimeters)

The beetle’s larvae bore into trees, killing them in three to 10 years. Hess has seen it firsthand. “I found an infestation on my parents’ property, near another major one,” she said. It spreads 10 to 20 miles on its own, but human activity—moving firewood or furniture—speeds it up.

Markie Hess details the emerald ash borer’s spread along Butte Creek and its signs on the Oregon Ash Tree.

A Proactive Defense

Thompson refuses to wait for the inevitable. “We’re holding a volunteer planting event, partly to tackle the emerald ash borer,” he said. With ash trees lining the park, the team planted 500 resistant species to replace shade and habitat. “We’re getting ahead of the die-off,” he said, eyeing the decade-long window.

The effort drew a crowd. “Almost 40 people showed up this morning,” Thompson noted. They stayed on pace to plant all 500 trees. Hess called the turnout “really great.”

Kevin Thompson explains the planting push to outpace the emerald ash borer at Scotts Mills Park.

Stakes Along the Creek

Ash trees are vital to Scotts Mills Park and Butte Creek, a Pudding River tributary. Their loss could disrupt wildlife and leave costly hazards. The new trees aim to soften that blow, preserving the park’s essence.

Voices of Hope

Hess pointed to human error. “It’s crossing the Rockies in firewood, furniture—you name it,” she said.

A Stand for the Future

The emerald ash borer casts a shadow over Scotts Mills. But 500 new saplings signal resilience. With Thompson, Hess, and their volunteer crew, the park is adapting—one tree at a time.

A new sapling takes root along Butte Creek, part of 500 planted to defy the beetle’s threat.

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