June 2016 | Be a Smart Ash

Trouble with trivets: Art projects can carry emerald ash borer

June 22, 2016

DENVER — When you hear stories of how harmful, invasive pests are transferred from Point A to Point B, the movement is often attributed to the irresponsible actions of an unwitting human. But the truth is usually far less black and white — at least that’s what Sara Davis, program manager with Denver’s Office of the City Forester, realized earlier this year.

Davis is one of the leaders of the Be A Smart Ash campaign, which aims to prepare Denver and educate residents ahead of the inevitable arrival of the emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive pest that has wiped out ash tree populations in 26 states as well as in Canada.

Green Menace: Emerald Ash Borer Could Decimate Denver’s Trees

June 15, 2016

(CONFLUENCE DENVER) — Ash trees took root in Denver in the 1970s and ’80s, according to Denver City Forester Rob Davis. They do well in the city’s poor soil, so they became an ideal replacement for American elm, which was devastated by Dutch elm disease. Now the emerald ash borer poses an even graver threat to Denver’s urban canopy than Dutch elm disease did decades ago.

Destructive emerald ash borer beetle detected in Longmont

June 9, 2016

(LONGMONT TIMES-CALL) — The emerald ash borer has been confirmed in Longmont. The EAB, which kills ash trees, was first discovered in Boulder in 2013. The EAB’s appearance in Longmont represents the first sighting in the state outside of Boulder.

If emerald ash borer is found, window to treat Denver ash trees is limited

June 1, 2016

DENVER (Your City Now) — Denver City Forester Rob Davis spoke with Denver 8 TV on the value of ash trees in the Mile High City, and the impact the emerald ash borer (EAB) could have on them. “Once EAB shows up in a city, usually it’s a 10-year period before all the ash trees that are not protected will die,” Davis said. “But trees that are protected will live — as long as somebody treats them.”