Emerald ash update

By Helen Yarmoska, guest blogger

I recently went to a Minnesota hort society seminar on the emerald ash borer. My take away? If you ignore it, it WON’T go away.

Dave Hanson, a research specialist at the U of M, delivered the bad news. He said it’s not a question of "if" but "when" most ash trees will be affected by the pest. And the area most likely to be hit hardest is the heart of the Twin Cities.

He urged people within a 15-mile radius of the infestation area in St Paul to examine their ash trees now or have a professional arborist take a look. And a 15-mile radius covers pretty much all of Ramsey and Hennepin Counties.

Hanson said that if you own ash trees, you’re going to have to decide to treat or cut. Leaving ash trees alone isn’t an option, because the borer will get them sooner or later. Treating your ash trees can be expensive and time consuming; because you (or a hired professional) need to do it every year for five to 10 years. Not treating them just gives those bad bugs an opportunity to flourish and to change our landscape even more quickly.

 If you want to know more, check out this link: Do I have Emerald Ash Borer? 

 Then, let us know what you’re going to do. Are you going to cut your ash trees or treat them? What about the city-owned trees?