Summit County is a designated EAB quarantine county. If you have ash trees on your property, here is what you need to know this spring.
If you have ash trees on your property in Akron, Mogadore, Cuyahoga Falls, or anywhere across Summit County, there is an invasive threat that has been quietly reshaping the region’s tree canopy for more than two decades. The emerald ash borer, a wood-boring beetle originally from Asia, was first identified in Ohio in 2003 and has since been confirmed in every one of the state’s 88 counties. Summit County is classified as an EAB quarantine county under Ohio Department of Agriculture regulations, which means the pest is well established here and the risk to unprotected ash trees remains very real.
The emerald ash borer attacks all species of true North American ash, including green ash, white ash, and black ash, as well as popular cultivated varieties planted in many Northeast Ohio neighborhoods and subdivisions. What makes this pest particularly difficult to manage is that early infestation leaves almost no visible signs. Adult beetles lay eggs in bark crevices, and when the larvae hatch, they burrow beneath the bark and begin feeding on the inner tissue that carries water and nutrients throughout the tree.
For Summit County property owners, May is one of the most important months to pay attention to ash tree health. Adult EAB beetles begin emerging in late spring and remain active through midsummer, making this the window when new infestations take hold and when existing damage from prior seasons becomes visible as foliage fills in. Signs to watch for on your ash trees include:
- Thinning or dying branches starting at the top of the canopy
- S-shaped feeding galleries visible beneath the bark
- D-shaped exit holes roughly the size of a small coin
- Vertical bark splits caused by larval activity underneath
- Unusual woodpecker activity on the trunk or upper branches
The general guidance from arborists and forestry experts is that ash trees showing more than 30 percent canopy decline are unlikely to recover through treatment alone. For trees in earlier stages of infestation, professional trunk injection treatments administered by a licensed applicator can be effective and are worth exploring with a certified arborist. Trees that are already in significant decline or that pose a risk to structures, power lines, or foot traffic are typically better candidates for tree removal before they become structurally unstable.
Our team serves Akron, Mogadore, Cuyahoga Falls, Fairlawn, Massillon, and all of Summit County. We assess ash tree health, advise on treatment or tree removal, and handle stump grinding from start to finish.