Emerald Ash Borer in Indiana: Ash Tree Removal Guide

The Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive beetle whose larvae tunnel under the bark of ash trees, cutting off the flow of water and nutrients. An untreated ash, once infested, usually dies within 2-4 years. Indiana has been hit hard, and Fort Wayne’s mature ash population has been decimated.

• Canopy thinning and dieback, usually starting at the top
• D-shaped exit holes about 1/8 inch wide in the bark
• S-shaped tunnels (galleries) under loose bark
• Vertical bark splits
• Heavy woodpecker activity (“blonding” where they strip bark for larvae)
• Sucker shoots sprouting from the trunk base

If your ash is high-value, still has most of its canopy (less than about a third dead), and you act early, trunk-injection insecticide treatment can protect it, but it must be repeated every 1-2 years for the life of the tree. Once an ash is more than roughly 30-50% dead, treatment no longer works and removal is the safe choice. Our certified arborist can assess yours honestly.

This is the part homeowners underestimate. A dead ash dries out and becomes brittle and unpredictable, limbs snap without warning and the wood won’t hold a climber or rigging the way live wood does. Dead-ash removal is genuinely among the most dangerous tree work there is, which is exactly why it should never be a DIY job and why it’s priced higher than a comparable live tree.

Our crews see a lot of oak, maple, ash, silver maple on local properties, each behaves differently when it comes down. Northeast Indiana weather is hard on trees: heavy summer thunderstorms & straight-line wind, winter ice & snow load, spring storm damage all take their toll over a season. Our heavy heavy Indiana clay, three rivers, and the run of Emerald Ash Borer through the area all shape how local trees grow, fail, and need care. A general rule from a national article often does not match what is true for a silver maple on a Fort Wayne riverbank lot, which is why local, on-the-ground judgment matters.

Small, ground-level tasks well away from structures and power lines are often fine for a careful homeowner. Anything involving climbing, large limbs, dead or leaning trees, or work near the house or a power line should go to an insured professional, the risk and the liability are simply not worth it. EAB has killed a large share of Fort Wayne's ash trees — dead-ash removal is a major local need.

Fort Wayne Tree Services handles the full range of tree work in Fort Wayne, including emergency & storm damage tree service, tree cutting, tree trimming & pruning. If you are weighing a decision about a specific tree, an ISA-certified arborist can look at it and give you a straight, no-pressure recommendation, and a free written estimate if any work is needed.

Fort Wayne Tree Services provides free, itemized estimates and honest tree-care advice across Fort Wayne and the surrounding towns. Get in touch →