Grants for injectable system to protect trees from the Emerald Ash Borer.

DATELINE: WOBURN, MA…
CUT, CHIP, and GRIND… CUT, CHIP, and GRIND… This has been the process repeated in city after city in the hard-hit Midwest in an effort to eradicate the Emerald Ash Borer. Over 15 million ash trees have been destroyed in the Detroit, MI area alone because of this noxious pest.

Witnessing the ongoing destruction of stately ash trees, whether diseased or not, the non-profit Urban Forest Conservancy has decided to take action. The Urban Forest Conservancy was specifically established to prevent such widespread destruction of urban forests

Dedicated to keeping America’s cities green, the Urban Forest Conservancy, in conjunction with Arborjet, has agreed to provide municipal arborists in hard hit Midwestern cities in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana with a Tree I.V. 2 –pack Kit, which uses high volume, low pressure micro-infusion to inject IMA-jet pesticide, resulting in up to 2 years of residual protection for each non-infested ash tree after only one injection.

Controlling EAB
Native to Asia, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an exotic invasive beetle which currently threatens 7.5 billion ash trees in the U.S. Ash trees make up 6% of the entire U.S. forest canopy. Removal of infested ash and girdling ash to reduce the spread are currently the most commonly employed eradication procedures. Some municipalities are adopting the destructive CUT, CHIP, and GRIND method to remove ash trees even before the Emerald Ash Borer arrives, attempting a pre-emptive strike against the insects.

Last year, Michigan State University researched the efficacy of the following insecticides and treatment methods for EAB: Arborjet’s IMA-jet (5%) using Arborjet’s Tree I.V. Devices, Bayer’s Merit (75 wp) soil injection, Mauget’s (10%), Imicide injection capsules, and Arborsystems’ Pointer(12%) using the Wedgle trunk injection system. Imidacloprid peak residue in the leaves for Arboret’s IMA-jet was 350 parts per billion (ppb) as compared to the to the other treatments which measured at 69 ppb and less, and EAB adult mortality was up to 90%, demonstrating the effectiveness of the Arborjet treatment.

The availability of a promising alternative to save ash trees demonstrated by this study led to the creation of the Urban Forest Conservancy’s grant program, which will enable municipal arborists to test the Arborjet system in their own communities at no cost.

For further information about a municipality’s eligibility for a free Tree I.V. grant from the Urban Forest Conservancy, please call 1-866-272-6758.