Brentwood has many beautiful native ash trees in parks, on school and business grounds, in private yards, and in neighborhood common spaces. However, none of those ash trees are immune to the effects of the Emerald Ash Borer, or EAB, an invasive pest rapidly spreading across Middle Tennessee. The invasive insect was first detected in the United States in 2002 and is now considered the most destructive tree insect pest ever to be introduced into North America. It is believed that the Emerald Ash Borer arrived in the United States on solid wood packing materials shipped here from Asia, where the beetle is native. It was first seen in Tennessee in 2010 and has since been confirmed in 59 counties, including Williamson County. The ash borer is a significant threat to trees in areas like Brentwood, whereas many as 15% of the trees are ash species.
To find out more about EAB in Brentwood and Williamson County, the Brentwood Tree Board will be hosting a roughly one hour training session with Todd Hoppenstedt, Brentwood Public Works Director and Sandy Shiveley, Brentwood Tree Board Member and homeowner on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 beginning at 9:30am in meeting room A at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library located at 8109 Concord Road. The goal of the educational seminar is to train residents, volunteers and others about what EAB is, the damage it will cause, how to identify it and an ash tree in general, its economic impact to our community, and what to do to either save your trees or what to do if you can’t save your trees. Tree Board Chairperson, Lynn Tucker said, “It is important to be able to offer our community the resources to learn about this invasive beetle. While many businesses are aware of its existence, the Tree Board wants to help do our part to educate residents also.”
This training session will help enable residents, volunteers, church leaders, and HOA members to be able to present information to your own communities to help slow the spread of EAB. Parks staff will also be available to answer basic questions about how to identify an ash tree. Feel free to bring photos of your trees for identification assistance. Please register here and visit the City of Brentwood website to learn more about EAB.
