The green terror emerges

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, […]

Dead white ash

Dead Trees and the Great Curve

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 […]

Picture of a white ash behind a building

A tree in a tight place

Trees with limited root systems often fair poorly, unless they are very deeply rooted. Here is a slide show of a white ash with a very limited root system that is doing well because it is deeply rooted in the limestone rock.

Ash trees losing leaves

How do your ash trees look?

Have you noticed any ash trees in your neighborhood dropping green leaves? Several days of heavy rain over the last few weeks have allowed the development of a common ash disease called ash anthracnose. The disease is caused by a fungus, Gnomoniella fraxini. The fungus spends the winter on old petioles (leaf stalks) and branches. […]

Picture of a white ash behind a building

One tough landmark tree

In 1989, Bob Ramsey opened a little restaurant on the corner of E. High Street and Woodland Avenue in Lexington, Kentucky.  The restaurant, with its excellent comfort food, soon became a landmark in Lexington.  A patio behind the restaurant provided outdoor dining shaded by a large white ash tree that is as much a landmark […]