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What is Emerald Ash Borer?

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an aggressive wood borer that attacks and kills all species of ash. Native Ash in the United States and Canada has no natural defenses to this invasive borer. Although stressed trees are typically more prone to borer attack, the Emerald Ash Borer can kill both healthy and stressed trees. Infested trees die due to extensive feeding on the vascular system of the Ash trees.

In North America, the Emerald Ash Borer was first discovered near Detroit, Michigan in 2002 and has since spread across the U.S. to 28 different states, including Wisconsin (2008).

How to Fight Back

At ECO Tree Company, we prescribe only the most advanced and effective disease treatments available. For Emerald Ash Borer or "EAB," scientific research has shown the most effective treatment for infested trees and high-value trees in need of preventative or curative treatment is a chemical known as emamectin benzoate.

Treatment Process

The best way to think about how this therapeutic treatment is administered is how medical personnel would administer an IV to a hospitalized patient.

If a tree is a good treatment candidate, next we determine the prescription "dose" to be administered:

  1. Measure the tree at 4' 6" to determine trunk diameter.
  2. Visually inspect the 'fullness' of the crown.
  3. If the crown is reduced in any way, the chemical dosage may be reduced appropriately.

With the precise dose calculated, we start drilling the correct amount of injection sites in the root flare. The injection system (or I.V.) is plugged into the holes, filled with the appropriate dose of chemical and pressurized enough to allow a gentle flow of chemical into the vascular system of the tree.

The benefits of this "I.V." or direct injection method as opposed to other less-effective soil injected methods are many:

Please peruse the following links for additional EAB information: