With the recent discovery of the Emerald Ash Borer popping up in other parts of the state, it has drawn some concerns from other areas.

Greene County ISU Extension Coordinator Michael Cooley says the insect has been detected in Union County in south central Iowa.  He believes the reason is because of infected firewood was brought to that county.

Cooley explains that the Emerald Ash Borer destroys any type of ash tree by burrowing through the tree and cutting off all nutrients the tree needs to survive.

He describes a tactic that people can use if you want to keep your ash tree from being infested.

“Is it something that you want to invest the money in because basically what it’s going to require is if not next year probably a couple of years, you’re going to be looking at annual pesticide application to the whole tree every year and that can be a significant amount of dollars.”

He adds that the tricky part is not knowing if an ash tree is infected until the tree is already destroyed because it takes the insect about 3-5 years before the tree is dead.

Cooley comments that you can look for D-shaped holes in your ash tree and if it has those kinds of signs, notify the extension office so they can run tests to verify an infestation.  Otherwise, he says you can start planning now to remove your ash tree and plant a different kind of tree.

For more information, contact the extension office in Jefferson at 386-2138.