FILE- In this undated photo provided by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, an adult emerald ash borer is shown. (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources via AP, File) 
FILE – In this Oct. 26, 2011, file photo, forester Jeff Wiegert of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, points out the markings left from emerald ash borer larvae on an ash tree in Saugerties, N.Y., at the Esopus Bend Nature Preserve. Forest stewards in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are taking other steps to track and reduce the spread of the beetle, including a ban on moving untreated firewood from state to state. (AP Photo/Mike Groll, File) 
In this Oct. 26, 2011 photo, forester Jeff Wiegert, of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, removes emerald ash borer larvae from an ash tree at Esopus Bend Nature Preserve in Saugerties, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mike Groll) 
In this June 29, 2017, photo, a green ribbon reading “Ash Tree at Risk” is tied around an ash tree in Omaha, Neb. Nebraska officials are planning to get rid of thousands of ash trees now that the emerald ash borer has arrived in the state, leaving officials with another problem: what to do with all of the wood. The challenge could fall to Nebraska lawmakers, who are starting to look at options. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
AURORA | It’s here. The destructive Emerald Ash Borer has officially arrived in Aurora.
City officials say forestry crews are going to start cutting down a lot of healthy-looking trees, but it’s only because they will eventually succumb to an invasive insect.
The beautiful, little emerald-colored pest was first detected in Boulder in 2013. It was discovered in Aurora in June, causing an almost 100% mortality rate for any ash tree it infects, according to Adrian Camacho, manager of open space and forestry.
“This is a pest that is here, and it’s emerged in the whole region,” Camacho said. “All (Ash) trees will succumb to this insect over time.”
Emerald Ash Borers attack and destroy only ash trees.
The Colorado Forest Service said the insect has been detected in trees in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld counties. Recently, officials in Arvada, Denver Edgewater, Lakewood, Littleton, Longmont, Thornton, Wheat Ridge and now Aurora have reported infestations.
There is an opportunity to treat ash trees to prevent the borer from infecting them. While it is most effective to have the tree treated every two years, Camacho said that even treated trees will most likely succumb, and once a tree is infected it will almost certainly die.
Aurora’s Forestry Department has been working on reducing ash trees from the city-owned canopy since 2015, bringing the number from 7,000 to 4,700 by removing and replacing trees over that time, according to Camacho.
“We are going to treat a few ash trees, either because they are just large specimens and important to our city,” Camacho said. “Unfortunately, our oldest tree that we have in inventory is an ash tree that’s at Parklane Park. That one is being treated.”
The city plans to continue treating and retaining about 50 of the 4,700 ash trees it has on city land.
“Once an ash tree is infected, we expect it will die within three to five years,” Camacho said.
Camacho and other professionals recommend that people with ash trees on their own property have the tree removed earlier, because the longer they wait, the more expensive it will be.
“A little disheartening,” Mayor Mike Coffman said. “I have one in my front yard.”
The more people delay, the fewer options they will have, Camacho said. The trees become more brittle as they die, making them more hazardous and expensive to remove.
There is no need for quarantine when disposing of material in any particular way.
Early infections are hard to detect, according to Camacho, because they occur high in the tree on its southwest side, and it takes years before the infection can be detected.
“Thinning canopy is an early sign, and those suffering from the roots and epicormic sprouts are kind of an advanced sign,” he said. “At this point, the tree has mostly been infected and needs to be removed.”
Ash was a common tree choice for homeowners and developers before 2000, but since 2015, many cities have prohibited planting ash trees.
Camacho said that the Denver metro area will have a much harder time than did Boulder with approximately 1.4 million ash trees.
“It’s here, and it’s time to think about replacing trees if you have them, if you have ash trees, also educating people on what options there are and how the insect gets treated,” Camacho said.
For more information or recommendations on what to replace an ash tree with, go to the city’s website https://www.auroragov.org/things_to_do/parks__open_space___trails/forestry
I wish Aurora would spend its money on eradicating threats to its law-abiding residents instead of bringing down healthy trees! I have spent good money having all three of my HEALTHY ash trees treated to prevent against Emerald Ash Borers!
Cottonwood trees are dying left and right, but nobody cares about that! What’s the difference?!?
Interesting to note that after I posted my comment to the Sentinel article, the article was edited to clarify that the city would not be on a mission to take down ALL ash trees in the city. Now it states that it will only be ash trees on city-owned properties AND that an effort will be made to save (if possible) 50 select trees.
If they simply would have stated such originally, I would not have responded as I did.
NONE-THE-LESS… I am glad that my comment was seen and prompted the rewrite/clarification.