FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — We rely on trees for so many aspects of our lives — cleaner air to breathe, shade from the sun, and for the beauty all around us. But there's a major threat that could wipe out millions of Tennessee's trees.
Bobby Hipshire has been working in the tree service industry since he was a child. "I’ve been doing tree work for, well, since Moby Dick was a minnow," Hipshire joked.
He's been warned about the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive beetle, originally from Asia, that has been decimating ash trees for the last two decades. Sadly, the pests have finally made their way to the greater Nashville region. "They’re about an inch long and they do fly, they fly from tree to tree," said Hipshire. "They eat the Cambium out, which is what supplies water to the tree."
The impact will be devastating. Up to 13% of all trees in Tennessee are ash trees and are now awaiting a death sentence or are already gone. "There’s kids being born now that probably won’t see any ash trees until they replant," said Hipshire.
The Emerald Ash Borers leave behind dozens of small holes in the bark of ash trees. If you can see them in your tree, Bobby says it's probably too late to save the tree. However, if you can't see those holes, there are some preventative steps you can take.
In 2021, NewsChannel 5 followed along with a tree surgeon who injected a type of insecticide straight into the trunk. That solution will protect a tree for about three years and can be administered by a homeowner or by a tree surgeon.
There's also a spray that can be coated on an ash tree, but that only acts as a protection for an ash tree for about a year.
At a property in Franklin where Bobby was working Monday, the treated ash trees have mostly survived, while none of the untreated trees have made it. "If you got your trees injected before the bug gets in there, they may live long enough for the epidemic to move on through and be fine," said Hipshire.
Hipshire thinks the treatment is worth it because it's far better and cheaper than the alternative of losing the tree altogether and needing it to be removed. "I’m not going to try to sugarcoat nothing, this is actually an epidemic. It’s bad," said Hipshire.
He hopes, eventually, tree lovers will be able to replant ash trees to replace all the ones we've already lost. But that can't happen until the threat of the Emerald Ash Borer is completely over.
Do you have ash trees on your property? How are you handling the Emerald Ash Borer infection? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
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