After a long winter, the Emerald Ash Borer is active again and now it's got its eyes on Stateline ash trees. The red dots on the map indicate infestations of the insect which has been detected as close as Hampshire. Because the insect has not yet been spotted in Winnebago County our best bet for protecting our ash trees is to have them treated with a preventative insecticide called Imidacloprid. Once the bugs start invading our trees, then its time to start using Tree-Age, a newly developed insecticide that can treat infected trees. Both treatments are going to cost us about one hundred fifty dollars a tree every year so most arborists suggest letting smaller trees die. "Several customers that we've had for many many years that have ash trees in their yard asked us to assess the health of the tree now. Look at what trees are important to save and which ones aren't," says John Richards of Tree Care. "The Rockford Park District is pursuing different avenues for protecting our trees including treatment of trees that are over five inches and are key to our landscapes and key to our golf courses. We're not going to try to save every tree, but significant trees we're going to try to save." adds Dan Erwin from the Rockford Park District. Although most experts agree that the ash borer will eventually decimate the North American ash tree population, it's nice to know that we can save the ash trees in our yards. The Emerald Ash Borer was accidentally brought to Detroit in the 1990's, since then it has spread to six other states.

Here is a list of things you can do to fight ash borers.

Purchase firewood locally from a known source

Be sure to use all of the firewood in the cold months so that no hidden emerald ash borer larvae or adults can survive on logs left through the spring.

There may be state or federal quarantines in place that will restrict the movement of ash logs, branches or other material in your area. Check with your municipal government or the Illinois Department of Agriculture for information.

Monitor the health of ash trees. Look for dead and dying branches at the top of the tree's crown.