Emerald Ash Borer – It’s Here!

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If you’re tired of hearing about the Emerald Ash Borer, either you don’t have any ash trees or you have taken all the protective steps and you’re well enough prepared. Or maybe you’re not sure what an ash tree looks like. Kidding, not kidding. (But just in case, here’s how to identify an ash tree.)¹ In any event… the Emerald Ash Borer has been found in Lakewood.

Our neighbor Ken Fischer sounded the alarm in our spring 2022 newsletter. It was the first time most of us had heard of the malicious pest. Getting the word from an experienced woodsman like Ken made it feel like we were let in on some privileged inside information. We put out more information and a progress report written by Marcel Guajardo in March 2023, and then back in June of this year we gave a status update on the advance of the bug as it closed in on Lakewood. We hope you’re not bored.

Now it’s here.

Lakewood spokesperson Amber Thill, writing in last week’s Friday Report, said that the city has detected its first case of infestation. According to Thill, “The case was detected in a small area in central Lakewood and was confirmed by CSU Extension in Jefferson County.” The City of Lakewood has an identification guide and information on what to do about this pest: Emerald Ash Borer. This is our primary reference in Lakewood for symptoms, evaluation, and possible remedies. It will be updated as the insect takes up its battle positions in the area, and our Forestry Department is taking proactive steps for ash trees on public property, using appropriate insecticides. As we stated in June, the EAB is susceptible to a number of insecticides, and treatment is by direct injection into the tree or soil drenching. Some insecticides must be applied by licensed applicators, and some can be used by homeowners.