Fighting insect attacks on trees costs millions of dollars a year and each year millions of trees die because they do not get treated. It is not just the monetary cost or the loss to the landscape that is a problem but the effect on the environment as well.

The loss of trees has an impact on urban areas because they play a big roll in cooling the urban environment. The shade that trees provide will reduce the temperature by 10% or more by shading asphalt and concrete from the sun. Trees also clean millions of tons of pollutants from the air each year. They also add to the quality of life, who hasn’t sat under the shade of a tree on a warm summer afternoon to enjoy a cool breeze and relax out of the heat of a hot sun?

As a kid trees were a big part of my life first and foremost was the tree house were we spent countless hours in our secret hideaway up in the sky, making plans and dreaming big dreams. Without trees where would we hang the tire swing or worse yet the rope that allowed us to swing out over the lake and then drop into the cooling waters below.

Now that I am older I still love sitting under a tree in the heat of a summer afternoon of course it takes a bit longer to get up. I realize that they song birds and the squirrels that entertain and amuse me so much are also dependent on the trees for their homes and a source of food as well.

In the picture above you can see the defoliated ash tree which has fallen prey to the Emerald Ash Borer who digs tunnels by feeding on the cambium layer under the tree bark and cut off the flow of water and nutrients in the tree. Most trees die after about 3 years of infestation. This peat was first identified in the United States In Michigan and in 2002 and was thought to arrive here several years earlier in the Detroit area probably as a stow away on shipping crates coming in from Asia.

What the big problem with all this is that In Wisconsin, there are approximately 700 million ash trees in the forests, and about as many in the towns and cities. It’s the second most common tree in urban areas.
Because all ash trees are susceptible can you imagine what will happen to the forest and beautiful tree lined streets.

This insect has now spread As of July 1 2013 the ash borer has spread to Michigan, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Ontario and Quebec.

There are insecticides that will kill the borer and protect the trees for two years. The good news is that they are injected right into the trees and stay inside the trees and-are not spread in the environment.

The bad news is is that they are injected right into the trees and must be done by a licensed trained professionals so they are not available to the general public. In the Chicagoland Area One of the best tree care companies is
Royal Oaks Corporation
(708) 599-0700
There website is http://royaloakscorp.com

If you have Ash Trees I would suggest you call and get a free quote on your trees today. It does not take long for these insects to devastate a tree and it takes many years for a replacement tree to get to any size.