Emerald Ash Borer

We have seven Ash trees in our yard. How many do you have?
With all the news about the Emerald Ash Borer, I've started to become increasingly concerned about the health and cost of maintaining or removing our Ash trees.

The Emerald Ash Borer has arrived in Minnesota - the St Anthony area of St Paul, Hwy 280/I94 area specifically. It's suspected that the arrival was due to the transporting of trees or tree limbs, such as firewood.

We have many experts and professionals in our neighborhood. To get some tree and Emerald Ash Borer advice, I spoke with Dave Strootman, Consulting Arborist, ISA Board-Certified Master Arborist with Rainbow Treecare and neighbor.

To arrange a consultation or an estimate -- dstrootman@rainbowtreecare.com or call (952) 922-3810.

Dave's Recommendations:
1. Evaluate the Ash trees in your yard.
Determine which, if any, are worth saving and the lifetime commitment of treatments which are required to save the tree.
Some considerations
Is the tree key to your landscape? Too large to realistically replace? Otherwise healthy? Does it give good shade to your home?

2. Determine how to treat.
Treatment is a lifetime commitment (an avg tree costs around $100/yr to treat).
Treatment options are:
(a) the ground-application method - administered annually and for smaller trees, can be done by the typical home-owner (look for Xytect)
(b) the boring method - administered every two years and is only performed by professionals

3. Remove trees not planning on treating and replant - this can be done now to start the replacement tree growing before the target ash gets too large or can wait to remove until the target tree gets diseased.

How do you determine if your tree is sick?
Woodpeckers are the most obvious sign of an EAB-infested Ash tree. One or two woodpeckers once in awhile isn't necessarily an indicator. If your tree starts looking like Old Country Buffet on BBQ ribs night - lots of woodpeckers all the time or "blonding" of the bark -- that is, large patches of the outer layer of bark being peeled back by woodpeckers, exposing the lighter under-layer or the tree - this could indicate an infestation. Once the tree progresses in sickness, around 3 years, the canopy will start to decline, and once it is 30% or more decreased, the infestation and damage have likely progressed to the point of needing to remove the tree.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/issues/eab/
www.RainbowTreeCare.com