The Emerald Ash Borer has been devastating trees in the Michigan area since its introduction into the state in the late 1990′s. It has proven difficult to control for many wishing to save their ash trees. The exotic beetle found natively in Asia is a foreign invasive species, thought to have been brought over in wood in various shipments across the northern water way and down into Lake Michigan. As the shiny, emerald green ash borer beetle has few natural predators in its new environment its population as flourished with little to no control.
As the name suggests the ash borer beetle burrows into ash trees after the eggs hatch. These newly hatched larva feed on the phloem of the tree, essentially cutting off the flow of sugars to various parts of the tree. This feeding increases and more and more larvae eventually girdle the tree, slowly killing it by stopping this vital supply line. In future years the crown of the tree will begin to die off leading to the eventual death of the entire tree itself.
At first in order to stop the devastating loss of thousands of trees, environmentalists focused their efforts on stopping the physical spread of the bug and wood. Thankfully, Michigan Ash Borer treatment is no longer a pipe dream and a arborists can now save ash trees with early treatment. If ash borers are thought to be within a fifteen mile radius of a healthy tree, treatment is suggested as once a tree in noticeably sick, it will be more difficult to save. Preventative treatment is always the best as it will stop the damage before it even starts. Emerald Tree Care is working throughout these newly infested areas saving thousands of ash trees throughout multiple states using its state of the art “no drill system” to treat both the tree and surrounding soil.
