Tree Identification....Ash, right?

[Green Jeep]

Someone please confirm this is an Ash tree, or set me straight on what it is.

 

[JTM]

It's an ash.

 

[Green Jeep]

Thank you. Haven't seen direct evidence of EAB but the neighborhood has lots of them dead. This one declined pretty quickly this year.

I'm curious how long it will take to completely kill a tree.

 

[JeffGu]

You don't want to wait for it to be dead. Either treat it with imidacloprid, or start planning its removal while it is alive. Dead ash trees are very dangerous and the removal will cost you more, not less, when it is dead.
It looks pretty healthy, and the treatments are good for 2 or 3 years.

 

[Green Jeep]

Last year it seemed completely fine. This year about 30% of the branches never leafed out. That being said, is it still salvageable?

I understand treating an Ash tree is a perpetual cycle. What sort of cost will I be getting myself into if I decide to go that route?

 

[Mustang71]

Same thing here last year no signs this year a few are have no leaves and others have thinned out a lot. I'm going to have a lot of fire wood over the next few years and I'll be living in a field not the woods.

I've read once there's signs of the EAB then it takes about 2 years to loose all the leaves.

 

[jefflovstrom]

You take good pics!,
Jeff

 

[ATH]

Last year it seemed completely fine. This year about 30% of the branches never leafed out. That being said, is it still salvageable?

I understand treating an Ash tree is a perpetual cycle. What sort of cost will I be getting myself into if I decide to go that route?

Can't tell from those pics if it is worth saving. EAB hits the top center first...so early on there were a lot of trees here that I think we could have kept a live, but it would have been a horrible-looking/deformed tree.

If you buy bulk imidacloprid, that costs about $.20-$.40 per inch of diameter (depending on size of the tree - trees over 15" get double the per inch dose) and needs to be reapplied EVERY year. Pricing to hire treatment is all over the board. If it is hitting really hard, you might want to consider hiring somebody to treat withTree-AGE for a couple of years. Again, pricing is all over the place. Ask what rate they are using. Should be 5ml per inch (that is what the manufacturer is suggesting now). Over $13-14 is a rip off...but I see it. I'm about $9 per inch. I was $12 per inch when I was using 10ml per inch on the bigger trees before the newer recommendations for 5ml came out...

 

[ATH]

....

I've read once there's signs of the EAB then it takes about 2 years to loose all the leaves.

That is about right. What we saw here
Year 0: "it is not in this town yet" to
Year 1: "EAB identified in town ABC - probably has been there at least 3-5 years"
Year 2: dead trees can be seen all over town
Year 4-5: not many living ash to be found that aren't treated

 

[Mustang71]

It's just starting here the trees next to the field look bad the others look fine but drive down the road and look at trees and it's very noticeable. I've had the EAB land on me while splitting wood.

 

[Green Jeep]

You take good pics!,
Jeff

Thanks man. Photography is a big hobby of mine.

 

[moresnow]

What part of Iowa?

 

[Green Jeep]

Davenport

 

[Marine5068]

Second the great pics.
My Cousin and I were talking about it at his annual family BBQ.
He showed me all the neighbours dead Ash trees and that one tried treatments on a tree that cost around $500 but it only prolonged the tree's life by two more years.
EAB is a horrible invasive species and its affected millions of trees in North America.
Here in Southern Ontario there have been 500,000 or more removed from large metropolitan centres like Toronto.
With no cure in site, not sure how many will resist the EAB.

 

[woodchip rookie]

I think the Ash trees here are wising up....They played dead so the EAB would leave then started re-rooting and re-sprouting. Yes, alot didn't make it but ash is what I cut most and I have seen some weird stuff.

 

[Green Jeep]

Thanks everyone. This tree is right out front and gives us lots of privacy but I think I'll just get rid of it. Treatment sounds like an expensive proposition for something that very well might not work.

If I wanted to replant directly over this spot, how long would I have to wait after grinding the stump?

 

[Mustang71]

I have a lot of old ash stumps that turned into trees again in a few years. It's pretty crazy.

 

[Green Jeep]

I had two trees that I cut down and they sprouted many stalks shortly after. Was told that they are box elder but I don't know. They are right along a shoreline so I don't want to use any herbicide on them.

 

[Mustang71]

I have an ash that the previous owner cut down and I kept chopping the new buds off of then let it grow and in about 3 years it's 15 feet tall also have one I'm trimming like a bush and it seems to be fine with it. I guess if u really like ur ash tree cut it down at the first sign of the ashole borer and let it re grow.

 

[ATH]

EAB will impact those sprouts too.

Treatment is VERY effective if done correctly. Just like everything else, there are people willing to take your money who have no idea what they are doing. This is a little different than pruning because you can't see the immediate results of their ignorance/ineptitude. (in most cases...saw some ArborPlugs placed about 4' high on a trunk of an ash tree that used to be down the road from my house...) But it is a long-term investment - if you aren't willing to make that investment, I don't blame you...I'm just saying don't write it off as ineffective.

As far as when can you replant in the same spot: whenever you can physically get the new tree in the ground. There are some root borne disease that would change that, but for the most part, if the old stump is ground down far enough that you can dig and put a new tree sitting on dirt, it will be good to go.