Homeowners Need To Check For Emerald Ash Borer

This week is Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week, and experts are asking homeowners to pay attention to their trees and the pests that affects them.

Ash trees are commonly found in the Upper Cumberland. Cookeville Urban Forester Jaime Nunan said that invasive species is fatal for trees if not caught early.

“There are 10 million ash trees in the urban areas in the latest study that the state did, so it is going to be a large effect on our urban forest, but the good thing is there is a lot of other native species in the forest so as we see these things happen we’re just going to remove and replace them and kind of move forward with that,” Nunan said. “Just don’t be planting any more ash trees until they find a cure.”

Nunan said that infested trees will last roughly four years at most, and can die within as little as one season. Nunan said that if you think your tree is infected pull back the bark on the affected area and check for D-shaped holes.

“What they do is they get under the bark and bore through the cambium layer which is the live layer of the tree and that’s what ends up killing them,” said Nunan.

The emerald ash borer is a species native to Asia and was first seen in Tennessee in July 2010. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture also strongly urges citizens to be cautious when buying firewood, as that is one of the main ways to spread the species across the state.

If you have an infected tree, Nunan said to call a contractor to cut down the tree and dispose of it to prevent further damage to other trees.