Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Awareness Week will kick off on Monday, May 20, 2024. EAB Awareness Week is an effort to increase public awareness about the threat EAB poses to ash trees in Fargo and North Dakota. In early 2023, EAB was detected in the neighboring city of Moorhead, Minnesota.
Fargo residents can help slow the spread of EAB in several ways:
• Do not move firewood. This is the fastest method for spreading the pest.
• Consider a treatment plan for high-value ash trees within the next one to two years; treatments can be less costly than tree removal. Additional information related to treatments can be found online at emerldashborer.info.
• If you do not implement a treatment plan, consider replacing trees with a non-ash species as soon as possible. Waiting until the tree is dead will be more costly and a potential liability.
• Fargo residents who have ash trees (preferably two or more) on the boulevard adjacent to their property are encouraged to call the Forestry Department at 701.241.1465 to request the removal and replacement of these trees. This service will be completed free of charge.
EAB attacks all species of North American ash trees. The EAB larvae kill ash trees by feeding on the soft layer of wood just under the bark that moves water and nutrients throughout the tree.
EAB is native to Asia. It was discovered near Detroit, Michigan, in 2002. Since then, it has spread to 35 states, including Minnesota, primarily through infested firewood. EAB has killed millions of trees. Currently, EAB has not been detected in North Dakota.
For more information, residents are encouraged to contact The City of Fargo Forestry Department at 701.241.1465 or online at FargoND.gov/Forestry.
The Forestry Department manages a growing inventory of more than 60,000 trees. Mature trees can help residents reduce heating and cooling costs, decrease air pollution and stormwater runoff, increase property values and make our community one of the most beautiful in the state.