Emerald Ash Borer in Illinois

emerald-ash-borer-adultThe next time you walk through your neighborhood, take note of the ash trees you see. They are popular shade trees that comprise approximately 20% of our urban forest. Due to the arrival of the emerald ash borer — an invasive insect native to Asia — each one of those ash trees is in danger.

Adult emerald ash borers (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) move quickly and the larvae eat ravenously. Tens of millions of ash trees have been lost in Michigan alone (where the borer was first discovered in 2002); millions of additional trees have been lost in the wake of the borer’s spread into Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Facts about Emerald Ash Borer:

  • EAB attack all ash trees, regardless of the tree’s health.
  • Adults are small — 1/2″ long, 1/8″ wide — metallic green beetles.
  • Larvae chew S-shaped galleries beneath the bark, cutting-off the flow of water and nutrients through the tree’s vascular system.

 

Visible Signs and Symptoms of an Infestation:

  • Canopy dieback and suckers sprouting from the tree’s trunk
  • 1/8″ diameter D-shaped exit holes in the tree’s trunk and upper branches
  • Loose bark and vertical splitting of the bark
  • Bark damage caused by woodpeckers

Since the Illinois Department of Agriculture announced the discovery of emerald ash borer in Kane County on June 13, 2006, surveys have revealed infestations throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. As a result, all northeastern Illinois counties are under a state-instituted EAB quarantine and a statewide quarantine was established by the USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service.

The long-term forecast for Illinois’ ash trees is not promising; however, there are ways you can protect your ash trees from EAB.

Click HERE for additional information on the emerald ash borer.

For more information on emerald ash borer inoculation treatment and control options, contact us today for a complimentary consultation from our fully trained and certified arborists. Don’t let an emerald ash borer infestation devastate your landscape. Save your trees and click here to find the office nearest you.