The Emerald Ash Borer has wreaked havoc across North America, and the insect isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
In St. Louis, a tree company has begun taking down approximately 800 ash trees with another 400 planned to be taken down as well, according to Fox2Now.
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The insect is traveling through St. Louis and officials with the CityArchRiver project are spending $14 million to replace the ash trees with London Plane trees.
The torn down ash trees won’t be wasted, however.
The trees will be ground into mulch to be used on the Arch Grounds.
Since the discovery of the Emerald Ash Borer, it has killed more than 50 million ash trees in more than 20 states and two Canadian provinces.
To help fight the insect, here area few preventative treatments:
- Trunk Injection (Arborjet TREE-age) – Injections can start in late May through June. It is effective for at least two years; yet research has shown it can last longer. Truck injections are recommended for trees within 15 miles of the known detection site. A trunk injection may also be used if a soil injection is recommended, but the soil is not accessible.
- Soil injection (Criterion) – Soil injections can be made mid to late spring and fall. A soil injection will protect trees for one year. Professional soil injections can place the insecticide below turf or mulch to directly reach the root zone of the tree.
- Trunk spray or basal bark treatment (Safari) – Trunk spray is applied in June. The spray is effective for one growing season. The basal truck spray offers the advantage of being easy and quick to apply.