Emerald Ash Borer has infested ash trees across the state of Minnesota, especially the metro, southern Minnesota, and now creeping into central Minnesota and the Duluth area.
EAB Minnesota Infestation Areas
If you live in Ramsey, Hennepin, Anoka, Dakota, Scott, Washington, or Carver counties in the Twin Cities metro, most if not all of your county has been infested with EAB, and has been quarantined.
If you live in Wright or Chisago counties on the edge of the Twin Cities metro area, portions of your county are infested, but your entire county is under quarantine.
If your ash tree is infested with Emerald Ash Borer in a quarantined area of Minnesota, not only do you probably want to remove the tree, but you also have to know how to handle the wood to prevent further infestations.
That’s where Ron’s Tree Service comes in. Contact us for professional tree removal and Emerald Ash Borer help today.
Minnesota Ash Trees
Ash trees native to Minnesota include:
- Black ash, common in forested wetlands;
- White ash, common through southern and central Minnesota; and,
- Green ash, common on upland sites.
Blue ash trees are not native to Minnesota but have been transplanted here successfully.
All four of these ash trees are susceptible to Emerald Ash Borer infection.
Emerald Ash Borer Treatment Or Dead Ash Tree Removal Cost
Emerald Ash Borer can fly and travel in firewood - this makes it quick to spread. Your white ash, black ash, green ash, and blue ash are all susceptible, so it’s important to know what you’re up against.
Once your tree has been infected with Emerald Ash Borer, you may notice heavy woodpecker activity, tunnels underneath the bark, or the distinctive “D”-shaped holes of adult EAB tunneling out. If your ash tree looks like it’s lost 30% of its canopy, it may be too late for treatment.
Removing an ash tree infected with Emerald Ash Borer, or an ash tree that is already dead is not any more costly than removing a normal tree.
At Ron’s Tree Service & Firewood, we have a Compliance Agreement with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture which defines how we handle Emerald Ash Borer infested ash tree wood responsibly if leaving the quarantined area, which can include:
- chipping it down to smaller than one inch in two dimensions
- debarking the tree plus half-an-inch
- heat treating the wood until the center reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes
- and other options.
The cost for the removal of each Minnesota ash tree simply depends on the size of the tree and its location. The size and difficulty of removal are the limiting factors for any cost.
Contact Ron’s Tree Service for a professional tree removal quote and Emerald Ash Borer help today.
What To Do With Emerald Ash Borer Infested Ash Tree Wood?
Here are the guidelines, direct from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture website, as of early 2022:
What can I do with my ash material from a quarantined county?
- Ash material can be brought to a disposal site within the quarantine.
- Material can be utilized within the quarantine for any legal purpose.
** If removing ash material or other regulated articles from the quarantine, the following options may be used but require a Compliance Agreement with the MDA. We advise that this Compliance Agreement is in place before beginning processing operations. **
- Material can be chipped to one inch or less in two dimensions (two of three measurements-length, width, and thickness-must be one inch or smaller).
- Material can be debarked, which means complete bark removal plus half an inch of wood.
- Material can be composted, the material must reach at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit for four days and the pile must be turned after four days.
- Material can be heat treated; the center of the wood must reach at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes.
- Material can be kiln-dried; must meet USDA guidelines.
- Material can be fumigated by a licensed fumigator. October 1 to April 30.
Contact Ron’s Tree Service for a professional tree removal quote and Emerald Ash Borer help today.