HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril 9- Ash Trees Spring 2019
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424
Contact: Debbie Townsend, Communications Coordinator
Phone 952-826-0396 • dtownsend@EdinaMN.gov • EdinaMN.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City Reminds Residents to Treat Ash Trees This Spring
Edina, Minn., April 9, 2019 – Residents or businesses with Ash trees on their properties should
make sure to have them treated against Emerald Ash Borer in the next couple months if they haven’t
already, Edina’s Forester recommends.
“Now is the best time to treat your Ash trees, from when they leaf out to July,” said City Forester
Luther Overholt.
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), an insect that has killed millions of Ash trees across the eastern United
States, was found in Edina in April 2018. It is expected to wipe out all untreated Ash trees in the
Twin Cities. While the extremely cold temperatures this winter killed off some of the larvae, the
infestation is expected to continue to spread.
As of 2018, Edina had an estimated 50,000 Ash trees, most of them located on private property.
Chemical treatments can help protect healthy Ash trees or those minimally affected by the pest.
Application must be done every two to three years. Overholt recommends having an arborist or
tree care professional inject your Ash trees with the treatment in spring.
“The best time to treat your tree is when it’s starting to grow,” Overholt said. “When they inject
the chemical during the growing season, it’s easier for the chemical to get sucked up into the tree.”
Treatments spread on the ground aren’t effective for trees larger than 10 inches in diameter and also
contaminate the surrounding soil and potentially groundwater with the chemical, Overholt said.
People who choose not to treat their Ash trees should remove them before they become infected
so they don’t contribute to the spread or pose a hazard when they die and fall.
The City of Edina is treating prominent Ash trees on City property, such as those near ball fields or
along boulevards.
Anyone with an Ash tree on their property should contact a private arborist or tree care
professional to evaluate the tree and their options.
For more information on EAB, including how to identify Ash trees and signs of the pest, visit
www.mda.state.mn.us/eab. Overholt can be reached at LOverholt@EdinaMN.gov or 952-826-0308.
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