When a tree must be removed and the chips have settled, deciding what to replace it with often comes next. Emotions and practicality aside, there are several questions that can help make that decision. What is the primary objective of a new tree? What will best match the site and thrive? Do you want a shade tree to leave as a legacy? Do you want something novel that adds interest to your property?Continue Reading
Ten years ago, I wrote an article for this newsletter about the state of emerald ash borer (EAB) and what the future of ash trees looked like then. If you have kept past newsletters, you will find the full article in the winter 2013 issue. At that time, EAB was relatively new in our area and most ash were not yet affected by this destructive insect. Fast forward to today, we have progressed upward on the mortality curve. Thankfully, death does not overrun the current story for all ash trees.Continue Reading
We are all too familiar with the destruction that a single pest or pathogen can bring to our trees. Two of the most evident examples from the recent past would be Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) and Dutch Elm Disease. Thankfully, pests of this significant nature are not common. We can use lessons learned from them to help us manage future issues since we know the importance of proactive management. Now, we are monitoring two potentially threatening insects: a resurgence of Spongy Moth and a potential of a new insect called Spotted Lanternfly.Continue Reading
Although I don’t claim to be a “seer,” like Johnny Carson’s Carnac (remember him from late night television years ago?), it is always fun to contemplate the dynamics of all the variables that affect the various insect, disease, and environmental responses that the plants in our landscapes will show throughout the 2023 growing season.Continue Reading
There are a few ways to look at the effects of EAB: Do nothing and remove ash trees as they are killed by EAB. Proactively remove ash trees in order to lessen the landscape’s dependence on them. Plant non-ash trees to replace losses or to anticipate losses. Treat selected ash trees with the very effective, but more costly, trunk injection of insecticide for 2-years of protection (repeated every 2 years for sustained protection).Continue Reading
Proper tree identification can be tricky. Many trees share similar attributes such as branch and bud configuration, leaf shape, and bark texture, making it easy to mistake one type of tree for another. When it comes to protecting your ash tree against EAB the first step is proper identification.Continue Reading
The warmth causes the dormant Emerald Ash Borers’ metabolism to increase. With its blood pumping faster, the urge to chew its way through the wood to the outside world grows stronger. Soon, very soon…then it can mate, find another suitable ash on which to lay its eggs, and enjoy the rest of the summer in the sun.Continue Reading
The emerald ash borer has been around for years, yet ash trees in Wisconsin continue to go untreated. If there is a case of EAB in your area, the likeliness if dead ash trees climbs exponentially.Continue Reading
A whole host of other ash that “don’t look too bad” to the casual observer have significantly thinned out. The damage continues to happen and some people are noticing, but the vast majority of people still have not. This is a dangerous combination.Continue Reading
If you are waiting for EAB to officially be confirmed in your municipality before you make a management decision, the insect is already way ahead of you. With each new EAB find, research has consistently shown that EAB has already been in the area for 3 to 5 years.Continue Reading