Emerald Ash Borer Plan

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an invasive insect from Asia that is killing ash trees in North America. It was first found in the United States in southeast Michigan in 2002. By 2018, EAB had spread to Vermont, and by May of 2021 EAB was confirmed to be in Colchester. Communities in North America have not been able to successfully eradicate EAB after it has been detected. Once EAB has infested an ash tree, the probability of the tree dying is greater than 99%. Once EAB symptoms become present, it is estimated that EAB has already been present for 3-5 years and the ash tree is in danger of declining rapidly and dying over the next 2-3 years. In these later phases of deterioration, the ash tree has become a potential hazard to property, infrastructure, and to public safety, as a dead ash tree can become extremely brittle and break easily as it declines. The Town of Colchester has inventoried 446 ash trees within the Town’s right-of-way and within open public spaces. The potential for all those ash trees to become a public safety hazard in a short period of time is of significant concern. The Town is in the process of developing an EAB Plan to minimize this threat to public safety.

For more information, please contact the Town Engineer at aclayton@colchestervt.gov,