We've had a tree in our front yard next to the driveway ever since I can remember. Today marks the end of that memory.

It all started last Spring. We noticed that parts of the tree weren't growing or were dying. We cut off the dead limbs, expecting it to get better. Well, this Spring only about a fourth of the tree started to develop buds, so we had a guy come out and look at it.

The verdict: emerald ash borer, some little beetles are killing it. I did some Googling (as usual), and found that these "borers" have been killing trees all across the Midwest since 2002. Adult beetles nibble on ash foliage but cause little damage. The larvae, however, feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients. This essentially kills it.


These little critters only feed on ash trees, and have killed tens of millions of ash trees in southeastern Michigan alone, with tens of millions more lost in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Quebec, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Anyways, the picture to the right is what remains of the tree. Everything else went through a wood chipper, but we can use the logs for campfires at least. Heck, they're so big they could be used as seats around the campfire. Either way, next comes the tough part: getting the roots out of the ground!

Did you know about emerald ash borer? It's sure news to me.