Emerald Ash Borer alert!
The future for ash trees is very bleak. In the areas that have been infested with the borer, ash tree mortality is almost 100%. This is a much more serious problem than say the infamous Dutch elm disease, by which millions of elms have been killed, though many millions continue to live. Not so with ashes, they will all die! And what makes the ash situation more serious than the elm problem is in the way the ashes will die- elms show dead leaves as the branches die, but ashes infected with emerald ash borer start to drop branches before there is any visible signs of decline. And, for that reason, Lewis Tree Care, Inc. does not recommend insecticide treatments of ash trees, especially large ashes. Such treatments, which cannot realistically be 100% effective, would leave some portion of the tree (unknown from ground level) unprotected and vulnerable to breakage, giving the tree owner a false sense of security. So, for safety's sake, start thinking about removing your ash trees before they become a problem. And for the environment and future generations, start thinking about replanting with a different type of tree.