Treatment to Protect Publicly Owned Ash Trees - June 10 - June 24, 2024
Ash trees make up a large portion of the public trees that line our streets and fill our local parks. The Bay County Forest Sustainability Program understands the value of trees and works to protect these trees from invasive pests such as the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). The EAB lays eggs on the bark of ash trees and the hatchlings bore into the tree bark. Once inside the bark layer of an ash tree, the EAB chews through the tree's water and nutrient-conducting tissues essentially starving the tree. As the tree begins to die the leafy canopy of the infested ash tree will begin to look thin, and once the tree dies it will become a fall threat to life and property. That's why we will be conducting treatments to continue protecting publicly owned Ash trees in Bay County from the invasive Emerald Ash Borer between June 10th to June 24th, 2024.
The ash trees are treated through the direct injection of an insecticide called Tree-age that contains the active ingredient Emamectin Benzoate which will kill 99% of EAB that feed on it. Since the product is injected directly into the tree through a one-way port, there is no danger of the product leaking out of the tree and affecting non-target organisms. EAB treatment timing is dependent on the leaf development of the ash trees that will be treated. The ash trees need to be actively transpiring or moving water through the tree to take up the insecticide. Treatment of each tree is estimated to take from 15 minutes up to two hours and will be done by a small crew of arborist-certified professionals. The 2024 Emerald Ash Borer Treatment Project will treat approximately 884 Ash trees and will take up to two weeks to complete. These treatments will protect the trees from EAB for three (3) years. The application firm conducting the injection treatment for Bay County will be Kinnucan Tree Experts & Landscape Company.
Specific areas of ash trees included in the 2024 treatment operations are located throughout western and northern portions of Bay City, Bentley, the City of Pinconning, and the Village of Linwood. Parks include Pinconning Park, Doc Letchfield Park, Monitor Township Park, Garfield Township Hall/Park, Bentley Ballpark, Frankenlust Township Hall/Park, Veterans Memorial Park, Linwood Bicentennial Park, and Bay City State Park.
For more information about the program's Emerald Ash Borer Treatment Operations, or about how to keep your trees healthy, please contact Jeremy Lowell, Bay County Forest Sustainability Program Coordinator, at 989-895-4195 or [email protected] or visit us at the Forest Sustainability section on the Bay County website.
