Emerald Ash Borer and Ash Tree Removal in the Kennebec Valley

What the emerald ash borer is and why it kills ash

The emerald ash borer is a small invasive beetle that came from Asia. The adult does little harm, but the larvae are the problem. They hatch under the bark and tunnel through the layer that carries water and nutrients up and down the tree. Once enough of those channels are cut, the tree starts to starve.

It attacks true ash species, including white ash, green ash, and brown or black ash. It does not go after mountain ash, which is not a true ash despite the name. Most healthy ash trees can hold on for a few seasons after they are first infested, but the decline is steady and the tree does not recover on its own.

How to tell if your ash is infested

The first thing most people notice is thinning at the top of the tree. The upper canopy starts to die back while the lower branches still leaf out. You may also see new shoots sprouting low on the trunk, called epicormic sprouts, where the tree is trying to push out growth below the damage.

Look closer and you can find D-shaped exit holes about an eighth of an inch wide where adult beetles chewed their way out. Peel back loose bark and you may see serpentine, S-shaped tunnels packed underneath. Splits in the bark are common too. One of the clearest tells is woodpecker activity. Birds strip the outer bark to get at the larvae and leave a pale, blond flecked look on the trunk and limbs.

Why a dead ash is dangerous and time-sensitive

Ash is one of the worst trees to leave standing once it dies. The wood turns brittle quickly and becomes unpredictable. Limbs and whole sections can fail with no warning, which makes a dead ash risky for anyone working near it and risky for whatever sits below it.

That is why we tell people not to wait on a declining ash. A tree that is caught while it still has some sound wood is far safer and more straightforward to take down than one that has been dead for a couple of years. Our crews are set up for the brittle ones, but the smart move is to remove a failing ash before it gets to that point.

The Maine quarantine and your firewood

Emerald ash borer has been confirmed in Maine, and the state has rules in place to slow how fast it spreads. Maine has quarantine restrictions that limit moving ash wood and firewood out of regulated areas, because hauling infested wood is one of the main ways the beetle jumps to a new town.

The simple rule for homeowners is to not move ash firewood off your property. If you have ash wood to deal with, ask us or check with the Maine Forest Service before it goes anywhere. Quarantine boundaries and details can change, so the Maine Forest Service and the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry are the right place to confirm what applies to your address.

What we do with declining and dead ash

We handle the removal end of the problem. That means taking down declining or already dead ash trees safely, including the brittle ones close to houses, driveways, power lines, and fences. We bring the tree down in a controlled way, clean up the brush and wood, and handle the material in line with the quarantine rules.

We can also grind out the stump and leave the area clean. Treatment to protect a high-value ash is a separate path that runs through a licensed pesticide applicator, and that is their call to make. Our job is the safe removal and cleanup, done by licensed, fully insured Maine crews.

Ash is everywhere in the Kennebec Valley

Ash is a common tree around here. You see it along roadsides, in fencerows between fields, and on the wet ground near streams and low spots throughout the Augusta and Waterville area. A lot of that ash sits close to homes, driveways, and power lines, which is exactly where a failing tree becomes a real problem.

If you have ash on your land and you are not sure how it is doing, it is worth a look now rather than after a limb comes down. We cover the Kennebec Valley and can come out, walk the property with you, and tell you honestly what we see.