A lot hasn’t been heard of the September discovery of emerald ash borer in Boulder, but plenty is happening, as it should.
We are anticipating the Colorado Department of Agriculture to announce a quarantine for all ash trees/debris in a specified area in the next few weeks. This area will include Boulder County, some areas of Jefferson, Weld, and Larimer counties, to account for facilities receiving waste from Boulder.
With the quarantine, the Department of Agriculture aims to contain all ash tree material, dead or alive, to prevent the pest from spreading through contaminated wood. According to the Colorado Department of Agriculture, all ash debris (and comingled tree debris from other trees) shall not move outside the quarantine area unless it meets approved treatments, which include heat treatment, chipping to 1″x1″ in two dimensions, or fumigation. The Department of Agriculture is conducting sampling surveys and studies to determine the extent and age of the infestation. We hope to hear more by the end of the year.
At this time, it’s important not to transport firewood in and out of the area. Also, we are recommending against planting ash trees.
Emerald ash borer is very aggressive and highly-destructive, which is why our approach is equally as aggressive in nature. We’d rather err on the safe side by treating our trees, rather than risk losing millions as many states have done before us. Depending on your proximity to the detection, we are recommending either a trunk or soil injection to protect your ash trees.
We believe our urban forest is a price-less resource we must protect. Our trees help filter our air, provide shade and cooling, and are an integral part of our ecosystem. We cannot lose up to 20% of our urban forests to this foreign pest (an estimated 1 in 5 trees in the Metro area are ash).
