The presence of an emerald ash borer in Loveland was confirmed by Colorado State University on Monday, according to a city of Loveland news release.
The emerald ash borer (EAB) is an invasive beetle that feeds on ash trees.
“Infestations seem to move more slowly in Colorado than they have in other states, but once it’s identified in a region, and without management and treatment, ash trees will succumb to EAB,” city of Loveland Urban Forester Jeff Caputo said in the release.
After the specimen was confirmed by Whitney Cranshaw, an entomology professor at CSU, Loveland’s forestry team inspected the vicinity and confirmed the infestation on trees Tuesday. That afternoon, the city worked with a tree removal service to remove impacted trees.
“The half-inch-long, green adult beetles are active from late May through July, and they only feed on ash trees. After hatching, the larvae tunnel in the tree, producing S-shaped galleries under the bark. EAB damage can be detected by looking for distinctive d-shape exit holes on tree bark,” the release says.
Loveland owns and maintains around 25,000 trees on public property, 4,000 of which are ash trees.
“The potential future loss of ash trees will have a significant impact on Loveland’s tree canopy and visual landscape,” the release says.
The Colorado State Forest Service and its federal counterpart flew over 36.6 million acres of the state’s forests in 2023 to assess its health. Despite last year being wetter and cooler, forest pests continued to spread, according to a new report released earlier this year.
More:From the mountain pine beetle to emerald ash borer, Colorado forest pests spread in 2023
In the northeast, the long-term effects of drought continued to stress all tree species, “leading to a decline in forest health in some areas and increased tree mortality in others.”
Some other species of concern in the area were mountain pine beetle, douglas-fir tussock moth and western spruce budworm.
The agency offers resources and guides to help identify the emerald ash borer and says residents should notify the Colorado State Forest Service or Colorado State University of suspected detections.
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