Western Iowa is starting to see more widespread cases of trees becoming infested with the emerald ash borer.
The first case was discovered in Woodbury County last year and that’s where Lindsay Meylor works as a horticulture educator with the ISU Extension and Outreach. Meylor says her office is now fielding frequent calls from people, wondering what they can do to save their trees.
“If they want to have a better chance of having it survive, I always tell them to contact an arborist,” Meylor says, “but I say if your tree is in decline already, before even seeing the insect, I would say just take it down and plant a different type.”
Meylor says insecticide is best applied before any signs of damage, and treatment — which can cost hundreds of dollars per application — will have to continue throughout the life of the tree. The insect can kill a tree within two years of infestation.
She says, “If you really like your tree, just keep in mind, it’s never 100% guaranteed that the insecticide is going to completely protect it from getting it.”
The DNR says when the invasive pest first appeared in eastern Iowa in 2010, there were an estimated 54 million woodland ash trees and another three-million planted in urban areas. It’s unclear how many survived. The emerald ash borer has been detected in all but one of Iowa’s 99 counties. Emmett in northwest Iowa is the only county without a confirmed case.
(By Sheila Brummer, Iowa Public Radio)