Emerald ash borer What is it? An invasive tree pest that kills ash trees. How do I recognize it? Look for dead branches, crown thinning, excessive sprouting, ‘S’-shaped tunnels under the bark, ‘D’-shaped exit holes and severe woodpecker damage in ash trees. What are governments doing about it? There’s a Boulder County quarantine to slow the spread. Cities and towns are coming up with EAB management plans for public ash trees. There’s a quarantine? Ash wood or hardwood firewood must be double-ground before it can be removed from Boulder County (or parts of Erie in Weld County). Longmont residents can drop wood debris off for free at the Waste Diversion Center, 140 Martin St. There are stiff fines for moving un-ground wood from the area. What should I do if I have an ash tree? Make a plan for your ash tree by considering if it’s healthy enough to treat with pesticides. More info: The Boulder County webpage is bit.ly/countyEAB. The state webpage is bit.ly/stateEAB and Longmont’s is bit.ly/LongmontEAB.

The emerald ash borer, an invasive and destructive tree pest, has been detected in Lyons.

The pest’s arrival in Colorado was confirmed when it was discovered in Boulder in 2013. Since then, it has been found in Longmont, Lafayette and Gunbarrel.

An ash tree infested with emerald ash borer typically dies within two to four years, according to a Colorado State Forest Service news release. It usually takes between six and eight years for a community to hit the peak of the emerald ash borer death curve, meaning ash trees will die in exponentially higher numbers and peak in roughly eight years.

The emerald ash borer in Lyons was discovered when an arborist identified an ash tree on private property near Fourth Avenue and Broadway as potentially being infested. The property manager notified members of the interagency Colorado EAB Response Team. An adult beetle found in the Lyons tree was provided to the Colorado Department of Agriculture and confirmed as an emerald ash borer beetle, according to the news release.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture established a quarantine zone around Boulder County in 2013 to stop the human-aided spread of emerald ash borer. The insects can fly a half-mile per year on their own, but can also travel in transported firewood.

Due to the emerald ash borer, no ash wood or hardwood firewood is allowed outside of Boulder County (or the portion of Erie in Weld County) without being double-ground into 1-inch-by-1-inch pieces.

The state emerald ash borer response team says if Boulder County doesn’t have a plan for its private ash trees, it should formulate one. Step one is to determine if your tree is an ash tree by looking for leaves with five to nine leaflets, buds and branches growing directly opposite from one another and diamond-shaped bark ridges on mature trees.

The Colorado State University Boulder County extension and the Colorado State Forest Service collaborated to develop an app that will help people determine whether they have an ash tree. The app is called EAB/Ash Tree ID.

Next, people need to decide whether the tree is healthy enough to be treated with pesticides. Ash trees that are small or already damaged by insects may not be worth investing in.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture licenses applicators who can inject the pesticide into the base of a healthy ash tree to protect it from emerald ash borer.

The Colorado State Forest Service is currently working with Larimer County since the county border is only a few miles north of Lyons, according to the news release.

If you think your tree could have emerald ash borer, or have general questions, contact the Colorado Department of Agriculture at 888-248-5535, email CAPS.program@state.co.us or visit the EAB Identification and Reporting page at 1.usa.gov/22F2UcD.