The emerald ash borer has finally breached Colorado Springs, bringing a devastating threat to approximately twenty percent of the city’s urban tree canopy. The invasive, metallic green beetle from Asia targets ash trees exclusively, with its larvae tunneling relentlessly beneath the bark to choke off the tree’s vital water and nutrient transport systems.

Because North American ash trees lack natural defenses against this specific pest, an untreated and infested tree will typically die within three to five years. The City of Colorado Springs and local arborists have been bracing for this exact scenario and are prepared to roll out a targeted response plan, but municipal efforts will be strictly limited to protecting or removing trees located on public property.

This leaves private homeowners entirely responsible for the financial and logistical burden of treating or removing the ash trees in their own yards. Experts are urging residents to proactively assess their healthy ash trees for systemic insecticide treatments, such as emamectin benzoate trunk injections, as treatment is significantly more effective before the canopy begins to show obvious signs of dieback and structural decline.