Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: EAB 2023 update and Ash tree alternatives
As of January 5th, 2023, the USDA reports that Emerald Ash Borer has been located in 36 states across the country. First discovered in 2002 in Michigan, it is believed to have actually arrived in the 1990’s on infected wood used in shipping. It is native to northeast Asia where it only attacks dying Ash trees.
Here in the US, it is responsible for killing tens of millions of once healthy ash trees. There is an insecticide that is working when caught in time.
My Arborist friend, Faith Appelquist of Treequality, has been treating MANY trees in the town I live in. If you suspect you have EAB, I highly recommend contacting a certified Arborist. They can assess your tree and you can decide from there how to manage it, which may include complete removal.
In a previous Garden Bite, I mentioned a biological weapon now in use, parasitoid wasps. Some areas are reporting anywhere from 20 to 85% success wherein the wasps lay their eggs inside the eggs of EAB, killing them. There are 4 types being used. Click these wasps for more information. They are NOT bothersome to people or pets, they want EAB larvae.
There are plenty of Ash Tree alternatives including:
- Dutch elm disease resistant elm trees such as ‘Princeton’ and ‘Valley Forge’ which are recommended by the U of MN, along with hybrids named ‘Accolade’ and ‘Triumph’.
- Honeylocust
- Freeman maples which are a cross between a red and silver maple include ‘Autumn Blaze’, ‘Celebration’ and ‘Firefall’.
- Gingko is a good choice but only if you plant the male tree.
