We rarely see plants or animals become extinct before our eyes. Extinction is often something far away and abstract – it happened long ago or far away. Yet right now before our eyes, one of the most important groups of trees is vanishing. Ash trees, in the genus Fraxinus, are rapidly disappearing, and there is […]
Until recently, we have been telling you that blue ash, Fraxinus quadrangulata, appears to be resistant to emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis. This is important because blue ash is the most abundant ancient tree in our woodland pastures. The emerald ash borer is devastating our white and green ash trees. See our previous story about […]
It is that time of year when our urban forest seems to be lush, vibrant, and green. Trees have finished leafing out, many have flowered and, with recent heavy rains, many are growing well. To the casual observer, the urban forest looks like it is thriving. People are planting trees all over town and nurseries are […]
The emerald ash borer, a shiny green beetle, is emerging from ash trees all over the eastern US and Canada. The beautiful little beetle, part of a group called “metallic wood boring beetle” was introduced in packing material from China around 1990. Carried throughout the region by people moving firewood, the beetle threatens to eliminate white, […]
This is the year of death in central Kentucky. The emerald ash borer has been slowly expanding its population, and has now reached the point of mass destruction. You can see dead and dying trees all over town, most of which have died this spring. From here on, barring some miraculous change in ash borer […]
Ash trees, especially white ash, are among our most reliable and beautiful trees for fall color. White ash shows rich shades of red, purple, yellow and green, all within the same trees and the Biltmore ash variety is cloaked in yellow and orange hues. Green ash takes on an astonishingly bright yellow hue. Sadly, the […]