Crews in Columbia Removing Infested Trees

Tree removal will be ongoing in Columbia until early spring due to an infestation of the emerald ash borer, Howard County officials said Friday.

Starting Feb. 27, officials said tree removal crews would be in Columbia at these locations:

• Broken Land Parkway
• Foreland Garth
• Snowden River Parkway
• Phelps Luck Drive

County authorities told the Town Center Association earlier this month that trees along Vantage Point Road were being taken out due to the emerald ash borer infestation as well.

The ash borer has killed millions of trees since the insect’s arrival in the U.S. in 2002, according to the U.S. Forest Service, which said researchers believe the invasive bug arrived in wood on a shipment from Asia. Its larvae feed on tree bark, preventing trees from circulating water and nutrients, thereby killing them.

In particular, it feeds on ash trees, of which there are 5 to 7 million in the Baltimore metro area, according to the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

The ash borer came to Maryland in 2006 and in 2011, Howard County trees were placed under quarantine, with ash and hardwood prohibited from being transported out of the county due to an infestation.

Trees that are being taken out in Columbia will be replaced in the spring and fall, Howard County officials said Friday.

Related: New Insect Pest Invading Howard County