Expert sounding the alarm on destructive beetle

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A destructive pest has destroyed millions of ash trees across our country. Experts say it could be lurking in trees in North Carolina.

The emerald ash borer beetle is native to Asia. It was first discovered in the United States in 2002 in Michigan.

It's since been detected in numerous states, including 71 counties across North Carolina.

An expert is calling on people with ash trees to take this beetle seriously.

Laurie Reid serves as the City of Charlotte arborist for landscape management. Her team manages the trees located between the streets and sidewalks.

"We're keeping our city green," Reid said.

Reid says they also have a group that manages the cemeteries, including the historic Elmwood Cemetery.

"Elmwood where it's like a park, 72 acres. We have a lot of maintenance to do for the headstones, trees, vegetation that's out here," Reid said.

The Elmwood Cemetery is also home to three ash trees.

"Just a high value native tree we want to keep here," Reid said. "Ash trees can be very large. Trees that have a big canopy provide a lot of ecological services. A lot benefits people don't think about."

She says ash tree species are vulnerable to attacks from emerald ash borer beetles.

Reid says the city responded swiftly in 2017 after the beetle was first detected in Mecklenburg County.

"We instantly looked at the inventory of our trees to figure out how many ash trees we had," Reid said. "I developed a management plan of what to do with those trees. We looked at the trees' current health status. If they were already in decline and not doing very well, it didn't make sense to try to preserve those trees. We narrowed down the number of trees we manage and picked out two different groups of trees we would treat every two to three years. It's not going to let the beetles feed on that tree and cause damage to that tree."

Reid also has an ash tree growing in her yard.

She says there's a fair amount of ash trees across the city. Where there's ash trees, she says the emerald ash borer is likely to follow.

"It's everywhere I've seen," Reid said. "In neighborhoods, backyards, along creeks, large conservation areas. Just because your tree looks good doesn't mean the emerald ash borer isn't nearby. Typically we recommend if the beetle is found within 15 to 20 miles of where you live, it's time to treat."

Reid says there are things you look for when determining whether or not the tree is an ash.

"Ash trees are a little different than other leaves. They have something called a compound leaf. The whole thing is one big leaf with little leaflets off the side. [An Oak Tree] is just going to have a single leaf attached to the stem. Another thing to look for with ash trees is the way the branches come off, they're right opposite of each other. Not many trees have that so that's a really easy way to tell it," Reid said.

Reid recommends anyone looking to preserve their ash tree contact an arborist that treats that type of tree. She says the treatment needs to take place during the warmer seasons before the cooler weather begins.

"If you do an injection, you have to treat the tree every two to three years, but even treating a tree over a period of time is less costly than having to remove a very large tree," Reid said