Is It Worth Getting Your Trees Preventative Treatment For Emerald Ash Borers?

The emerald ash borer has wreaked havoc on the North American population of ash trees. Trees are still frequently dying thanks to this insect. However, arborists and scientists have made a lot of advancements in terms of preventing infestations. There are now injections they can give ash trees to help protect them against the emerald ash borer. Is it worth investing in these preventative treatments for your ash trees? Asking yourself the following questions should help you decide.

How many ash trees do you have?

The more ash trees you have, the more important it is to have them preventatively treated for the emerald ash borer. Having one ash tree on your land die is a minor inconvenience. On the other hand, if you have 15 trees on your land and they are all ash trees, having them become infested would mean losing all of your tree cover — and having to have 15 trees removed!

Sometimes, tree owners assume that having a lot of ash trees treated will be prohibitively costly. But this is not typically the case. Most tree care companies charge a flat "call out" fee to visit your property. Then, they charge an additional fee per tree. This fee is sometimes even lower per tree if you have multiple trees treated. So, it will often only cost marginally more to have 10 or 12 trees treated than to have 2 or 3 treated.

Do your neighbors have ash trees, too?

If your neighbors also have ash trees, then it is even more important to have the trees on your land treated for the emerald ash borer. If you do not have the trees treated and they become infested, then the beetles will most likely spread to the neighbors' trees, too. The best way to protect your trees is to collaborate with your neighbors and have all of your trees treated.

Are your trees showing any signs of emerald ash borer infestation?

If your tree is already showing signs of emerald ash borer infestation, then preventative treatments won't do much good. Sometimes an infestation can be treated if it is caught early on, but that process is different than that used to prevent a new infestation. Signs of an infestation include:

• Yellowing leaves
• D-shaped wounds on the tree trunk
• Green beetles on the tree

If you think your tree is infested, contact a tree care company about treatments, rather than preventative care.

Should you get emerald ash borer prevention treatments for your trees? Consider the information above to help you decide.

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