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| Emerald Ash Borer Larva |
Tree removal is a necessary practice for nearly all golf course
grounds departments. The reason for this is because trees are living
organisms that constantly change depending on age, climate, nutrient
availability, soil compaction, accidental wounds, and insect damage. For
example, one major issue we encounter in the Midwest is life
threatening insect damage on ash trees. This is caused by an insect
known as the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive species that only feeds on
ash trees. Since its accidental introduction into the United States and
Canada in the 1990s, and its subsequent detection in 2002,
it has spread to 14 states
and adjacent parts of Canada. The Emerald Ash Borer has killed at least
50 to 100 million ash trees so far and threatens
to kill most of the 7.5 billion ash trees throughout North America.
