Emerald Ash Borer Treatment: How to Save Your WI Trees

Like Dutch Elm Disease in the 1970s, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) threatens to take a huge chunk out of our urban and suburban landscapes, not to mention our forests here in SE Wisconsin. It’s estimated that 20% of the trees in Wisconsin are Ash trees and Emerald Ash Borer is reeking havoc on our trees’ health in this region. So let’s look into this pest further and explore Emerald Ash Borer treatment options to save your trees.

Have a Pro Take a Look

How to Emerald Ash Borers Infect Your Trees?

We’ve already written a post about how to stay ahead of Emerald Ash Borer in SE Wisconsin. But there’s more to it. How do these little green buggers infect your trees?  And what Emerald Ash Borer treatment options are available? EABs lay eggs in the cambium of Ash trees, laying the groundwork for immense damage upon their hatching.

Symptoms of the Emerald Ash Borer include:

• Dieback of the upper 1/3 of the tree’s canopy
• Vertical splits in the tree’s bark
• D-shaped exit holes in the bark
• S-shaped channels under the bark
• Numerous water sprouts from the lower trunk

Is Your Ash Tree Worth Saving?

It should go without saying, but trees are a larger investment than annual flowers or even perennial shrubs in the landscape. Not only do trees cost money, they require an investment of time. The joy of sitting in the shade of a mature tree does not come overnight; it comes to those who wait.

As our landscape faces the scourge of the Emerald Ash Borer, the time has come to consider what you are willing to invest now in order to protect the investment you have made in previous years and possibly decades. It’s much less costly and expeditious to treat trees for EAB rather than lose them to the disease.

Emerald Ash Borer Treatment

Ash trees can be protected from the Emerald Ash Borer if treated before infection. Chemical treatments are administered bi-annually via direct injection from a certified Arborist. Combined with an off-year application of a root stimulant, Ash trees can maintain their health and vigor in the face of this devastating threat.

If you are considering treatment, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is your tree mature or nearing maturity?
• Is your tree in a good location that will remain undisturbed in future years?
• Do you plan on remaining in your home for the foreseeable future?
• Most importantly, do you enjoy your tree? It is difficult to put a price on your own enjoyment and satisfaction.

If you are considering saving your Ash tree from the Emerald Ash Borer in Milwaukee or Southeast Wisconsin, the first step is getting in touch with an experienced tree-care professional who can examine your trees and explain your options.