Should You Inoculate Your Trees Against Emerald Ash Borer?

Now that Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has been found in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, every property owner in our region with ash trees needs to think about a management plan. We recommend that you discuss it with your arborist and consider treatment options — as well as the possibility of tree removal. When a tree gets severely infested, the borers eventually devour the entire cambium -- which can make the tree brittle, unpredictable, and unsafe to climb.  Several accidents have been reported by tree care providers throughout the country because of this and we need to take additional care when removing trees infested with EAB.

Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) is a tiny, half-inch long, invasive insect that infests and kills native North American ash species, including green, white, black and blue ash.  The female beetle lays its eggs in cracks or crevices in the bark of the tree. Upon hatching, the EAB larvae feeds on the layer under it — which causes disruption of life-sustaining sugar, water and nutrients through the tree. Most trees die within 2-4 years of being infected with EAB.

Almstead is currently inoculating hundreds of ash trees against EAB for city, state, commercial and residential customers. We’ve been at the forefront of the fight against EAB in our region. We have the experience, training and state-of-the-art equipment required to perform successful treatments. In 2016, Almstead partnered with ArborJet to inoculate ash trees at the Grove of Remembrance at Liberty State Park in New Jersey. Since then, we have been treating (and removing) ash trees in several locations, including many through New York City Parks Department which has committed resources towards inoculating and preserving selected ash bordering infestation areas.

If you haven’t yet identified and qualified the ash trees that are worthy of preservation on your property, please do not delay any longer. The best option is to inoculate your trees before EAB is detected. Treating trees once EAB is found may slow its spread and save healthy trees nearby. However, many studies have shown that if more than 50% of the canopy has been compromised by EAB it is probably too late to save the tree.

The first step to take would be to call your Almstead arborist to examine the trees on your property. You can also look for signs of EAB, including:

The presence of the small, metallic green insect (see image on left).

  • Tiny D-shaped holes in the bark.
  • S-shaped galleries and splitting bark.
  • Thinning crown of the tree – due to lack and water and nutrients.
  • Excessive sprouting — new growth at the base of the trunk or on the main branches of the tree.
  • Woodpecker damage — EAB are often sought out and attacked by woodpeckers.

If EAB is discovered on your property, your arborist will work with you to determine a management plan. It may include treatment or tree removal based on the severity of the infection, the tree’s condition, and contribution benefits to the landscape. Treatment has been shown to be more cost effective than removal over the pest presence in the area, which could be 7-10 years.

For additional resources, please visit our EAB page at almstead.com/eab.

The metalic-green Emerald Ash Borer.

D-shaped holes (l) and S-shaped galleries in the bark are visible signs of EAB.

Almstead Plant Health Care technicians Leo Ibarra and Luis Torres injecting an ash tree for EAB in Queens, NY.

LOCATIONS:

 

Lower Westchester County, NY and New York City

58 Beechwood Ave, New Rochelle, NY 10801

914-576-0193

 

Upper Westchester (North of I-287)

15 Broadway, Hawthorne, NY 10532

914-741-1510

 

Fairfield County, Connecticut

547 Hope Street, Stamford CT 06907

203-348-4111

 

Bergen & Passaic Counties, NJ

504 High Mountain Road, North Haledon, NJ 07508

973-636-6711

 

Contact us for a Free Consultation

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