BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Arborists in Vermont are providing a solution for homeowners struggling to save their trees from invasive pests.
In the fight against emerald ash borers, Vermonters are turning to house calls to save their ash trees.
A massive ash tree sits in the middle of Julia Roberts’ backyard in Montpelier.
“Oh boy does it change the temperature in this backyard. You go in other people’s backyards that don’t have a tree… It just makes feel at least 10 degrees different,” said Roberts.
When an arborist friend told Roberts about treatment options to prevent damage from invasive emerald ash borers, she was sold.
“He said it’ll probably cost a little bit but what’s a tree worth that’s shading the whole backyard, that shades the trampoline, shades the grass here, shades the deck,” she said.
Roberts connected with a local arborist who injects the tree with a preventative pesticide every other year. Injections are $300, a price she’s willing to pay to save her tree.
“I thought, I pay that at the grocery store in a couple of trips,” said Roberts.
Ginger Nickerson with the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program says ash trees are a common fixture among Vermont households.
“They’re salt tolerant. They’re great shade trees. So many people might have a green ash, either in front of their house, on the street, or in their yard,” said Nickerson.
Nickerson says the injections many parks and communities treat their ash trees with can be a great residential resource. Pricing varies, but Nickerson points out that shelling out for treatment is a better alternative to tree removal.
“Doing the injections every few years can be comparable to what it would cost to remove the tree, but then you get to preserve it for the shade that it provides for the property values, for the homeowner to have a lovely big tree,” she said.
To assess your own yard, Nickerson recommends contacting a local arborist who can look for damage and help you navigate the next steps.
“You should start thinking about how you want to deal with that. Do you want to treat your ash tree to preserve it or do you want to remove it,” she said.
For Roberts, preserving her ash was worth it.
“I came out here with my grandkids a few days ago and it was nighttime and they wanted to see the fireflies. And we all laid down on the deck. And I said just look at this tree kids. I want them to appreciate trees,” Roberts said.
To check whether borers are targeting your community, you can check out Vermont Invasive’s interactive map of infested regions.