The emerald ash borer arrived in this region before anywhere else in North America, and I have taken down more ash trees than I can count because of it. If your ash still has most of its canopy, I can inject it and keep it alive on a treatment cycle. If the top is already dead, we need to remove it soon, because brittle ash is genuinely dangerous to climb. I tell you honestly which situation you have.
What emerald ash borer actually is
The emerald ash borer is a small metallic green beetle, about the size of a grain of rice, that came from Asia and has devastated ash trees across North America. The insect lays its eggs in the bark of ash trees, and when the larvae hatch, they tunnel through the wood just under the bark, cutting off the flow of water and nutrients. This damage happens inside the tree long before you see it from the ground.
The galleries the larvae create are distinctive: they look like flattened S-shapes when you peel back the bark. The adult beetles leave behind tiny D-shaped exit holes, about the size of a pinhead, scattered across the trunk and branches. Once you know what to look for, these signs are unmistakable. I have seen thousands of ash trees killed by this pest, and the pattern never changes.
Why it matters in the Windsor area
A dead or dying ash tree is a genuine hazard on your property. As the wood loses moisture, it becomes brittle and unpredictable. Branches that look solid will snap without warning, and the trunk can fail suddenly. If the tree is near your house, a deck, a parked car or a neighbour's property, the risk compounds. Dead wood also attracts secondary pests and disease, and it will deteriorate faster than you might expect.
If your ash tree is still healthy or only moderately infested, treatment can save it. Injections of insecticide protect the tree for a season or longer, giving it a real chance to survive. The cost of treatment is far less than removal, and you keep the shade, the wildlife habitat and the property value that a mature tree provides. But treatment only works if the tree still has enough canopy to recover. Once the top dies back significantly, injection becomes pointless, and removal becomes the responsible choice.
When to do emerald ash borer?
The emerald ash borer is most active in late spring and early summer, when adult beetles emerge from the bark to lay eggs. However, the damage they cause is visible year-round, and the signs appear gradually over seasons. You may not notice anything wrong until the tree has already been infested for one or two years.
Watch for these warning signs: the crown thins from the top down, starting with the uppermost branches. Shoots break out along the trunk and main branches, a stress response as the tree tries to compensate for the damage inside. The bark begins to split and peel in vertical strips. If you see any of these, call me. I can inspect the tree closely, peel back a section of bark and look for the S-shaped galleries and D-shaped holes that confirm the diagnosis. The sooner you catch it, the more options you have. A tree with a full canopy and early-stage infestation can often be saved. A tree with half its crown already dead is running out of time.
How I work in Walkerville
When you call, I come out to your property and examine the ash tree. I look at the overall health of the canopy, the trunk and branches for signs of beetle activity, and I assess whether the tree is worth saving or whether removal is the right call. I do not rush this decision, and I do not oversell treatment on a tree that is already too far gone. If treatment makes sense, I explain what the injection cycle involves and what you can expect. If removal is necessary, I explain why and what the process looks like.
For a tree I can treat, I inject the appropriate insecticide into the trunk using specialised equipment. The chemical moves through the tree's vascular system and protects it from new beetle attacks for the season. You will need to repeat treatment on a schedule I recommend, typically every year or two, depending on the product and the tree's condition. For a tree that needs to come down, I climb it myself, take it down in sections, and haul the wood away. I clean up the site thoroughly and chip the branches. If you want the stump removed, I can grind that out too, or leave it for later if you prefer.
The situations I run into
The healthy ash with early infestation: The canopy is still mostly full, but you have found the D-shaped holes and S-galleries. This tree responds well to injection. Treatment will protect it and give it years more life. You commit to a regular treatment schedule, and the tree stays.
The moderately infested ash: The crown has thinned noticeably, maybe 30 to 50 percent of the branches are dead or dying, and the beetle signs are obvious. Treatment is still possible, but the tree is under stress. It may survive several more years with injections, or it may decline faster than expected. I will be honest about the odds and the cost.
The heavily infested or mostly dead ash: The top half or more of the crown is bare or nearly bare. The wood is becoming brittle. Climbing this tree safely becomes very difficult and risky. Removal is the responsible choice. Waiting longer only makes the job harder and more dangerous.
The ash with storm damage or structural problems: Sometimes an ash is damaged by wind or ice, or it has a split trunk or a major lean. Even if the beetle has not yet attacked, these trees are compromised. I assess whether the tree can be saved or whether removal is safer and more practical.
