911 Sounded For Our Trees!

Emerald Ash Borer

A type of Asian beetle that first appeared in Pennsylvania three years ago has made its way to Pittsburgh, a sign that the death of about 14 percent of the trees in the city's public parks is near.  The Emerald Ash Borer will likely kill as many as 45,000 ash trees in the city's parks within the next three to five years. 

The exotic beetles, with their metallic green wings and copper-colored abdomens, have been ravaging trees in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois since the late 1990s. Because the borer invades a tree from the top and remains hidden inside the bark for most of the year, the tree's fate can be sealed long before any symptoms show. An infestation will kill a tree within three years.  While North American ash trees have no immunity to infestations, insecticides are available but expensive .... about $8 per inch of tree thickness.
 
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
Emerald Ash Borer 
Metro Pittsburgh Real Estate