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Denver City Forester Rob Davis poses among the ash trees he wants to save from emerald ash borer in City Park.

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)

Emerald ash borer discovered in Lafayette, Colorado

LAFAYETTE, Colo. — Emerald ash borer (EAB) has been discovered in Lafayette, the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) confirmed on Wednesday. Lafayette is now the third city in Colorado facing an EAB infestation.

Not entirely unlike the mountain pine beetle, which decimated pine trees across hundreds of thousands of acres in Colorado’s high country beginning in 2008, EAB has decimated ash tree populations in more than 25 states and parts of Canada, causing billions of dollars in damage over the last 15 years.

CSFS community forestry program manager Keith Wood also confirmed Wednesday the newly found infestation in Lafayette remains within Colorado’s EAB quarantine zone. That zone includes Boulder, where EAB was discovered in 2013, and Longmont, where EAB was discovered in 2016. Lafayette is less than 13 miles from each city.

“Having a new detection in this area was not unexpected,” Wood said. “But it certainly highlights the need for Front Range communities to be planning now, before EAB arrives.”

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A pair of certified arborists tend to an ash tree in Denver's City Park | Be A Smart Ash Denver

Emerald ash borer treatment options for your Denver ash tree

DENVER — The emerald ash borer (EAB), which feeds on ash trees and is now the most destructive forest pest in U.S. history, has arrived in Colorado, and it’s knocking on Denver’s door. That fact is overwhelming in its own right.

But you might find yourself even more overwhelmed by all the treatments options available to protect your ash tree from EAB. That’s where we come in!

For starters, there are four treatment options that have been examined at length as part of a multi-state insecticide study from Colorado State, Ohio State, Michigan State and Purdue universities. Below is a breakdown of each option.

You might also be happy to know that your Friendly Denver City Forester has put together a list of Certified Smart Ash tree professionals, all of whom have the right mix of know-how and tools to safely and effectively protect your tree from EAB.

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Tree climbing arborists help raise EAB awareness

DENVER — Arborists from across Colorado gathered in Denver’s Washington Park for the 2017 International Society of Arboriculture’s Rocky Mountain Chapter Tree Climbing Competition. Here, these talented professionals showed off the skills they utilize day-to-day caring for trees around the state.

From the speed climb competition to much more technical climbs, arborists put a mix of athletics, tree knowledge and math skills on display — and 9NEWS was there to capture it all.

Illustrating their true team spirit, this year’s participants all donned Be A Smart Ash competition shirts, helping raise awareness about an issue they combat every day in their field, the emerald ash borer (EAB). Now the most destructive forest pest in U.S. history, EAB has devoured ash trees in more than 25 states and caused billions of dollars in damage.

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Hey Denver, wondering if you’ve got an ash tree? We can help!

DENVER — Did you know 1 in 6 Denver trees is an ash? And did you know that each and every one of those ash trees is vulnerable to a tiny pest called the emerald ash borer (EAB)?

It’s what makes EAB the most destructive forest pest in U.S. history, and it’s why the Denver City Foresters Office launched the Be A Smart Ash campaign. One big part of that program is educating Denver residents on how to identify ash trees.

First let us draw your attention to our interactive, MyTreeKeeper map. Using data, technology and thousands of man hours from our diligent City Forester employees, the Be A Smart Ash campaign successfully mapped each ash tree in Denver to make identification as easy as possible.

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Apply for a free right-of-way tree, Denver! But first, what’s a right-of-way?

DENVER — The Denver City Forester wants to give you a free tree to plant in the right-of-way adjacent to your property in an effort to bolster and diversify the tree canopy in the Mile High City.

But first, let’s define exactly what we mean when we say “right-of-way” – and how much space you need in the right-of-way adjacent to your property in order to apply for a free tree.

For starters, here’s the official definition of right-of-way:

“The right-of-way is the public land that includes the street, tree lawn and sidewalk – the width of which is established by the City of Denver. The right-of way also defines the boundary line along the street frontage of a property.”

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Denver Botanic Gardens, Flobots collaborate on EAB music video for Be A Smart Ash

DENVER — What happens when you give a bunch of tree nerds access to a camera, Denver’s beautiful Cheesman Park, a metallic emerald ash borer suit and a local hip hop legend? One Smart Ash music video, that’s what!

Be A Smart Ash is proud to present “EAB (Get Ready),” a music video produced by our amazing partners at the Denver Botanic Gardens in collaboration with Open Media Foundation, Johnny 5 of the Flobots and a cast of well-trained volunteer actors from the Denver City Forester’s Office, a division of Denver Parks & Recreation.

The goal of this project is to raise awareness about emerald ash borer (EAB), which feasts on the common ash tree. Having desecrated forests in more than 25 states and parts of Canada, EAB is now the most destructive forest pest in U.S. history.

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‘Tis once again the season for free trees in Denver

DENVER — If you didn’t end up with a free tree from the Denver Digs Trees program, which began accepting wait list applications earlier this month, there’s still good news: You can now apply for a free tree to be planted in your public right-of-way from Denver’s Office of the City Forester!

That’s right. If your property is adjacent to a public right-of-way that fits these parameters, you can apply to receive a tree at no cost to you.

Why are we so interested in giving away trees? Well, we love trees, for one, and we’re always looking for ways to bolster and diversify our urban canopy in Denver. The second big reason has to do with a tiny green pest.

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Stop by the Be A Smart Ash booth at the Colorado Garden & Home Show from Feb. 4-12 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

Make your emerald ash borer plan at the Colorado Garden & Home Show

DENVER — Looking to find out if you have an ash tree vulnerable to emerald ash borer? Want to learn how to protect your ash tree from the most destructive forest pest in U.S. history? Would you like to discover a way to cost-effectively turn any urban tree you may need to remove into a functional and beautiful wood product?

Then you need to stop by the Be A Smart Ash booth at the 2017 Colorado Garden & Home Show at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver from Feb. 4-12!

Emerald ash borer (EAB) has already destroyed hundreds of millions of ash trees, causing billions of dollars in damage in more than 25 states. And while it may not have arrived in Denver yet, EAB was discovered in Boulder in 2013 and in Longmont just last year. So in reality, it’s only a matter of time before EAB arrives in the Mile High City and poses a direct threat to the Metro area’s 1.45 million ash trees.

That’s right folks: 1 in 6 Denver trees is an ash, and you may not even realize that you have one in your front yard or a nearby right-of-way.

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