Emerald ash borer (EAB) was detected in an ash tree in Boulder in September. This is significant not only because this is the first time EAB has been discovered in Colorado but this also makes Colorado the first western state to have EAB found within its boundaries. EAB has killed roughly 50 million ash trees since it was first discovered in Michigan in 2002.
There are many agencies working together to detect any further spread of EAB in Colorado. Quarantines to prevent the movement of all ash tree products will most likely be enacted as will thorough surveys of all of Boulder’s and Denver’s city limits as well as surrounding communities. Although Colorado does not have a continuous forest canopy of ash trees like Michigan, there are an estimated 98,000 ash trees in Boulder and nearly 1.5 million ash trees in the Denver metro area.
Like Michigan and other states where EAB is established now, transport of ash firewood and raw log wood products is the primary vector. While other agents can affect ash trees similarly to EAB, look for these signs that are specific to EAB:
•Sparse leaves or branches in the upper crowns of ash trees
•D-shaped exit holes roughly the size of a pencil eraser
•Prolific branch sprouting on the lower trunk or on lower branches
•Vertical bark splitting
•Serpentine tunnels underneath the bark often packed with sawdust
•Increased woodpecker activity
Epicormic Sprouting on the trunk
Feeding galleries of the emerald ash borer
EAB has not been detected in Wyoming. For more information on EAB and to track its spread go to: http://www.emeraldashborer.info/#sthash.edyEW14W.dpbs If you think you have EAB in your ash trees, please contact the Wyoming State Forestry Division.
WYOMING STATE FORESTRY DIVISION 