An Emerald Ash Borer Invasion Is Killing Ash Trees In Ridgewood

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Ridgewood is set to lose a substantial chunk of the village's ash tree population due to a half-inch insect that's killed tens of millions of ash trees in the United States since 2002.

According to village officials, the emerald ash borer has arrived in Ridgewood, and is "very active." The borer is already causing damage to the 650 village-owned ash trees, they added.

The ash borer invasion means that Ridgewood will have to remove all but 173 of those trees from village property, and are advising residents to schedule consultations with experts about what to do with theirs.

To save 173 ash trees, the village has treated them with a "systemic insecticide."

"The treatment is injected into the trunk of the tree and does not escape into the air or soil. This process will be repeated every few years until the wave of EAB passes," officials explained.

As for the rest of the trees, they will be removed, and the work to do so has already begun.

Ash trees have been a fixture in Ridgewood for years, and officials explained that they were planted so commonly due to their "fast-growing nature."

This means that some neighborhoods are set to lose a "significant number of trees." Those places will be considered for new tree plantings "to restore their character," but the process will take several years.

Though the village isn't responsible for ash trees on residential property, they have offered up some advice for those who think they have one:

"If you think you may have an Ash tree on your property, you should immediately schedule a consultation with a company that has a Licensed Tree Expert (LTE). A LTE can advise you on whether your tree is suitable for preventative treatment or if removal is necessary. You should not hesitate to make arrangements, because infected Ash trees can succumb in a short time, and dead Ash trees can quickly become very brittle and drop limbs that shatter."

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture said the emerald ash borer was first discovered in the state in May 2014, when it was located in Somerset County.

"Infestations throughout the U.S. and Canada have killed tens of millions of ash trees since 2002," the department said.

Through December 2019, the insect has been confirmed in Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex and Warren counties, the department said.

In Bergen County, the borer has been found in:

• Hillsdale, 2015
• Mahwah, 2016
• Ho-Ho-Kus, 2016
• River Edge, 2017
• Paramus, 2017
• Rockleigh, 2017
• Leonia, 2017
• Oakland, 2019
• Glen Rock, 2019

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