As you get back outdoors this spring, please take the time to check your ash trees for the emerald ash borer (EAB).

EAB is a non-native, wood-boring beetle that is responsible for the death or decline of millions of ash trees in the United States and Canada, including Colorado. As a non-native insect, EAB lacks predators in North America to keep it in check.

EAB Tips for Front Range Residents

• Determine if you have ash trees. Identifying features include compound leaves with five to nine leaflets that grow directly opposite from one another. They also have diamond-shaped bark ridges on mature trees.
• If you have an ash tree, decide if the health of the tree and the benefits it provides merit treatment, or if it would be best to replace it. If unsure, contact a certified arborist.
• Replace ash trees in poor health.
• Recognize signs of EAB infestation. Look for thinning leaves near the top, 1/8-inch D-shaped holes on the bark and vertical bark splitting with winding S-shaped tunnels underneath.
• Report suspect trees by calling the Colorado Department of Agriculture at 1.888.248.5535.

Help prevent further spread of EAB. Do not transport ash or any hardwood firewood, or any other untreated ash wood products, to locations outside the Front Range. Dispose of ash wood safely by chipping, composting, milling into lumber or taking to a landfill.

For more information about EAB, go to csfs.colostate.edu/eab.