Is Your Ash Tree Worth Saving?

A 30-minute live YouTube stream hosted by Kenny: how emerald ash borer kills ash trees, what actually saves them, what treatment costs, and when it's NOT worth doing. Live Q&A at the end for your specific tree, and attendees get a 10% off treatment code at the end of the broadcast.

No. It's free, there's no card required, and no obligation to do anything afterward. Attending live actually saves you money: a 10% off treatment code is shared at the end of the broadcast.

No. It's a YouTube live stream, so you just watch. If you want to ask about your tree, type it in the live chat and Kenny answers on air.

Register anyway. Everyone who signs up gets the recording. But live attendees get their own questions answered.

No. You'll get straight answers, including when we'd tell you a tree is not worth treating. Worst case, you'll leave knowing exactly how to judge any tree company's quote.

Yes! That's the whole point of hosting it live. Drop your question in the live chat, and it helps to have a photo of your tree and a trunk measurement handy. Three dates to choose from, so pick the one that fits.

Ash trees have compound leaves with 5 to 11 leaflets, branches that grow in directly opposite pairs, diamond-pattern bark on mature trunks, and single-wing paddle-shaped seeds. There's a photo guide at savetheashtree.com/do-i-have-an-ash.

EAB larvae feed under the bark for 1 to 3 years with zero visible symptoms. By the time a tree looks sick, it's already been infested for years. A healthy-looking tree is the best (and cheapest) tree to protect.

Thinning at the top of the canopy, woodpeckers stripping bark, D-shaped exit holes about 3 to 4mm wide, S-shaped tunnels under bark, vertical bark splits, and leafy shoots sprouting from the trunk.

Often, yes. Woodpeckers feed on EAB larvae under the bark, so heavy woodpecker activity on an ash is one of the strongest early indicators of infestation. It does not mean the tree is lost. It means get it checked now.

D-shaped holes mean adult beetles have already emerged, so the infestation is at least a year old, but it's not necessarily too late. If the canopy is still more than 70% intact, trunk injection can usually still save the tree.

Untreated ash trees typically die within 2 to 5 years of infestation. In areas where EAB is established, effectively 100% of untreated ash trees eventually die. There's no natural resistance.

EAB is usually present 1 to 5 years before it's officially detected, and it spreads 10 to 20 miles a year on its own. If it's confirmed in a neighboring county, assume it's already in yours.

The 30% rule: below roughly 30% canopy loss, a tree can usually be saved. At or above 30%, the vascular system is too damaged for treatment to work and removal is the honest recommendation. Kenny covers how to estimate this on the call.

Trunk injection: the insecticide (Mectinite, emamectin benzoate 4%) goes directly into the tree's vascular system through small ports in the trunk. It's the most reliable method against EAB, and nothing is sprayed in your yard.

Two full years per injection. As long as EAB pressure exists in your area, retreatment every 2 years keeps the tree protected.

The product begins acting within 1 to 3 weeks of injection.

A tree that was already declining can look rough for 2 to 3 seasons after treatment. That's normal. Most treated trees show clear, meaningful recovery by year 3. A healthy tree treated preventively simply stays healthy.

Roughly April 15 to June 15 is optimal, and trunk injection stays highly effective through summer. Fall works for trees under 30% decline. Winter injections aren't possible because the tree has to be moving water.

No. Assessment happens remotely with photos and a simple trunk measurement, which keeps costs down. If you'd rather talk it through, you can get a free phone call with a tree technician.

Wrap a metal tape measure around the trunk at 4.5 feet above the ground. That number (the circumference) is what pricing is based on. Don't use string; it stretches and reads small.

No. The crew knows where the tree is, treats it, and you're invoiced when it's done.

It's priced by trunk size (circumference inches), so every tree is different, but treatment typically runs a few hundred dollars every two years, while removing a dead mature ash runs $500 to $2,500 or more, and emergency removal of a hazardous one costs 2 to 4 times more. Kenny walks through real examples on the call.

Almost never. Removal costs more than years of protection, dead ash trees become dangerously brittle fast (bark falls in sheets, limbs snap without warning), and a mature shade tree's value to your property is essentially irreplaceable in your lifetime.

Yes. If a tree dies from EAB while under care, that year's injection cost is refunded. The one honest exception: the warranty can't apply to trees already showing decline when first treated, and you'll be told that upfront.

Homeowner soil drenches are much weaker against EAB. University research shows large trees can need two consecutive annual applications before reaching protective levels, which is often too slow once EAB is present. Professional-grade trunk injection is the highest-efficacy option and can only be applied by licensed applicators.

The product is sealed inside the tree's vascular system. Nothing is sprayed, so there's no drift onto your lawn or garden. Bring any specific concerns to the call and Kenny will address them directly.

Minnesota (Twin Cities metro and beyond), plus the Lincoln NE, Kansas City, Dallas, and Sioux Falls areas. With 4 or more trees there's no travel charge, regardless of distance.

Any untreated ash on your property (or your neighbor's) stays at risk. EAB spreads 1 to 2 miles a season, so treating one tree while others stay exposed is a delay, not a strategy. Multi-tree treatment is also where pricing gets efficient: 4+ trees means no travel charge.

Licensed pesticide applicators, personally trained by Kenny under an internal certification program more rigorous than standard licensing. This is all the company does: ash and oak tree protection.