A recent infestation of the Emerald Ash Borer has made its way to Connecticut. It has been here for 2 or 3 years, but now has greatly spread to many trees in New Haven county. We want to alert the public that many dead or decaying trees have been due to the recent infestation of this beetle.

How Did the Beetle Get Here?

The beetle was originally from China and has made its way here through the international trade of lumber. The concern of this beetle is that once it attacks a tree, there is no way for the tree to be saved. The tree must be removed before it decays and falls. The numbers of this beetle will diminish anytime soon. Dr. Claire Rutledge from the Connecticut Department of Entomology believes that the beetle is directly responsible for the death of many Ash trees all over the state. The beetles are on the third year of infestation, and she explains that in the 6th year, 100 percent of the Ash trees will be dead. In a short amount of time, this beetle can wipe out an entire field of Ash trees. This is concerning to Connecticut’s tree species because some forests have already lost half of their Ash Trees.

Where Does the Beetle Feed?

The beetles are hard to detect as they cannot be seen from the outside of the tree bark. They nest their way on the inside of the tree, and carve holes from one side of the tree to the other making exit holes. They feed on the inside of the trunk, destroying the tree’s structure and making it prone to collapsing.

How Can We Stop the Infestation?

The Forestry Division is encouraging people to “buy local and burn local”. This means that your wood should come from local American sources and should not be bought overseas. To help control the beetle population, a wasp from Asia is one of the predators of the beetle that will be introduced to CT’s trees. It cannot save the trees already affected from this disease, but it can greatly control the pest population, preventing years of further damage.

For a free quote to determine if your trees are safe, contact Precision Cutting Services today. Ash trees that are currently affected need to be taken down with emergency tree removal, or they will continue to get worse. Unfortunately, there is no way to help the trees already affected. By quickly removing dead trees affected by the beetle, you will ensure that the beetle will be prevented from spreading to other Ash trees nearby. Precision Cutting Services will provide a safe, yet effective way to remove the dead trees – but will preserve the ones unaffected.