Emerald ash borer has moved through Metro East Illinois hard, and if you still have a mature ash on your property, summer is when the signs are easiest to read. The trouble is that by the time the tree looks obviously sick, the borer has usually been inside it for a couple of years.
Here is what to look for. Start at the top: emerald ash borer kills a canopy from the crown down, so thinning or dead branches at the very top are an early red flag. Look next for new sprouts shooting straight out of the trunk, which is the tree trying to survive. Check the bark for vertical splits and for D-shaped exit holes about the size of a grain of rice.
One of the clearest signs is woodpecker activity. When birds strip patches of bark to get at the larvae underneath, that light, blonde flecking on an ash trunk is a strong indicator the borer is already there.
Once an ash is heavily infested, it becomes brittle fast, and a dead ash is one of the more dangerous trees to take down because the wood fails without warning. Catching it early gives you real options and keeps the removal safe.
Do you still have any ash trees standing on your property, and have you noticed dieback at the top?
#MetroEastTreeService #EmeraldAshBorer
Authentic photo of an ash trunk showing woodpecker flecking, bark splits, or D-shaped exit holes from a real Metro East job, or crown dieback on an ash. Real diagnostic photos build credibility; avoid stock.
Canva text suggestion: "Blonde Flecking on an Ash? That's a Warning." or "EAB Kills From the Top Down"