TREE CARE TIPS

Emerald Ash Borer a threat to our Ash Trees

In July, Emerald Ash Borer was detected in one of the purple monitoring traps in Wyoming County. This brings the affected counties total to 20 in Pennsylvania.

The Emerald Ash Borer is a highly invasive, wood-boring beetle that kills ash trees
and poses a threat to the state’s $25 billion hardwoods industry.
This invasive insect is bright, metallic green, about 1/2″ long with a flattened back. It has purple abdominal segments under its wing covers. The EAB can fit on the head of a penny, and is hard to spot in the wild.

Typically EAB does not travel far on its own, but it can live in cut wood and it has spread across 14 states, because people have moved EAB-infested firewood.

Typically, the Emerald Ash Borer beetles will kill an ash tree within three years of
the initial infestation. Adults are dark green, one-half inch in length and one-eighth
inch wide, and fly only from early May until September. Larvae spend the rest of
the year beneath the bark of ash trees. When they emerge as adults, they leave D-shaped holes in the bark about one-eighth inch wide.

EAB Facts *It attacks only ash trees Fraxinus spp. *Adult Beetles are metallic green and about 1/2- inch long, and this small size makes them difficult to spot. *Adults leave a D-shaped exit hole in the bark when they emerge in spring. *Woodpeckers like EAB larvae; heavy woodpecker damage on ash trees may be a sign of infestation.

Homeowners may contact our tree care professionals to treat their trees. Our professionals have access to some products that are not available to homeowners.
it is important to weigh the decision to treat carefully. Consider the value of the tree in relation to treatment costs. Removal of a dead ash trees can range from hundreds to more than a thousand dollars.
Also consider the health of the tree. Research suggests that insecticide treatments may be able to save infested trees exhibiting low to moderate crown dieback (20 to 40 percent). When crown dieback is more extensive, there has been significant damage to the vascular system of the tree. This leaves the tree unable to have enough uptake of chemicals.
Treatments may be more effective if tree health is maintained. Therefore, it is important to fertilize trees in the late fall or early spring and water regularly, especially during periods of drought.

Is Your Tree an Ash?

Ash trees grow very large over time. They are often but not always found in damp areas. The bark becomes very rough and furrowed over time.

The leaves on an ash tree are what we call compound leaves. This means that an entire single leaf is actually made of many small leaflets. The picture shown is one ash leaf composed of several leaflets. This becomes noticeable when the leaves fall in the autumn. The entire leaf, composed of leaflets falls as one unit.

Branches on an ash tree are oppositely arranged on a branch. They emerge from a branch directly opposite from each other. Even the buds are directly opposite from each other.

Only true ash species Fraxinus spp. are affected by Emerald ash borer. Mountain Ash Sorbus spp. are not true ash and are not affected. These trees have clusters of orange berries which ash do not have. Mature Mountain Ash are usually much small than a true ash tree.