So that bring me to this year… Whenever my husband would say “The ash looks thin this year”, I would respond, “It’s ok, it’s still leafing out since spring came so late this year.” Then, last week I went out and stood under it to try and decide some other landscaping issues, looked up and was stunned to see all the dead branches. Probably a quarter to a third of the tree was dead. No wonder it looked so thin and my husband could see through it. On the plus side, the canopy was still alive, no random trunk branches were sprouting and no signs of adult beetles, yet. We had a scare the other morning when we awoke to the sound of a woodpecker in the area, but it wasn’t on our tree (at least we think it wasn’t). That’s a bad sign if the woodpeckers have moved in!
At the end of May, the tree was trunk injected with Arborjets “TREE-äge” which is supposed to kill off any infestations and last for 2 years. A quick google search provided a wealth of information on the product and we are hopeful that we can help the tree survivor the invaders. It’s supposed to be quite effective at killing the beetle. The Morton Arboretum has been very useful in general for EAB information. They have an excellent Emerald Ash Borer brochure available.
Our Autumn Purple Ash this year.
Hi Stephi,
Hope your ash made it through another year. EAB was discovered in a neighboring county here in Colorado in September of 2013 and so far it hasn’t been discovered here. I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time at this point. Nice blog!
Here is an article about a great way to keep your trees healthy. http://mountviewtree.com/#Applying_a_layer_of_organic_mulch_is_the_single_best_thing_you_can_do_for_your_tree
I didn’t realize the Emerald Ash Borer had made its way that far west. Hopefully everything we’ve learned can slow down the destruction.
Yeah, it actually skipped a couple states landing in Colorado…most likely in a load of firewood. Officials moved quickly to quarantine the county due to being aware of the devastation in the Midwest.