Emerald Ash Borer Resources

Responses to ash tree comments and questions

Several Norwich residents have responded to recent listserve posts from the Emerald Ash Borer Management Subcommittee (EABMS), and we would like to respectfully offer some clarifications. Our group continues to believe strongly that warrant article 10, which would authorize a town appropriation of $100,000 for removal of hazardous ash trees along our roadways in 2025, represents a responsible and vital community action to begin minimizing public safety risks from EAB.

First, to be clear, the article targets *only* roadside trees within the town right-of-way (25 feet on either side of the centerline), as these pose by far the greatest risk to public safety, mainly to pedestrians, vehicles and bicyclists using our roads. Other EAB-infested ash trees either will be left to die and fall on their own, or will be the responsibility of individual property owners.

Second, the professional experts and technical sources we have extensively consulted predict that >99% of white, green and black ash in Vermont and elsewhere within the range of these three species will die from EAB. Removing hazardous roadside trees is highly unlikely to eliminate enough EAB-resistant individuals to impact the overall numbers of ash that will survive the infestation.

Third, the surplus town funds that the Selectboard has approved in article 10 are not taking away from essential town services that might otherwise be funded in the forthcoming Norwich budget. Our understanding is that hiring another full-time police officer has been hampered only by a lack of qualified applicants.

Fourth, ash is a fine species for firewood. Within the Norwich area, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources recommends limiting any transportation of ash to less than 25 miles, and only within Vermont. Additional firewood information and links are available from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation. The EABMS is hoping to make wood from roadside cutting available to residents.

Fifth, we disagree that our outreach has used "over-the-top" "hyperboles" to depict the gravity of Norwich's EAB infestation. We maintain without reservation that our town does indeed face a serious public safety risk from the inevitable death and collapse of nearly all roadside ash trees. Funding the 2025 removal of those deemed most hazardous seems a small price to pay to minimize risks to the safety of fellow townspeople and others using our roadways.

Finally, some will have observed that a precarious, EAB-infested ash tree was removed from 17 Elm Street on February 6. Due to the high volume of pedestrian traffic passing directly under this tree (including schoolchildren twice daily on foot or bikes), as well as many vehicles and bicycles, we recommended to the Selectboard that it be removed immediately. Following a competitive bidding process and landowner approval, Longto Tree Services from Bradford conducted the removal efficiently and cost-effectively, with minimal disturbance to the site. For anyone interested, photos of the removal process (which took place during a snowstorm) and the tidy aftermath can be viewed on the Norwich Conservation Commission website.

Also on the Norwich Conservation Commission website are photos and detailed captions illustrating two examples of green ash trees doomed by EAB; both trees can be observed behind Ledyard Bank.

We sincerely thank our many fellow townspeople who have expressed interest in and provided feedback on this issue. We hope for an affirmative vote Tuesday on article 10.

Re: In Defense of the Ash Tree

The EAB Management Subcommittee (EABMS) of the Norwich Conservation Commission (NCC) would like to thank Theodore and Ruth Jabbs for their thoughtful response to our listserve post of 20 February, about removal of dead and dying ash trees along town roadways. The resources they recommend are useful, and we are familiar with a number of them; we encourage others to read and learn from these. We wholeheartedly agree that it is vital *not* to cut down more than a small fraction of ash trees – in Norwich or anywhere.

We on the EABMS cherish Norwich’s ash trees and fervently hope that enough of a resistant population remains after the EAB infestation peaks to maintain some healthy trees in our forests. Please note that the upcoming warrant article we proposed, which our Town Manager and Selectboard support, is to cut only those ash that are within the town right-of-way along our public roads. As we’ve previously explained, this is solely to ensure public safety, as structurally compromised ash trees are highly unpredictable in how and when they come down. This proactive approach of removing the most hazardous individual ash from our roadsides is a technique that many other Vermont municipalities have and are using to maximize public safety. The warrant article before Norwich voters (Article 10 on the ballot) will appropriate funds only to remove those roadside trees that are deemed to pose an unacceptably high present or future risk to people using our town-maintained roadways.

Private landowners who have ash trees threatening personal or material safety on their property may be inclined to take similar measures and/or to consider inoculating especially significant trees that they want to keep healthy and viable. The EABMS has worked closely with Town officials and the Marion Cross School on this latter alternative in hopes of saving some particularly prominent ash trees around town. We are also in conversations with the State about using the Town Forest and Woody Adams Conservation Forest as study areas to identify disease-resistant trees. While landowners may wish to harvest some of the ash trees in their forests as a lumber resource before they become severely compromised, we anticipate that most ash trees on the Norwich landscape will succumb to EAB. Again, we can all hope that at least a few resistant individuals will survive to leave us with an EAB-resistant population that persists into the future.

We again thank the Jabbs for their perspective, and we refer readers to the NCC web page for more information and resources on EAB.

Norwich’s Emerald Ash Borer Infestation: management progress

Norwich residents have a crucial opportunity to help tackle the unfolding ecological and public safety crisis that Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) poses along our 75 miles of town-owned roadways. This invasive and destructive insect pest has now infested a great number of ash trees in Norwich, nearly all of which are likely to die within the next 2-3 years. Dead and dying trees are prone to unpredictable, catastrophic breakage, and the many hundreds of ash trees lining our roadways already constitute a serious public safety hazard, one that is certain to intensify. The only viable solution to protect vehicles, pedestrians, bikers, and property within Norwich's right-of-ways (25 feet on either side of the centerline) is to remove roadside ash trees, beginning with those deemed to be of highest risk.

Thanks to a surplus of town funds from previous years, Norwich voters will have the option on March 4 to approve a warrant article that authorizes an expenditure of $100,000 in our forthcoming budget to remove roadside ash trees. This appropriation, if approved by voters, will be set aside in an existing town-maintained EAB Response Fund. The Selectboard unanimously approved adding this warrant article on the upcoming town ballot. If approved by town voters, this measure will provide a critical jumpstart to the much-needed, multi-year process of removing roadside ash trees.

A group of nine committed volunteer Norwich residents – the EAB Management Subcommittee of the Norwich Conservation Commission – has worked diligently over the past year to document the EAB infestation in our town and has begun identifying high-risk trees along our roadways. Our group includes the Norwich Tree Warden, 3 scientists, 3 forestry professionals, an environmental educator, and a land conservationist. We are fully in favor of this warrant article and urge our fellow town residents to vote in favor of it. We are deeply concerned about the impacts of EAB on Norwich, especially in terms of public safety. Please vote affirmatively on this warrant article and help our town effectively manage its widespread EAB infestation.

In response to Chris Katucki’s listserve post of January 21, titled “Basic Questions about Norwich's EAB Tree Removal Plan & Costs”, the Norwich Emerald Ash Borer Management Subcommittee (EABSC) offers the following:

First, the town of Norwich—as so many other municipalities in Vermont and the Northeast—has a very serious problem on its hands with the widespread infestation of EAB. This invasive beetle from Asia has now infested the great majority of ash trees along our 75 miles of town-owned roadways. As compromised trees die and begin to fall, often unpredictably, there will be increasingly high risks to those using our roadways and public spaces, as well as to private property owners. There are literally thousands of roadside ash trees within the public right-of-way along our roads, and nearly all of these will die within the next 3-5 years. The Town of Norwich has no option but to take responsible action, which means removing as many of these trees as possible, as soon as possible.

Second, the EABSC was formed 8 months ago--with Selectboard approval--as a subcommittee of the Norwich Conservation Commission. Our group of 8 volunteers has worked conscientiously to develop recommendations to the Town Manager and Selectboard for managing EAB in our town. Our group includes the Tree Warden, 3 scientists, 3 forestry experts, a land conservation expert, and an environmental educator. We take our role very seriously. We have worked hard to document the extent of EAB in Norwich, to identify and mark ash trees that we believe to be at highest risk to public safety, and to communicate our findings to both the public and town officials.

The Town Manager’s recommendation that Norwich’s FY26 budget include a $100,000 allocation for removal of EAB-infested trees resulted directly from the EABSC’s work. These funds are proposed to be drawn from the projected FY25 surplus and added to the existing EAB Response Fund #52, which currently has $12,000. In fact, this proposed amount is far less than optimal (and less than the EABSC recommended for FY26), given the enormity of Norwich’s EAB infestation. However, we believe it is an entirely reasonable and defensible number, even if minimal. That amount should be enough to remove hundreds of Norwich’s highest-risk ash trees during the year ahead.

The Town Manager’s proposal to include $100,000 in the FY26 budget for removal of EAB-infested trees was made prudently and conservatively. He acted upon the recommendation of the EABSC, an official town body that in turn has interacted extensively over the past 8 months with Norwich residents, state forest health experts, arborists, lawyers, and officials in other Vermont towns. We are confident that the Town Manager’s proposal was made with careful deliberation to balance the significant costs of EAB removal and the need to thoughtfully consider how every taxpayer dollar is spent.

Some of Mr. Katucki's questions lack black-and-white answers; for example, Norwich does not have a Tree Ordinance, which in other towns complements the details of Vermont Act 171, which went into effect November 2020. Others of his questions could have been easily answered via an Internet search.

It’s important to note that no decision concerning any expenditure from EAB Response Fund #52 can or will be made without a thorough hearing before the Selectboard, if the article is approved (and once FY26 begins). The proposed article simply makes supplemental funds available for whatever management strategy is approved by the board. And to reiterate, taking no action is NOT an option; every EAB management plan written by many other Vermont municipalities and elsewhere in North America stresses this reality.

The Norwich Conservation Commission and EABSC have already made publicly available extensive resources on EAB, including six previous informational posts to this listserve. The web pages below contain information and links, and there are countless other resources as well, as a quick internet search will reveal:

• The EAB project page
• A list of EAB resources
• VT Forest Fact Sheet

The EAB Subcommittee is grateful for the support of many Norwich residents, and the numerous constructive ideas so far offered. We have been honored to work with community members and leaders as we seek to understand the safest, most cost-effective measures to manage and minimize public safety risks from this destructive pest. We sincerely hope that the Selectboard will approve the proposed article at its January 22 meeting, and that the Norwich community will vote affirmatively on the measure (if approved) on its upcoming town ballot. Anyone should feel free to contact us at this email address with questions, concerns, or suggestions.

Update: Norwich ash trees and the EAB infestation

As many listserv readers are aware, the emerald ash borer (EAB) was first confirmed here in January, six years after its initial detection in Vermont. Concerned residents began discussing the situation by mid-April, which led to formation of an EAB Management Subcommittee (EABSC) of the Norwich Conservation Committee (NCC). Details regarding all aspects of this invasive pest (with photos) are available on the NCC website, and on a one-page flyer available at the post office and Town Clerk’s office.

The arrival of EAB here was anticipated and inevitable, yet as a small town without an arborist or Tree Ordinance, the unfortunate reality is that Norwich simply did not have resources to prepare for the infestation. (Burlington, by contrast, has a full-time tree staff of four, and an annual tree budget of $500,000.) Prior to EAB detection in Norwich we did not have a plan to deal with the thousands of ash trees along our 75 miles of town-maintained roads, whereas some towns began proactively cutting roadside ash before EAB arrived (e.g., Rutland treated 120 ash and removed 235 five years ago; EAB had not even been detected there as of July 2024). Since the Norwich EABSC began its work last spring, we have scrambled to both catch up and plan, as detailed below.

Following protocols established by arborists in other Vermont towns, the Norwich tree warden and deputies are actively assessing ash trees along our busiest roads. This is being done with a sense of urgency, because EAB damage causes infested trees to dry out quickly, and the structural wood becomes prone to cracking, even when two thirds of the canopy is still intact (read more at ). A small pilot assessment was done along a dangerous section of lower Beaver Meadow Road, where those trees posing a safety hazard have been marked with red and/or blue paint; details are available on a map. These trees need to be removed ASAP, while others leaning harmlessly away from the road can be left to fall safely.

With the experience gained from this pilot assessment and anticipated removal, we will expand the scope of our assessment and marking of trees needing removal, so Norwich can issue Requests for Bids (RFPs) to ensure public safety along our roads. This will be expensive, requiring that we spread the cost over a period of years. For example, East Montpelier recently issued its third RFP, this one to remove 379 more ash by the end of May 2025.

We urge all Norwich residents to learn more about EAB and to communicate both questions and observations of potential hazard trees on private and public lands. During winter, EAB larvae pupate and are not active. As one diagnostic tool, keep an eye out for woodpeckers feeding on larvae during winter months, as evidenced by flecking and holes in bark. This situation demands vigilance by all Norwich residents!

Painted Ash Trees

Ash trees along our roads are dying due to infestation by the invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) and will become increasingly likely to fail -- impacting public safety, travel, and utility lines. Norwich Tree Warden Matt Hall is coordinating an effort to begin marking the riskiest of these trees with one or two diagonal paint stripes; marked trees will soon become more common along our roads. Members of the Norwich Emerald Ash Borer Management Group are working with Matt on this marking effort, and the trees will be cut as soon as possible.

Trees are only being marked within town road right-of-ways, which extend 1.5 rods (24.75 feet) to either side of the road center. Please be aware that the ROW is not always easy to determine, as the location of some road sections has changed over time.

To see a painted ash photo, go to the EAB Resources webpage of the Conservation Commission; scroll down to the images and see lower left (#11).

What makes these dead and dying ash particularly risky? Come visit our table with wood samples at the Community Resource Fair to learn. As EAB destroys a tree's vascular tissue, the wood becomes dry, brittle, and weak -- leading to branch and trunk breakage that can happen suddenly, even without wind or snow loading.

We hope to see you Saturday afternoon 1-3 pm outside the Norwich Historical Society on Main Street. Feel free to email us with questions.

Save your ash trees: the 2024 treatment window is closing

The next week or two will be an excellent time to assess ash trees on your property. Chances are good that ash boring beetles (EAB) have also checking them out, and innoculating them will likely be the only way to prevent them from dying within the next few years.

Arborists recommend treating trees before mid-September This is why we recommend assessing your trees now, and contacting a trusted applicator to treat any that you wish to save. Treatment is not cheap (roughly $200-500 every 2-3 years), but neither is contracting to have dead ash cut down and removed. Innoculation by the method we recommend is safe and very effective; this link to our message of 30 June provides more information and contact information for licensed innoculators. Check the base of 3 treated ash trees near the bandstand for an example.

Our initial EAB listserve message with links is here

Got Ash Trees? Start Planning Now!

Norwich has a large number of ash trees, all of which are threatened by the invasive/non-native Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). These beautiful trees are found along our roads, in public spaces, and on many of our properties. As the EAB infestation expands, now is an excellent and important time to learn how to identify ash trees, and evaluate any that might be on your property.

As my previous messages* to the list have indicated, inoculation of ash trees is quite safe and effective, if done by a Vermont Certified Pesticide Applicator via stem injection (no spray). The purpose of this message is to provide residents with details about treatment, and a list of experienced, trusted local applicators. Treatment is best done during spring or summer! * e.g., Thsi earlier post

Inoculating ash trees for EAB protection in our area costs roughly $200-500 every 2 years (maybe 3), with tree diameter primarily influencing cost. As a first step, learn to identify ash trees on your property, and ASAP think about which are most important to you and thus worth the expense. Bear in mind that trees within 25 feet of road center-lines belong to you, but the town may take responsibility for removing them when they die. Also, if you note any high-value (or dangerously-situated) ash trees that appear to be near a property boundary, reach out to the adjacent owner sooner rather than later, aiming to arrive at a consensus agreement about the tree's future. It is important to keep in mind that any tree you may wish to inoculate must healthy, or in early stages of infestation (less than 30% crown dieback), for treatment to be effective. Ash trees in mid-late stages of infestation are unlikely to recover, and will ultimately have to be removed.

A synopsis of the EAB situation is available on the Norwich Conservation Commission website. The article contains links to learn more, and here are FAQs from the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program and an industry fact sheet specifically on injection treatment. We also suggest reading this recent VTDigger article on ash treatment (with links).

The following arborists responded immediately to a recent inquiry, and use the safest, most-effective treatment (Emamectin benzoate), rather than insecticides with neonicotinoids as active ingredients:

• Chippers, Cal Felicetti
• Strategic Vegetation Management, Pete Butler
• Timber Tender, Justin Romero

Meeting and Tree Visits

As many residents are aware, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestation has reached Norwich, and it will radically reduce the number of ash trees in our community. The Norwich Conservation Commission (NCC) is spearheading an effort to educate community members and develop a townwide plan of action to manage the destruction this insect pest will inevitably create.

On Thursday (20 June) Urban Forester Adam McCullough from the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program will present an overview of EAB infestation management, provide training on ash tree inventorying along town roads, and lead a site visit on foot to examine ash trees near Tracy Hall.

The meeting will be from 1-4 pm, in the Tracy Hall Multipurpose Room. Participants with limited time are welcome to attend only the overview at 1 pm.

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) follow-up: 3 items

1. Call for input: know of suspected EAB-infected trees, or trees being treated?

   As a result of our weekend listserve message, we have learned about additional infections in Norwich. Please let us know by *Tuesday afternoon* if you know of any suspected infections, or if you are already treating ash trees on your property. This will help us better define the scope of our problem prior to Tuesday evening's meeting (see below)!

2. Link correction

   Our message on Sunday contained a broken link to information on identifying EAB damage. Use this link.
   Also, the Canadian Forest Service has produced a well-illustrated guide to detecting EAB damage.
   And Norwich Conservation Commission has an EAB page with background information and links

3. Zoom meeting reminder

   Norwich Conservation Commission will hold a single-topic meeting Tuesday at 7 pm to provide further information on EAB. Alternatively, click here then select "Join a meeting" use "meeting ID" 966 3633 0827 and "passcode" 721389.

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is now infecting ash trees in Norwich

Remember the purple traps hanging in trees 10-15 years ago? Regulations on firewood transport? Grim projections about the threat to our ash trees? While many of us may have relegated this information to the category of a future worry, when the threat became more tangible, the invasive and destructive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB; Agrilus planipennis) beetle has been steadily spreading into New England. The first Vermont occurrence was discovered just north of us in Orange Co. during 2018, having spread from its first U.S. detection in Michigan in 2002. During the winter of 2024, EAB was definitively confirmed in Norwich, close to the town green — an urgent situation demanding immediate action.

Consider a few implications of EAB's arrival in Norwich:

• Scientific studies indicate that 99.9 % of our ash trees will be killed.
• Healthy trees typically die within 1-5 years (usually 2-3) of the first sign or symptom of infestation, with widespread mortality within 10 years after an invasion.
• High-value, cherished ash trees can be treated and likely saved, through recurring chemical injection every 2-3 years — especially if treated in advance of infestation. This is an expensive but effective and safe option.
• Dying ash trees quickly become brittle and weak, leading to dangerous, unpredictable breakage patterns. Preemptively removing ash trees in potentially-hazardous locations before infection will be both safer and much less expensive.
• Norwich has a relatively high density of ash trees; an initial survey of town roads indicates well over 100 per mile... and we have 75 miles of class 2 and 3 roads.
• Over the next decade or two, EAB’s economic impact on the Town of Norwich and private landowners will almost certainly be tremendous. As of early 2021, $10.7+ billion had been spent on removal, replacement, and treatment of ash trees in the U.S.

This spring, concerned citizens have begun to develop a response plan for presentation to the Norwich Selectboard, building on efforts that are well underway in other Vermont municipalities. As a first step, the Norwich Conservation Commission (NCC) has created an EAB page on its web site, with links to many useful resources — every concerned Norwich citizen should read this and learn as much as possible about EAB.

Briefly, we envision drafting a detailed EAB management plan, following excellent examples available from other municipalities, and presenting this to the Norwich Selectboard by 30 June. The plan will contain specific recommendations for managing EAB in Norwich on both public and private lands. It is important to note that, while the Town of Norwich and utilities will be responsible for managing ash trees in public spaces (such as right-of-ways, the village, and recreation areas like Huntley Meadows), individual landowners will be responsible for taking action on their own properties. Many details of this forthcoming plan remain to be articulated, but it will be a publicly-accessible document that highlights a wide array of resources to manage this emerging infestation. The NCC and other entities will coordinate a variety of outreach activities around EAB and advertise those to the community. This process will start with a special agenda meeting of the NCC at 7 pm on June 4, to provide an overview of the emerging EAB problem, communicate some of the resources currently available, and inform participants about ways to get involved. This meeting can be attended via Zoom (meeting ID: 966 3633 0827, passcode: 721389). Other public meetings and workshops will follow.

Here is how Norwich citizens can help in the short term:

• Familiarize yourself with ash tree identification and the signs of EAB infestation.
• Learn about EAB and the options available, both for healthy (as-yet infected) and infected trees
• Inventory ashes on your own property, especially trees that are close to structures, access roads/driveways, and power poles
• Communicate to neighbors and other fellow Norwich residents the importance of taking EAB very seriously
• Participate in upcoming public meetings, workshops and field outings

The establishment of EAB in Norwich poses an ecological and public safety threat that must be managed swiftly and effectively. Inaction is simply NOT an option. Please pay very close attention to this invasive pest and be part of a coordinated, townwide effort to avert the worst consequences of Norwich’s unfolding EAB outbreak.

Doug Hardy
Chris Rimmer
Craig Layne
Matt Hall
Lindsay Putnam
Alex Gottlieb
Dave Hobson
David Hubbard