Texas A&M Forest Service staff and other Texas tree experts have been “sounding the alarm” about the emerald ash borer, a non-native beetle that has been decimating ash trees across the U.S. since 2002 (found in Texas in 2016) and has now been found in Dallas County. The beetle’s larvae hatch under ash bark and use up all the tree’s nutrients, killing the tree within 2-3 years if left unmitigated. Ash trees make up a generous portion of trees in the Metroplex, including 40 percent of Dallas’ Great Trinity Forest, and help with air quality and climate as well as wildlife habitat and flood control.
The experts recommend a professional chemical injection into the trunks of ash trees every two years, which wards off infestations and cures already-attacked trees (trees with active infections are highly “contagious”). Signs of an ash borer infestation include dead branches at the top of the tree, leafy shoots sprouting from the trunk and visible larvae groups seen after the bark is split.
More information: http://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/blog/2018/07/31/emerald-ash-borer-insect-makes-a-move-to-texas/
