CPR: Denver proactive in battling emerald ash borer

DENVER — If Denver City Forester Rob Davis is looking to get under his family’s collective skin, all he has to do is start climbing an ash tree looking under the bark for signs of emerald ash borer (EAB).

“I drive them crazy, because I do it all the time,” Davis told Colorado Public Radio. “I’m always looking for (EAB). I’ve even climbed trees at a middle school, just thinking I’m going to find it. So sure.”

EAB is yet to be discovered in Denver, but consider its discovery in Boulder in 2013 and in Lafayette earlier this year, the Mile High City desperately wants to be prepared for what Davis called “single most destructive urban pest that Denver will ever have in its urban forest.”

From Denver’s interactive ash tree map to its efforts to guide residents about their treatment options to this very website and campaign, BeASmartAsh.org, Davis went on to explain to CPR in detail the $2.97 million, 10-year plan the city has implemented to try to cement Denver’s legacy as one of preparedness when it comes to EAB.

(Photo Credit: Colorado Public Radio)