Last week, the ash-tree-killing emerald ash borer (EAB) was found in Linn County, the 29th county in Iowa where EAB has been confirmed.
Once emerald ash borer has been identified, the insect could affect trees for the next 20 to 30 years.
Staggering EAB Statistics
Emerald ash borer made it’s first appearance in Illinois on the outskirts of Chicago in 2006. To date, it has affected 60 out of 102 counties in Illinois and killed nearly 13 million ash trees in Chicago alone.
EAB was first discovered in Michigan in 2002, killing more than 250 million ash trees in the last 13 years.
In all, emerald ash borer has affected 24 states across the United States and is expected to continue spreading.
Homeowners and city officials in Iowa need to begin treatment on ash trees now to have any hope of saving them as the beetle continues to spread.
The DNR estimates that Iowa has 3.1 million ash trees in urban areas and an additional 52 million ash trees in woodland areas.
Consider the devastating effect this could have on your community like the one pictured below.
Prioritizing Which Trees to Treat
EAB is here to stay for possibly the next 20 to 30 years which means each ash tree will need 10 to 15 treatments, one treatment every two years. Therefore, it’s important to prioritize which trees to treat and which trees to remove.
We can help homeowners identify ash trees, make a plan for which ones should be treated or removed, and provide effective treatments to save ash trees.
Generally, it is most cost effective to remove smaller ash trees and treat the more mature trees.
Ash Tree Treatments
It’s best to treat ash trees before they become infested or in the earliest stages of an infestation.
We can treat ash trees in the spring, once the tree begins to bud.
We use a proven and effective product called Tree-Age, an insecticide developed by Aborjet that is currently being used across the country to treat emerald ash borer. It is applied by drilling small holes in the trunk of the tree and injecting the insecticide into the vascular system.
Please give us a call at Toll Free (877) 220-4404 to set up an appointment for Ash Tree diagnosis and Emerald Ash Borer treatments.
