Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a beautiful jewel beetle from Asia that eats the layer of highly conductive tissue under the bark of ash trees to the extent of causing a rapid decline and death of the tree. Unlike in its native country, it has no natural controls in Canada.

It is expected that this pest will kill the majority of ash trees in Montréal within 10 years.

• Thinning of the crown area of the tree
• Shoots on the lower or mid trunk area
• White flecks or patches on the trunk
• Bark debris on the ground around the tree
• Increased wood pecker attention to the tree
• D-shaped exit holes on the trunk (hard to find)
• Splitting bark exposing larvae galleries (advanced infestation)

Ultimately, you will have to remove your ash trees. The best option is to get your ash trees inventoried by Royal Tree Service and to develop a strategy. Many homeowners and businesses have numerous trees, which can translate into days or weeks of work. We can define the cost so you can build a budget.

We expect an exponential increase in removals over the next few years, and judging by Ontario’s struggles with EAB, there will be waiting lists of many months to get trees removed in the coming years. The longer a tree stands dead, the more difficult it is to remove due to its increasing brittleness as it dries out.

Royal Tree Service has been preparing for the arrival of EAB for several years. We are equipped with cranes, skid steers, large capacity chippers and a large team of skilled arborists. We operate with oversight and training, and have people dedicated to managing the logistics of this complex work.