This May, for the sixth consecutive year, Almstead partnered with Arborjet (a leading supplier of arborist insecticides and delivery systems) to donate treatment for ash trees at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ in preservation efforts against Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), an invasive tree pest that is currently destroying ash trees in our region. The ash trees are located at the Grove of Remembrance, a site created to memorialize the 691 New Jersey lives lost on September 11, 2001. The green space, with walkways, shaded lenses, and green lawns, is meant to serve as an area of quiet reflection for visitors to the park.

Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) is a small, metallic-green insect that is about half inch long. It infests and kills native North American ash species, including green, white, black and blue ash.  The female beetle lays its eggs in cracks or crevices in the bark of the tree. Upon hatching, the EAB larvae feeds on the layer under it — which causes disruption of life-sustaining sugar, water and nutrients through the tree. Most trees die within 2-4 years of being infected with EAB. Signs of EAB include the presence of the small, metallic green insect or tiny D-shaped holes, S-shaped galleries and splitting bark (see images on right).

"Blonding" EffectAlso look for Woodpecker damage since they seek out EAB and attack them, which cause a "blonding" effect (see image) especially on the southern side of the tree.

EAB has already cost municipalities, property owners, nursery operators, and the forest-product industry hundreds of millions of dollars. Quarantines on moving wood have been largely ineffective and now abandoned. Protecting ash trees from this deadly beetle requires insecticide treatments such as the one performed by Almstead and Arborjet at Liberty State Park.

If you have ash trees on your property, we recommend discussing a management plan with your Almstead arborist. A health assessment of the ash trees in question as well as its overall contribution to the landscape and a cost analysis should be evaluated prior to treatment. Tree injections have been found to be successful in inoculating and treating ash trees against EAB. However, once a tree has been heavily infected, removal may be the only option. So schedule a visit with your arborist as soon as possible.

For more information on EAB, visit our dedicated EAB portal at almstead.com/eab.