Warwick Tree Commission hosts forum Sept. 28 on the invasive insect threatening Ash trees

The Town of Warwick Tree Commission is sponsoring an educational forum at the Albert Wisner Public Library on Saturday, Sept. 28, beginning at 10 a.m., about Emerald Ash Borer and the threat this insect has on the Ash tree population of a large area of the country.

"This invasive insect is at our doorstep," Tree Commissioner and Board Certified Master Arborist Matt Doiron said, "ready to move into Warwick and use local Ash trees to feed and reproduce."

Vast sections of southern and western New York are under heavy infestation and quarantined by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Once identified in the area, all Ash trees are threatened, and without treatment, will most likely die.

The Town of Warwick is working with DEC to identify and develop a management plan for town owned trees that will be impacted.

All privately owned trees are the responsibility of the property owner.

"With this insect, once you see signs of it in the tree, its too late to save," Doiron said. "Being ahead of the curve with preventative treatment is really the only way to save trees.

"In some landscapes there may be a large, or sentimental, or pivotal tree, where the owners needs this info to make the best decision for them," the arborist added. "The northern Mid-West is wiped out of the species. Municipal governments have mostly decided to use sanitation (cutting down and chipping or incinerating) as a management strategies because of cost. Private homeowners still have the option to save their ash tree's as long as they know what's coming."

Doiron will present on this topic as well as other issues that threaten trees.

To reserve a seat, contact the Albert Wisner Public Library.