Emerald ash borers poses threat to ash trees in the F-M area

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) – Emerald ash borers have made their way to the region, posing a threat to homeowners and trees. The city of Moorhead has crews out already treating trees with chemicals in hopes to stop the spread of this insect.

“We initially found it east of the high school, a couple blocks. We’re keeping a radius of eight to ten blocks to where we preformed removals earlier his year and we’re treating trees that are 11 inches or larger currently.” said Trent Wise, the city forester.

According to the city, they’ve already removed 350 trees to deal with the ongoing issue. The emerald ash borer was first detected near a school in Moorhead, prompting crews to start the treatment process. A local tree expert, Sherrie Moore, said this insect spreads like wildfire.

“Once those colonies set up in a tree, neighborhoods a mile wide within 10 days of the tree being colonized can be infested. If those trees then are not removed within that first season then you end up with a whole city getting compromised.” said Moore.

There are ways to tell if your ash tree is infested with EAB. It could have ‘s’ shaped patterns underneath the bark and the thinning out of branches and leaves at the top of the canopy.

According to Sherrie Moore, time is of the essence, because this is a growing issue.

“It’s very important like starting right now if you want to save your ash trees. Get on board with one of us that are doing the treatments.” said Moore.

If you suspect EAB is impacting ash trees in your community, report it before the issue gets worse.