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Emerald Ash Borer

I had tree trimmers here last fall to trim some limbs. The head guy informed me that my ash has Emerald Ash Borer. He wanted to take it down right there, but I told him to hold off so I could think about it. The tree had leaves and I didn't notice a problem, but the tree guy saw right away that some branches were bare.

I've been doing some research on the types of treatment. The trunk has a 56" circumference and it's roughly 40 feet high. I'm going to talk to a nursery as well, but wondering if anyone has had experience with this? Can they be saved?

Comments (11)

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    do you have the only ash left in MI???

    what did they tell you it would cost.. per year.. for the rest of your life ...

    since cost is my biggest determinative factor... i would have been done with it last year ... one time expense ...

    regardless of what you decide.. now is the time to plant a replacement or two ... i favor oaks.. down here in adrian mi ...

    ken

    Here is a link that might be useful: see link

  • SnailLover (MI - zone 5a)
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Maybe I do, Ken, lol. So none left where you are? I haven't priced any treatment yet. If this is something I will have to do every year to MAYBE save the tree, then I agree it isn't worth it. I was thinking you just treat it once and the larvae die. Maybe I'm wrong. I guess if it were that easy we'd still have ash trees. I'll call the extension office this week.

    ETA: Oops, just noticed your link. Thanks, I will read up on it.

    I did see an interesting article just now which makes me hopeful:

    Here is a link that might be useful: Extreme cold may wipe out EAB larvae

    This post was edited by SnailLover on Sat, Apr 26, 14 at 17:32

  • arbordave (SE MI)
    9 years ago

    If the dieback is limited to a few limbs you should still be able to save the tree. Check out pages 3 & 4 of this publication: "Insecticide Options for Protecting Ash Trees from Emerald Ash Borer" at www.emeraldashborer.info

    As far as cold temps impacting EAB, see link below.

    Here is a link that might be useful: EAB Can Survive Harsh Winter

  • SnailLover (MI - zone 5a)
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks arbordave! I saved the PDF and made note of the insecticides. I will call some arborists on Monday and see what they say. I think it's worth a shot. As for the cold weather, yeah, as cold as it was this winter, I don't think it was THAT cold. Darn.

  • SnailLover (MI - zone 5a)
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    To update, I had an arborist look at the tree today. He specializes in EAB. He saw buds on most of the branches and said there's a good chance it can be saved if I treat it this year. He uses TREE-age, which is emamectin benzoate and says it's good for 2-3 years. $200. Would probably cost the same to have the tree cut down, so I feel it's worth a try. Turns out my boss used this same guy to treat a bunch of ashes on his property last year. We'll find out soon how well they leaf out this year.

  • wisconsitom
    9 years ago

    Right on the knife edege of advisability. In most cases, the treatments must be protective. Curative? Not so much.

    You're willing to spend the $$ so in the end, it's your call. Let us know what happens next year and the year after. Emamectin is the best current material.

    +oM

  • jrsavoie
    8 years ago

    I have 5 large Ash trees. I have been planting more trees, but I will be long gone before they are big enough to enjoy.

    Could you recommend a specific product, where to buy and application info or links?

    I was looking to hire the treating done, but haven't had any luck. I was just told to cut them down before they get infested - which makes no sense to me.

    I am at least 1/2 mile from the nearest other Ash tree and the trees show no sign of infestation yet. I'd like to keep these from getting infested if possible

    Thanks very much.

  • Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
    8 years ago

    Jrsavoie, I ordered a few gallons of imadichloropid (spelling error) concentrate and have been spreading it around two of mine yearly. At first I was going to do just one but then I realized how long a supply I had.

    Will it work? Who knows. That vitamin C pill might help keep the cold away and the cost is low so I take it. At the time no one locally was willing to warranty their snake oil treatment so I decided to do it myself. We are in the infancy of treating this bug. Next time I am in an area that has had a long term infestation I will see if there are any surviving ash in the parks or botanical gardens and report back with what they have been using.

  • SnailLover (MI - zone 5a)
    Original Author
    8 years ago

    Forgot about this thread until I saw the new replies. I should've updated. This ash tree has a bifurcated trunk. The right side did pretty well all summer. The left side, I didn't notice until mid-summer, was dropping leaves and had many woodpecker holes in it. I called the arborist back and he injected a 2nd dose to the left side. I didn't notice any improvement, and this fall it dropped a lot of small branches. This spring I see buds forming on the right side but very few on the left, and it has more woodpecker holes than ever. Will update again when everything leafs out.


  • wisconsitom
    8 years ago

    sounds like it was too far gone for treatment to be effective, simple as that. Once the trunk is full of larvae, woodpeckers are busy eating them, the tree is pretty much done for.

    BTW, the gold standard of treatment today is injections of emamectin benzoate, ie. "TreeAge" by the company Arborject. They sell the injection equipment. That chemcial is tre' spendy but one liter (right around $550) will treat many trees. Each treatment can last for 3 years with this method.

    +oM

  • SnailLover (MI - zone 5a)
    Original Author
    8 years ago

    Another update on the tree. The left side was slow to leaf out, but it finally did and looks pretty good. Much better than last year. There are some dead branches from before treatment, but what's up there now looks good. Trust me, this tree looks much better than it did last year. My boss had a whole forest treated by the same arborist and he said they're doing pretty well too. I'm remaining cautiously optimistic.


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