Emerald ash borer has been active in Illinois for years now, and it's still one of the most common reasons we're called out to remove a tree in Moro, Bethalto, and the surrounding Metro East area. Once an ash tree is infested, there is no reliable way to save it, and a dead ash becomes brittle and dangerous fast.
The early signs are easy to miss: thinning at the top of the canopy, bark that splits or flakes in vertical strips, and small D-shaped exit holes left behind by the beetles. By the time the whole canopy looks obviously dead, the wood underneath has often already gone brittle.
If you have an ash tree on your property and haven't had it looked at recently, it's worth having someone take a closer look this summer while the canopy still shows whether the tree is struggling.
Do you know if any of the trees on your property are ash, and have you noticed any thinning at the top this year?
#EmeraldAshBorer #TreeHealth
A real close-up photo of ash bark showing splitting or D-shaped exit holes, or the crew inspecting a declining ash canopy on a job site. Authentic photos build more trust than stock tree images for this kind of educational post.
Canva text suggestion: "Is That Ash Tree in Trouble?" or "Emerald Ash Borer Doesn't Wait"