"Plant pests and diseases are being combated all over the world." Rostov environmental activists have filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office regarding tree felling.

The leaders of the public organization "Green Union" are brothers Novel и Vladimir Milchenko complained to the regional prosecutor's office for the environmental prosecutor Vladimir Pustovarov and the city administration for cutting down all the ash trees in Rostov-on-Don. 

"The entire world isn't talking about completely replacing this plant species; pests and plant diseases are being combated everywhere. Are we going to destroy all the greenery in the city based on the obvious corrupt collusion of the director of the SFedU Botanical Garden with various government agencies?!" the appeal reads.

They believe the complete logging of ash trees on 433 hectares "is corrupt in nature, intended to allocate land" where the ash trees grow for development. They also claim the basis for the logging was merely "the personal opinion of the director of the Southern Federal University Botanical Garden, which does not constitute an expert opinion."

Earlier in Rostov-on-Don, Bryansk and other cities, ash trees were cleared after the trees were attacked by the emerald ash borer. Local authorities stated that the only way to combat the pest was to completely destroy the trees. 

The Milchenko brothers disagree with this: they cite the experience of Saratov, where pheromone traps were used to control insects, and the trees were injected with a special solution inside their trunks that could protect them for three years. During this time, the trees secrete protective resins and "seal" the larval tunnels. 

There are other methods, ecologists say: for example, releasing natural enemies of the emerald ash borer into infestation areas.