Possible emerald ash borer cure

GREEN BAY - An ash tree can take decades to fully mature into a big, beautiful shade tree. But if it becomes infested with the emerald ash borer, it will likely be dead in just a few years.

"When this pest comes through, it will come in like a tidal wave eventually and it will take out any tree that's not protected," said Rob Gordon, the National Sales Manager for ArborJet.

ArborJet is a Massachusetts-based company that claims to have a cure for the tree disease. On Tuesday, company representatives demonstrated how their product works to about 50 people on the UW-Green Bay campus.

"This is a solution that stops the pest if it's in the tree, prevents it from damaging the tree if it's not yet there and provides you multiple years of protection," said Gordon.

Gordon said the treatment solution is environmentally safe and a much more cost efficient solution. He said many communities have dealt with emerald ash borer by just cutting down all their ash trees.

It can cost upwards of $1000 just to remove and replace one single tree. ArborJet says it will cost about $15 per year to treat one ash tree with its solution -- the price depends on the tree's size.

"For us, in Howard, it would be cheaper with a lot of those smaller trees to replace those at the onset rather than treat them," said Chris Clark, the forester for the Village of Howard.

"Some of the older trees might be more cost beneficial to treat those," he added.

ArborJet officials said if all ash trees are treated, the emerald ash borer will eventually die off.

"I am going to walk away from here saying maybe there is some hope out there for us. I certainly don't want to be removing trees that are unnecessary," said Brad Lange, the forester for the Village of Allouez.

It's a goal all sides share -- it just may take some time to come up with the best solution.

The bug has already been found in a number of places in the state. Last month it was found in Green Bay.

Emerald ash borer is an invasive species that kills ash trees by cutting off their water supply.