In this video, Luke of Haas Tree Care shares how homeowners can save ash trees from EAB.
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is ravaging Wisconsin, recently being confirmed in Wood, Portage, Juneau and Marathon Counties. The signs of EAB, if left undetected, can lead to tree decline and ultimately, death. Check regularly for the following signs/symptoms or consult with your local ISA Certified Arborist:
- Bark blonding (Caused by woodpeckers eating EAB larvae)
- D- shaped exit hoes
- Tip dieback
- Bark splitting
- Epicormic sprouting (Small branch growth from lower on the stem)
A couple options currently exist to fight EAB. The “homeowner” method of treatment is to do a soil drench around the base of the tree. Essentially, a moat is made around the base and a solution containing the active ingredient, Imidacloprid, is placed around the base and uptaken by the tree through transpiration. This method is only about 60%-70% effective.
The most effective method on the market is a trunk injection. A certified and licensed applicator drills holes into the base of the tree, then uses small needles to inject chemical directly into the vascular system of the tree. This method is 95%-99.9% effective. In the video above, I demonstrate one of the trunk injection methods above using ArborJet’s Tree I.V system with the chemical TREE-äge®.
