Village of Canton Tree Committee to Host Ash Tree Care Workshop, Thursday, April 9, 1:00 p.m. - 3 p.m., at the Canton Fire Station, 77 Riverside Drive, Canton.

The Tree Committee will host a free community workshop on Ash Tree treatment with instruction by ISA TRAQ-certified arborist Herb Frost of Arbor Care.

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) confirmed reports that the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is now in every corner of Adirondack Park; killing 7% of New York’s trees with infestations in every county in the Adirondacks; with the Champlain Valley being hit particularly hard.

The EAB has the potential to decimate the population of ash trees within the next decade across Northern New York and the Adirondacks.

The invasive beetle larvae kills trees in 2-4 years by feeding under the bark. Signs of infestation include D-shaped exit holes, canopy dieback, and "blonding" (woodpecker damage).

EAB is on the move in the Adirondacks with pest populations building and moving into the Adirondack interior from several directions, especially from the southeast, northeast, and northwest. Left to its own devices, the infestation can travel up to a dozen miles a year. It’s not death by a thousand cuts that you get from the nematode that causes the beech leaf disease, the issue with emerald ash borer is very fast tree mortality.

The NY DEC reports at the beginning of this year, only two counties in New York did not have confirmed emerald ash borer (EAB) infestations (Lewis, Hamilton), and DEC is currently working to confirm credible reports in both counties.

For property owners in the North Country concerned about their ash trees, there are some effective options for the emerald ash borer (EAB), primarily through systemic insecticides applied by soil drenching, bark spraying, or trunk injections. A favored tree or a handful of woodlot seed trees can be protected with insecticide.

Workshop participants will learn about treatment options, best time to treat, and treatment costs which are dependent on the size of the tree and must be repeated every two years.

Participants will also learn chainsaw safety and protection equipment.

For more information about the workshop, please contact Herb Bullock, Canton Village Tree Committee, Secretary, 315-854-4039.