Treatment options for an Ash Tree

During this post I will discuss various treatments and options on whether you should treat an ash tree.  Because of the expense of yearly treatments, it is important to weigh the decision carefully.  Consider the value of the tree in relation to the costs of the treatment.  You also need to keep in mind the health of the tree before expending costs to save it.

Research suggests that insecticide treatments may be able to save infested ash trees exhibiting low to moderate die back, which is around 20 to 40 percent.  The insecticide product that is most commonly used is Bayer Advanced Garden Tree and Shrub Insect Control.  For more severe cases you need to contact your local professional arborist.  The best time to treat this issue is from the months of May to early June.  All you have to do is mix the product with water and drench it around the base of the tree.  Trees that are less than 6 inches in diameter only really require one year of treatment, but larger trees may require two years of treatment before they are protected.  It is also important to keep in mind that you must continue the treatment each year.

So how long will it take to notice if this treatment is taking effect?

At sites where ash trees have been infested and treated with soil drenching for 3 years, about half of the trees survived and appeared to be very healthy.  These trees were heavily infested when the test began, so an early treatment would have yielded better results.  Homeowners need to take action to protect their trees.  They may also contact tree care professionals to treat their trees.  Professionals have access to some additional products that are not available to homeowners.  The best call to action is to always start treatment as soon as possible.

So let’s review what we have discussed:

1.      Once you have identified an ash tree, way out the costs of treatment in relation to the health of the tree.

2.      Purchase products such as, Bayer Advanced Garden, to treat your personal trees.

3.      If you are not able to treat your tree, contact a professional arborist for help.

4.      It is always better to start treatment earlier than later when dealing with an ash tree.  You can always use treatment as a preventative measure to save your tree.

Please help protect our tree population by preventing this insect from killing our trees.  Ash trees are growing at an alarming rate and these four simple steps can help save millions of trees for our future.