The Smart Ash

With emerald ash borer (EAB) bearing down on ash trees throughout the country, The Smart Ash navigates the Mile High City, educating its citizens about how best to defend their ashes.

“I still remember the moment I heard the news like it was yesterday. An epidemic was sweeping through my hometown of Ashfield. So I went home to see if my parents were safe. They were fine. But all the trees were DEAD!”

In Episode 1, the origin story of The Smart Ash is revealed — as is his very real nemesis, the insatiable beasts known as EAB. Stay tuned for episodes 2-6 to find out about the equally real arborist tools used to fight EAB — tools that can also be used to protect your ash trees in Denver.

Since it can be more than 90 percent effective, the first treatment option The Smart Ash often turns to is trunk injection. This insecticide treatment needs to be updated once every 1-2 years. Yes, this process does slightly harm the tree, needs to be applied by a licensed professional and can be costly. But it’s also the most consistent option.

The soil drench treatment is administered as a liquid or granules into the soil around the tree no more than once a year. It’s cheaper than a trunk injection, and you can apply it yourself. But it’s less consistent — especially if you have a large tree. You’ll likely get better results if you hire a pro.

Bark spray is another economical treatment option that is applied yearly. Even though it’s wafted onto the bottom 5-6 feet of a tree using nothing more than a common garden sprayer, this airborne pesticide can drift and might harm other nearby insects. Therefore, this treatment should only be executed by a license pesticide applicator.

There’s only one treatment that’s 100 percent effective at eradicating EAB. And that’s removing your ash entirely and replacing it. As explained in the series finale, this works well for younger, smaller trees that may be no match for EAB.