Protect your trees from the emerald ash borer

Posted on April 24, 2012

Rockford, Minn. (April 24, 2012) — Wright-Hennepin (WH) is offering two free sessions regarding emerald ash borer treatments that can be used to protect your trees from this insect. The sessions will be held on Thursday, May 3 at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. at WH’s Rockford headquarters.

The emerald ash borer is an invasive wood boring beetle that is native to Asia. It was first discovered in Canada in 2002, and it spread to the U.S. in 2003. Since that time, it has made its way to Minnesota and has been spotted in Hennepin County.

The emerald ash borers’ larvae feed on the inner bark of trees, disrupting the tree’s transmission of nutrients. This causes branches – and eventually the entire tree – to die. Many trees lose 30-40 percent of their canopy within two years of infestation and die within three to four years if left untreated.

If you’d like to attend one of these free seminars, please call WH at (763) 477-3000 to sign up.

WH is a member-owned non-profit electric utility that provides electric power to Wright County and the western part of Hennepin County. The cooperative has been a corporate citizen in this area since 1937 and currently serves more than 46,000 electric accounts. The utility started its security division in 1989 that provides local home security solutions as well as monitors alarm systems for more than 50,000 customers in 32 states and three Canadian provinces.