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Emerald Ash Borer
Emerald Ash Borer Specialists serving West Falls, Orchard Park, Hamburg, NY & Western NY
In the summer of 2002, a rare beetle was discovered in the Detroit area of Michigan - The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), Agrilus Planipennis Fairmaire. The adult beetles nibble on ash foliage, but they only cause a little damage. It's the larvae (the immature stage) of the beetles that feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients. These pests probably arrived in the United States on solid wood packing in cargo ships or airplanes from Asia. The Emerald Ash Borer is also established in Windsor, Ontario; it has been discovered that the beetle spread to Ohio in 2003; northern Indiana in 2004; northern Illinois and Maryland in 2006; western Pennsylvania and West Virginia in 2007; Wisconsin, Missouri and Virginia in summer 2008; and Minnesota, New York, and Kentucky in the spring of 2009.
Damage Done by the Emerald Ash Borer
The Emerald Ash Borer has killed tens of millions of ash trees in southeastern Michigan alone, with tens of millions more lost in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
It has also caused regulatory agencies and the USDA to enforce quarantines (Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Kentucky) and fines to prevent potentially infested ash trees, logs, or hardwood firewood from moving out of areas where EAB occurs.
This pest has cost municipalities, property owners, nursery operators, and forest products industries tens of millions of dollars.
Identification and Control of the Emerald Ash Borer
We have been the area's leader in the identification and control of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Haskell Tree Service Inc. has been an active part of the WNY community when it comes to education about the EAB threat, sponsoring workshops to promote public awareness of this terrible invasive.
WE CAN SAVE YOUR ASH TREES!
We are up to date on the most effective treatments for EAB and make prescriptions based on both the tree and the customer's objectives. Haskell Tree Service Inc. can utilize bark drenches, trunk injections, soil injections, and offer two years of protection from the insect with one application. Our Emerald Ash Borer mission statement is to increase awareness of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) and the possible devastation to the communities and towns both from a financial perspective and an aesthetic perspective, through community service and education, utilizing public workshops designed to increase awareness among the public and the management options available to homeowners for identification and preservation of future ash trees.
The introduction of the Emerald Ash Borer into Western New York and the devastation this invasive little insect has caused has prompted action on our part. The EAB has been likened to Dutch Elm Disease (DED) of the 1950s and the toll it took on the All American Small Town, reshaping the landscapes all over the country. EAB affects all ash (Fraxinus spp.) species of any age and any condition.
Are we losing our ash trees?
In recent years we have seen the purple traps along the roadways looking for the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), an introduced insect whose devastation has been compared to Dutch Elm Disease (DED). DED killed off hundreds of millions of elms across the country; EAB will be doing the same in WNY very shortly. EAB was most likely introduced to Michigan in wooden packing materials from Eastern Russia. The EAB has spread through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and now the insect was reported here in NY. The purple traps were part of a monitoring program to track the progression of the insect and identify the leading edge of its progress.
What can we do as informed homeowners? Studies have shown several effective treatments for the EAB, however all are not equal. Age, size and location of the tree will determine the best treatment strategy. Tree health is paramount, offering a good foundation for the long-term future of any tree under management. A licensed Arborist is a great place to start, offering several management strategies based on your particular ash trees and your budget.
