If you have an ash tree on your property, this is worth a closer look. Emerald ash borer has been steadily working through Maryland for years, and by midsummer the damage becomes a lot easier to spot, thinning canopies, D-shaped exit holes in the bark, and woodpecker activity as birds go after larvae underneath.
Once an ash tree is heavily infested, decline can happen fast, sometimes within a single season. That matters not just for the tree itself but for anything near it, since ash wood becomes structurally unreliable quickly once the borer has done real damage.
Catching it early gives more options. Waiting until the canopy is mostly gone usually means removal is the only path left.
Do you know if you have an ash tree on your property? Have you noticed any thinning in the canopy this summer?
#EmeraldAshBorer
A close-up photo of D-shaped exit holes in ash bark, or a canopy shot showing thinning consistent with borer damage. Real, local photos build more trust than generic pest stock images.
Canva text suggestion: "Do You Have an Ash Tree at Risk?" or "Emerald Ash Borer Damage Moves Fast"