Emerald Ash Borer: What to Look for in Your Ash Tree

Emerald ash borer, often called EAB, is a small green beetle that attacks ash trees. The adults are easy to miss, but the larvae underneath the bark are what cause the real damage.

They feed on the tissue that carries water and nutrients through the tree. As the infestation gets worse, the tree becomes weaker from the inside out.

Emerald ash borer has been found throughout Wisconsin, including the Madison area. If you have an ash tree in your yard, knowing the early warning signs can help you decide what to do before the tree becomes a safety problem.

What Does Emerald Ash Borer Look Like?

You don't have to be an expert to notice that something may be wrong with your ash tree.

Keep an eye out for:

• A thinning or dying crown, often starting near the top
• Woodpecker activity or patches of bark being removed
• New shoots growing from the trunk or larger branches
• Vertical cracks in the bark
• Small, D-shaped exit holes in the bark

You may not see all of these signs at once. In fact, an ash tree can look relatively healthy during the early stages of an infestation.

As the damage progresses, the tree loses more of its canopy and becomes increasingly stressed. Once a large portion of the crown has died, the tree may be much harder and more expensive to save.

Can an Ash Tree Survive Emerald Ash Borer?

Sometimes, yes.

Healthy ash trees can sometimes be protected with professional insecticide treatments. Treatment works best when the tree is still in reasonably good health and has enough live canopy left to respond.

We don't recommend trying to treat an ash tree without first having it properly evaluated. The right approach depends on the tree's size, health, location, and how far the infestation has progressed.

If your ash tree is already declining badly, standing near your home, or has large dead branches, removal may be the safer option.

The first step is figuring out what you're dealing with.

Not Sure If It's an Ash Tree?

If you're not even sure whether the tree in your yard is an ash, that's okay.

Ash trees have leaves made up of several smaller leaflets, usually arranged in pairs along a central stem. They also produce distinctive paddle-shaped seeds, sometimes called keys.

If you're seeing unusual leaf loss, dead branches, or other changes and aren't sure what kind of tree you have, send us a photo or give us a call. We'll help you figure out what's going on.

If a branch is hanging over your home, driveway, or another area where someone could get hurt, don't wait for it to come down on its own.

Call Canopy Tree Care at 608-243-1218 and we'll come take a look.