Spotting Emerald Ash Borer in Wayne, NJ Before It's Too Late
EAB has killed millions of NJ ash trees. Brittle dead ash fail without warning — here's how to catch it early.
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) reached Northern NJ years ago and is now endemic across Morris, Essex, Passaic, and Bergen counties. If you have an ash tree on your property, it's almost certainly already infested or about to be.
The good news: trees caught early can be treated and saved. The bad news: ignored ash become some of the most dangerous trees we deal with.
How to identify an ash tree
Three quick tells:
- Opposite branching — limbs come off the trunk directly across from each other, not staggered.
- Compound leaves with 5 to 11 leaflets per leaf.
- Distinctive diamond-pattern bark on mature specimens.
If you're unsure, send us a photo — we'll tell you for free.
Signs your ash is infested
EAB larvae feed on the cambium just under the bark, slowly girdling the tree from the inside. The signs progress over 2–4 years:
- Crown dieback starting at the top. EAB attacks the upper canopy first, so the top thins out before the lower branches.
- D-shaped exit holes about 1/8 inch wide on the bark — this is the adult beetle leaving the tree.
- S-shaped tunnels under the bark, visible if a piece flakes off.
- Heavy woodpecker activity. Birds know — if your ash has woodpeckers all over it, that's a strong sign.
- Epicormic sprouting — clusters of new shoots emerging from the trunk as the tree tries to compensate for the dying canopy above.
Two paths forward
1. Treatment. Trees still in good health (less than about 30% crown loss) can be treated with systemic insecticide — emamectin benzoate, injected into the trunk every 2–3 years. It's effective, cost-justified for valuable specimens, and indefinitely sustainable. We do these treatments throughout the spring and early summer.
2. Removal. Trees past the treatment window need to come down sooner rather than later. Brittle dead ash fail without warning — we won't climb them, and we won't let our crews under them. Dead ash come down with a bucket truck or crane, and the longer you wait, the more expensive and dangerous the removal becomes.
If you have ash trees and haven't had them assessed, this is the call to make this year.
Frequently asked
Is treatment worth it?+
For a healthy specimen ash near your house or shading the yard, almost always yes. The treatment cost over a decade is a small fraction of removal-plus-replanting, and you keep the mature tree.
How dangerous are dead ash, really?+
Very. The wood becomes so brittle that limbs snap under their own weight in still air. We've seen large limbs fail on calm sunny days. Don't park under one and don't let kids play under one.
Free on-site estimate
Got a tree like this on your property?
28 years climbing trees in Northern NJ. We'll tell you straight up whether the work is needed — no pressure, no upsell. Same-week appointments across Morris, Essex, Passaic, and Bergen.
