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Ash Tree Advice

CyinCo

CyinCo

Well-Known Member
Mar 24, 2006
5,745
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Clive, IA
If anyone is a tree expert here, I'm looking for some advice. I have an 8 year old Ash Tree (or what I believe to be an Ash based on some internet research). It is in my front yard and is finally big enough to provide some shade, landscaping, curb appeal etc. But not so big that it would be a major project to remove it.

Do I cut my losses now and remove\replace it. Or let it continue to grow until there is an issue? I don't want to treat as it is costly.

Is there even a chance it won't be affected by the EAB?
 
Had a nursery look at one in our yard and his statement was to do nothing. The cost to cut it would be similar to the spray to protect it if it's hit. This is more mature though. If it's not big, you could zip it down fairly cheaply and start over.
 
Yes, it will get the ash borer, I will be shocked if it doesn't. Check with tree services and lawn and garden places to find out who does treatments. There is stuff you can sprinkle at the base, but that usually works with the smaller trees. What's the diameter?

All we take down at work is ash trees because they're all dead.
 
Just had a 35ft ash tree removed and the stump ground. Was only $400-$500 bucks. Not bad at all. Also have had the treatment done on a slightly larger ash and that was $200 which you have to do every two years. The only treatment that is effective is the arbor jet system.
 
stormchaser2014 said:
Yes, it will get the ash borer, I will be shocked if it doesn't. Check with tree services and lawn and garden places to find out who does treatments. There is stuff you can sprinkle at the base, but that usually works with the smaller trees. What's the diameter?

All we take down at work is ash trees because they're all dead.
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Right now it is 8" at the widest point. It is maybe 15 feet tall. Didn't grow well the first few years we had it. So, while 8 years old, it really just started to hit a growth spurt the last 3 or 4 years.

It pains me to think about removing it. Not only because it is getting big finally, but it is the center of our front landscaping. We'll need to remove lots of other plants and some stone work to put in a new tree.
 
I have two ashes between sidewalk and street. Not looking forward to losing them at some point.
Since they are in that location and planted when the subdivision when in, are they technically the city's?
 
Not an arborist, but I have done some research, since I am on the board of my HOA and we have 30 ash trees. We're treating them because that's what the homeowners wanted. I would have cut them all down and started over, because IMO they will all die and in the mean time it costs about $100/year to treat them. Any arborist who says the ash borer will die out (and they are out there) is being irresponsible, because there is no evidence to indicate that it will.

If I only had one, and it was only 15 feet tall, I would pull the plug and start over
 
CyinCo said:
Right now it is 8" at the widest point. It is maybe 15 feet tall. Didn't grow well the first few years we had it. So, while 8 years old, it really just started to hit a growth spurt the last 3 or 4 years.

It pains me to think about removing it. Not only because it is getting big finally, but it is the center of our front landscaping. We'll need to remove lots of other plants and some stone work to put in a new tree.
Click to expand...

8 inches is probably too big for the sprinkle stuff. It's definitely worth it to get it treated. If you notice dead branches at the top and/or woodpeckers in it, it has the borer. We charge $8/inch for treatments, but not sure what the market it like in Iowa, so shop around. Getting it treated twice will probably still be cheaper than having it taken down.
 
The city cut a pretty big ash tree between sidewalk and street at their (city) expense at my neighbor's right next to me but treated mine for no charge since it is younger and very healthy. I treated another in my back yard that is huge but again very healthy - about 375.00-worth every penny to me to give it a try.
 
isuno1fan said:
Just had a 35ft ash tree removed and the stump ground. Was only $400-$500 bucks. Not bad at all. Also have had the treatment done on a slightly larger ash and that was $200 which you have to do every two years. The only treatment that is effective is the arbor jet system.
Click to expand...

Not bad for $400-500?!? Holy ****. I have 37 ash trees in my 8 acre yard. Better start saving I guess.
 
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i spent an entire summer two years ago driving around and assessing the health of all the cities ash trees.... will never get that time back....

If you had a tree that was tagged with a silver tag or spray painted pink... that was me!
 
CyinCo said:
If anyone is a tree expert here, I'm looking for some advice. I have an 8 year old Ash Tree (or what I believe to be an Ash based on some internet research). It is in my front yard and is finally big enough to provide some shade, landscaping, curb appeal etc. But not so big that it would be a major project to remove it.

Do I cut my losses now and remove\replace it. Or let it continue to grow until there is an issue? I don't want to treat as it is costly.

Is there even a chance it won't be affected by the EAB?
Click to expand...
I've treated two trees larger with a liquid pesticide order on Amazon. It was around $50 for two years for both trees, so good so far.
 
I bought a Maple and an Elm tree last year because I know my Ash is going to go. Have been buying a pour on Bayer insecticide that is supposed to work on Ash Borers and it's about $25/year. If it can buy me a few years will get that much more size on the new trees.

Hate to see the Ash go. Such nice trees. Now I know what they felt like a couple generations ago when Dutch Elm disease went through and killed the American Elm.
 
I'd dig a big hole and bury it. Mostly so when people ask about the hole you can say it's an ashhole.
 
Check out the pdf here: https://store.extension.iastate.edu/Product/Emerald-Ash-Borer-Management-Options

Treating yourself with a imidacloprid soil drench is not very expensive. 3 of the 5 trees on my property are ash and I treated the two in my front yard (one about 14" diameter / 40+" circumference and one probably similar to yours) using an imidacloprid product I bought at Theisen's a few weeks ago. I think the gallon jug was $40 or so and I used about half... so treating a tree the size of yours should be <$10/yr. Going by the extension publication you probably want to get on it NOW or else wait until fall for maximum effectiveness.

My plan is to keep up the DIY applications for the near term, and when/if actual infestation occurs make a decision then on using a more expensive "professional" product. I had seen some pretty promising information on Tree-age / emamectin benzoate but I understand it's WAY more expensive and only available to pros. I think it's also a relatively new product--believe the study I saw a year or two ago from Ohio State was the first one that tested it--so I was a bit curious to see if others found similar results but haven't really looked into it since.
 
I would make plans for when the Ash trees may be gone.

We lost most of our Ash trees years before they confirmed the EAB's were in Des Moines. They had the tell-tale stripped bark and evidence of their presence. We reported it to the city and extension services. The local news kept saying that "the ash bugs are coming!" but they came and went through the property I lived on well before the news reported it was a problem.

The smartest thing my landlord did was to plant a red oak and regular oak in the yard directly West of the house while the Ashes were meeting their demise. Their shade grew year by year and replaced the Ash tree responsibilities.

Also - for the Ash wood - use it in the burn pit or the fire pit or the above ground fire pit. Just burn it. It has no value and may have some critters still roaming around. Kill it with fire and make hot dogs or S'Mores. Let that infested Ash pay you back for its service in your yard by burning it.

Good luck on your venture - just get started now.
 
CyinCo said:
Right now it is 8" at the widest point. It is maybe 15 feet tall. Didn't grow well the first few years we had it. So, while 8 years old, it really just started to hit a growth spurt the last 3 or 4 years.

It pains me to think about removing it. Not only because it is getting big finally, but it is the center of our front landscaping. We'll need to remove lots of other plants and some stone work to put in a new tree.
Click to expand...

At that size, it is really a gamble leaving it, as it can be so cheaply removed. We have one that's maybe 30'.
 
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