A few weeks ago I called the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to report more ash trees in Vigo County that are infected with Emerald Ash Borer’s. We were told that the Emerald Ash Borer infestation in Indiana is so severe that they can no longer manage the database to track it.

There are 150 million ash trees in Indiana. Without proper identification, care, and maintenance of ash trees, we are facing a very serious problem!

What is an Emerald Ash Borer?

Emerald Ash Borer’s are not native to the United States. This invasive species likely came from Asia through shipping containers and survived for about 10 years before being discovered. As the name suggests, this green insect attacks ash trees. It spreads naturally and through human movement of infested firewood. The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) creates D shaped holes in the tree. These holes are random throughout the tree and seem to have no uniform placement.

Emerald Ash Borer

What does it do?

Simply put, the Emerald Ash Borer destroys ash trees. Burrowing under the bark of an ash tree, it creates tunnels that eventually overtake the trees ability to survive. Over time, the canopy of the tree will start to die back. We use the canopy as a gauge to measure how much damage has been done and how likely we will be able to save the tree. All ash trees are at risk at this time. Because the infestation can only be handled by properly treating the EAB, ash trees MUST be treated in order to survive. It is only a matter of time for an uninfected ash tree to be overcome by the EAB.