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Emerald Ash Borer in Western New York: Signs, Treatment and When Removal Is the Only Option

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Mature tree with a dead, bark-stripped leader hanging over a house in Buffalo NY, typical emerald ash borer dieback before removal

Emerald Ash Borer in Western New York: Signs, Treatment and When Removal Is the Only Option

By Branch Specialists Tree Service • Updated October 8, 2026 • 13 min read • Sourced from NYS DEC, USDA and university extension data
Key Facts — Emerald Ash Borer & Western New York (Verified October 2026)
  • Emerald ash borer (EAB) is established across all of Western New York. It was first found in New York in June 2009 in Randolph, Cattaraugus County, about an hour south of Buffalo, and was confirmed inside the City of Buffalo in 2011. NYS DEC now lists it in every county in the state except Hamilton and Lewis.
  • Every true ash in WNY is at risk. White ash, green ash and black ash are all killed. Ash makes up roughly 7 percent of all trees in New York State, more than 900 million trees, and a large share of the shade trees planted on Buffalo streets and in suburban yards from the 1960s onward.
  • An infested ash usually dies within 2 to 4 years of the first visible symptoms. The earliest signs, thinning at the top of the crown and pale “blonded” bark where woodpeckers have been feeding, are easiest to spot from October to April when the leaves are off.
  • Treatment works, but only early. A trunk injection of emamectin benzoate protects a healthy ash for two to three years. It is a realistic option only while the tree has lost less than about 30 percent of its canopy.
  • A dead ash is a short-fuse hazard. Ash wood dries and turns brittle within two to three years of death. At that point the tree can no longer be climbed safely and has to come down with a bucket truck or crane, which is why a dead ash is the single most expensive routine removal in Buffalo.
In This Guide
🚨 If your ash has lost its bark or has no leaves at all, do not wait for spring
A fully dead ash tree is not a “wait and see” tree. Once the bark starts sloughing off, the wood is already drying and becoming brittle. Every month it stands, it gets more dangerous to remove and more expensive to remove, because crews can no longer climb it and have to bring in a bucket truck or crane. If a dead ash is leaning over your house, driveway or a neighbour’s property, call (716) 400-0763 for a same-week assessment.
2009
First New York detection, in Randolph (Cattaraugus County), roughly 60 miles south of Buffalo
2011
Year emerald ash borer was confirmed inside the City of Buffalo
~7%
Share of all New York trees that are ash, more than 900 million trees statewide (NYS DEC)
2–3 yrs
How long a single emamectin benzoate trunk injection protects a healthy ash

Why Emerald Ash Borer Is a Buffalo Problem, Not Just a Forest Problem

Most invasive-pest stories feel like somebody else’s problem. Emerald ash borer is different for Western New York for one simple reason: our neighbourhoods are full of ash.

After Dutch elm disease stripped the elms off Buffalo’s streets in the mid-20th century, ash was one of the species cities and homeowners reached for to replace them. Green ash and white ash grow fast, tolerate road salt and compacted soil, and throw good shade. For decades that made them a default choice for tree lawns in North Buffalo, South Buffalo, Kenmore and Tonawanda, and for backyards across Amherst, Cheektowaga, Clarence, Orchard Park and Hamburg.

Then the beetle arrived. New York’s first confirmed infestation was found in June 2009 in the Town of Randolph in Cattaraugus County, about an hour’s drive south of the city. By the summer of 2011 researchers had confirmed emerald ash borer in Buffalo itself. Today NYS DEC lists it in every county in the state except Hamilton and Lewis, which have very few ash trees to begin with. Re-Tree WNY, the volunteer group that replanted the roughly 57,000 trees lost in the October 2006 storm, has since shifted its focus to replacing trees lost to emerald ash borer, ice storms and wind.

Here is what that means in practical terms. If you own an ash tree anywhere in Erie or Niagara County in 2026, it is either infested, in the process of being infested, or being protected by insecticide. There is no fourth category. The questions that matter are: how far along is it, can it still be saved, and if not, how soon does it need to come down?

🦬 Buffalo-Specific Note — Who owns the ash on your tree lawn: If the ash is in the strip between the sidewalk and the curb, it is a City of Buffalo street tree. Under Chapter 413 of the City Code, the Bureau of Forestry has exclusive authority over planting, pruning and removal of trees in the public right-of-way. You cannot remove or treat it yourself. You can request an inspection by calling 311, and “dead or dying” is one of the conditions that qualifies a street tree for city removal. The same applies in most suburbs with their own highway or forestry departments. The tree inside your property line is yours to deal with, and in most WNY municipalities no permit is needed to remove it. See our Buffalo tree removal permit guide for the exceptions.

What Emerald Ash Borer Is and How It Kills a Tree

Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) is a small metallic-green beetle, about half an inch long, native to eastern Asia. It reached North America in wood packing material and was first identified near Detroit in 2002. The adult beetle does very little damage. It nibbles on leaves, mates, and lays eggs in bark crevices from late May through July.

The larvae are the problem. When the eggs hatch, the larvae chew through the bark and feed in the thin layer of living tissue just beneath it, the phloem and outer sapwood, which is the tree’s plumbing. Each larva carves a winding, S-shaped tunnel packed with sawdust-like frass. One larva is harmless. A few hundred of them, feeding for one to two years, cut off the flow of water and sugars between the roots and the crown. The tree is girdled from the inside, and it starves.

Because the feeding happens under the bark, the first year or two of an infestation are invisible from the ground. By the time the crown starts to thin, the beetle population inside the tree is usually already large. That lag is why EAB has been so hard to stop and why “my ash looked fine last year” is something our arborists hear constantly.

Which trees are at risk: Every true ash in the genus Fraxinus. In Western New York that means white ash, green ash (the most common street and yard ash) and black ash. Mountain ash is not a true ash, it is a rowan, and emerald ash borer does not attack it. Blue ash shows some resistance but is rare in our area. There is no ash species common in WNY that you can assume is safe.

Step One: Make Sure Your Tree Is Actually an Ash

Before you worry about the beetle, confirm the tree. Ash is frequently confused with boxelder, black walnut, hickory and mountain ash, and we have done more than one “emergency” assessment on a perfectly healthy maple. Three features identify an ash:

  • Opposite branching. Twigs and buds grow directly across from each other in pairs, not staggered. Very few large trees in WNY branch this way: ash, maple, horse chestnut and dogwood. If the branching is opposite and the leaves are compound, you almost certainly have an ash.
  • Compound leaves with 5 to 11 leaflets. Each “leaf” is actually a stalk carrying an odd number of leaflets, usually 7. Boxelder has 3 to 5 leaflets and is also opposite-branched, which is the most common mix-up.
  • Diamond-pattern bark on mature trees. Older ash bark forms tight, interlacing ridges in a distinctive diamond or “X” pattern. Young ash bark is smoother and grey.
TreeBranchingLeavesBarkEAB risk
Green / white ashOppositeCompound, 5–9 leafletsDiamond ridges🔴 HIGH
Black ashOppositeCompound, 7–11 leaflets, stalklessSoft, corky, flaky🔴 HIGH
BoxelderOppositeCompound, 3–5 leafletsShallow furrowsNone
Black walnut / hickoryAlternateCompound, 11–23 leafletsDeep furrows / shaggy platesNone
Mountain ash (rowan)AlternateCompound, 11–17 small leaflets, orange berriesSmooth greyNone

Still not sure? Take a clear photo of a twig with buds, a leaf, and a hand’s-width of trunk bark and send it to us. Species identification is part of every ISA-certified arborist assessment we do.

7 Signs of Emerald Ash Borer in a WNY Ash Tree

These are listed roughly in the order a homeowner is likely to notice them. The first two are visible from the sidewalk and are the ones to check for right now, in the leaf-off season.

1

Thinning and dieback at the top of the crown

EAB larvae typically attack the upper trunk and large limbs first, so the damage shows at the top. Look for a crown that is sparse, with leaves that are smaller and paler than they should be, and bare twigs poking out above the foliage in summer. In winter, compare the fine twig structure at the top of the tree with a healthy maple nearby: an infested ash looks “see-through” and has dead, grey, twigless branch ends. By the time dieback reaches 30 to 50 percent of the crown, the tree has usually been infested for two or more years.

🦬 Buffalo note: On many Erie County streets, every ash on the block was planted the same year and is dying on the same schedule. If the ash two doors down has a bare top, assume yours is in the same condition and check it closely.
2

Pale, “blonded” patches of bark from woodpecker feeding

Woodpeckers love EAB larvae. To get at them they flake off the outer bark, leaving pale tan or blond patches on an otherwise grey trunk and limbs. Heavy blonding on the upper trunk and main limbs is one of the most reliable signs of a serious infestation, and it is dramatically easier to see from October through April when there are no leaves in the way. If you see a woodpecker working an ash tree repeatedly in winter, it is not a coincidence.

3

D-shaped exit holes, about 1/8 inch across

When adult beetles emerge in late May and June they chew their way out of the bark, leaving a hole with one flat side, like a capital “D”. The holes are small, roughly the width of a pencil lead, and often on the upper trunk where you cannot see them from the ground. Finding them on the lower trunk or on fallen branches means the tree has been infested for a while. Round holes of various sizes are usually other borers or woodpeckers, not EAB.

4

S-shaped tunnels under loose bark

Peel back a piece of loose bark on a declining ash and you will see the larval galleries: winding, serpentine tunnels packed with fine sawdust, zig-zagging across the grain. These are the definitive sign. Nothing else that attacks ash in WNY leaves galleries like this. On a tree that has been dead for a year or more, the galleries are often exposed over most of the trunk where the bark has fallen away.

5

Sprouts growing from the trunk or base

A tree that is losing its crown tries to compensate by pushing out new shoots lower down, from the trunk, the root flare and large limbs. Arborists call them epicormic sprouts; homeowners usually describe them as “a bush growing out of the trunk”. On an ash, a flush of these sprouts combined with a thin top is a strong indicator of EAB. The sprouts do not save the tree.

6

Vertical splits in the bark

As larvae feed, the tree tries to grow callus tissue over the damage. The result is vertical cracks in the bark, typically 2 to 5 inches long, often with a gallery visible in the split. Bark splitting shows up in the moderate-to-severe stage of infestation.

7

Metallic green beetles on the tree in early summer

Adults are active in Western New York from roughly late May into July. They are small, slender, bright metallic green and about 1/2 inch long. Seeing them on the bark or leaves confirms the tree is a host. Several native beetles are also green, so a photo is worth sending to a professional before you draw conclusions. If you can see adults on your ash, assume the larvae have already been feeding for at least a year.

🦬 Buffalo note: Our arborists see sign 1 and sign 2 together on the majority of WNY ash calls. If your tree shows both, skip the detective work and get it assessed, because the treatment window is closing or already closed.
What EAB is not: Ash yellows, anthracnose, drought stress and road-salt damage can all thin an ash crown. None of them produce D-shaped holes, serpentine galleries or heavy woodpecker blonding. If you see crown thinning without any of signs 2 to 4, the tree may have a different, more treatable problem, which is one more reason to get a trained set of eyes on it before deciding anything.

The Four Stages of EAB Decline and What Each One Means

The single most useful thing you can do is place your tree on this scale honestly. Every decision that follows, treatment or removal, timing and cost, depends on it.

StageCanopy lossWhat you seeCan it be treated?Removal urgency
1 — EarlyUnder 30%Slight thinning at the top, maybe a few D-holes or light woodpecker activity. Tree still looks mostly normal.Yes, good oddsNone if treated. Plan removal within 2–3 years if not.
2 — Moderate30–50%Obvious bare branches at the top, blonding on upper trunk, epicormic sprouts starting, bark splits.Sometimes, with reduced oddsDecide now. Remove within 12–18 months if not treating.
3 — SevereOver 50%Most of the crown dead, heavy blonding, galleries visible, large dead limbs over the yard.No. Treatment is not recommended.Remove this season. Dead limbs are already a drop risk.
4 — Dead100%No leaves, bark falling off in sheets, galleries exposed, wood dry and grey.NoRemove as soon as possible. Becomes unclimbable within 2–3 years of death.

If you are unsure whether the tree is thinning or simply dormant for the season, our guide on how to tell if a tree is dead or just dormant in Buffalo walks through the scratch test, bud check and the WNY leaf-out calendar.

Can an Ash Tree Be Saved? Treatments That Actually Work

Yes, with two conditions: the tree has to be caught early, and you have to be willing to keep treating it for as long as you want to keep it. Emerald ash borer is not going away, so protection is a maintenance commitment, not a one-time cure.

💉 TREAT — when it makes sense
  • The tree has lost less than about 30 percent of its canopy and still has good bark and no major dieback on main limbs.
  • It is a high-value tree: the only shade over the house or patio, a large specimen that would cost thousands to replace in effect, or a tree you simply are not willing to lose.
  • You are prepared to re-treat every two to three years for the life of the tree.
  • The tree is structurally sound apart from EAB, with no co-dominant splits, root damage or decay that would make it a removal candidate anyway.
🪓 REMOVE — when it makes sense
  • Canopy loss is over 50 percent, or over 30 percent with heavy blonding and bark splitting. The research is consistent: heavily infested trees rarely recover even when treated.
  • The tree is already dead or shedding bark.
  • It is a small or ordinary ash where the lifetime cost of treatment would exceed the cost of removal and a replacement tree.
  • It overhangs a house, driveway, play area or a neighbour’s property, where a failing limb has consequences.

The treatment options, ranked

TreatmentHow it’s appliedHow long it lastsBest forNotes
Emamectin benzoate trunk injectionInjected into the trunk by a certified applicator, late spring to early summer2–3 yearsAny size ash, including large street and yard treesThe gold standard. Michigan State University trials recorded near-complete larval control for 2 to 3 years from a single injection, even in large trees under heavy pressure.
Imidacloprid soil drenchPoured around the base in May or early June1 yearSmaller ash, under about 15 inches trunk diameterAvailable in homeowner formulations. Success falls off sharply on large trees and in dry soils. Must be repeated every year.
Dinotefuran basal bark spraySprayed on the lower trunk by a licensed applicator1 yearSmall to medium ashFast uptake, annual re-application.
Azadirachtin injection (TreeAzin)Trunk injection1–2 yearsSituations where a botanical product is preferredLower-impact option, generally shorter protection than emamectin benzoate.

What treatment costs in Buffalo, and how it compares with removal

Professional injection is priced by trunk diameter, measured at 4.5 feet above the ground (arborists call this DBH). Typical Western New York pricing for an emamectin benzoate injection runs in the range of $10 to $15 per inch of diameter, every two years. Prices vary with the applicator, product and number of trees, so treat these as planning figures.

Ash size (DBH)Injection, per treatmentOver 10 years (5 treatments)Removal if it dies
12 in. (young yard ash)$120–$180$600–$900$600–$1,200
20 in. (mature street ash)$200–$300$1,000–$1,500$1,200–$2,500
30 in. (large specimen)$300–$450$1,500–$2,250$2,500–$5,000+ if dead and near a house

Removal figures are drawn from our 2026 Buffalo tree removal cost guide. Notice the pattern: for a large, healthy, well-placed ash, a decade of protection costs less than removing it dead. For a small or poorly placed ash, removal and replacement usually wins.

Who can treat your tree in New York: Trunk injections and basal sprays for hire must be done by a NYS DEC-certified pesticide applicator. Branch Specialists’ role is the honest assessment: we will tell you which stage your ash is in and whether it is a realistic treatment candidate. If it is, we will say so rather than sell you a removal you do not need, and point you to a certified applicator. If it is not, we will give you a firm written price to take it down safely.

When Removal Is the Only Option

Three situations put an ash firmly in the removal column:

  1. 1
    More than half the crown is gone. At this point the tree cannot move enough water to recover even if every larva were killed tomorrow. Insecticide treatments are not recommended above 50 percent canopy loss.
  2. 2
    The bark is coming off. Sloughing bark means the cambium underneath is dead over large areas. The tree is functionally dead regardless of a few green shoots at the base.
  3. 3
    Dead limbs over a target. A house, garage, driveway, sidewalk, play set or a neighbour’s property. Even a tree in stage 2 may need to come down early if the parts that are dying are the parts hanging over something that matters.
⏱ The cheapest ash removal is the one you do before it is fully dead
A declining ash with sound wood can be climbed and dismantled piece by piece, which is the standard, lowest-cost method. A dead ash cannot be climbed safely, so the job needs a bucket truck or, in a tight Buffalo lot with no equipment access, a crane. That change in method can add anywhere from several hundred to a couple of thousand dollars, as our crane removal cost guide explains. Removing a stage 3 ash this season is almost always cheaper than removing a stage 4 ash in two years.

Timing helps too. Late fall and winter are the cheapest time of year for tree removal in Buffalo: frozen ground protects your lawn, there are no leaves to chip, and schedules are more open. A dead ash identified in October is an ideal winter removal. After the tree is down, stump grinding clears the way for a replacement tree in spring.

Why a Dead Ash Is More Dangerous Than Other Dead Trees

Arborists treat dead ash differently from dead maple or oak, and it is worth understanding why.

Ash wood is strong when it is alive, which is why it has been used for baseball bats and tool handles. But once the tree dies, the wood dries quickly and loses that strength. Within about two years, limbs start to snap at the branch collar with no warning. Within three to five years, trunks can fail outright, and the root plate of a dead ash often rots enough for the whole tree to tip in a windstorm. A dead oak can stand for a decade; a dead ash is a two-to-three-year countdown.

That brittleness is also what makes dead ash dangerous to remove. A climber’s rope and spikes rely on the wood holding their weight and the weight of the sections being lowered. In a brittle ash, the limb being tied off can break before the cut is finished. This is why every reputable crew in WNY will refuse to climb a long-dead ash and insist on a bucket or crane, and why you should be suspicious of any quote that proposes to climb one.

There is a legal dimension too. New York follows a “prior notice” standard for tree liability: a property owner who knew, or reasonably should have known, that a tree was dead or dangerous can be held responsible when it falls on a neighbour’s house or car. A row of bark-less ash trees is about as obvious a hazard as a tree can be. Our New York tree damage liability guide covers the case law, and our guide to what homeowners insurance does and does not cover for fallen trees explains why neglected dead trees are the claims insurers push back on.

“Every winter we get called to ash trees that could have been a straightforward climb-and-dismantle job the year before and are now a crane job because the wood has gone. The beetle sets the clock. The homeowner decides whether to beat it.”

— Branch Specialists Tree Service, Buffalo NY

Street Trees, Neighbours and the City of Buffalo

If the ash is on the tree lawn

It belongs to the city or town, and so does the decision. In Buffalo, call 311 or use the city’s online request system to ask for a Forestry inspection. There is no fee for a tree work permit, but the city asks for requests at least 30 days ahead, and all removal requests are inspected before approval. Dead and dying trees qualify. Dangerous trees are removed first, then the largest trees that have been on the list the longest, so a stage 4 ash leaning over the sidewalk should be reported as a hazard, not a routine request. Suburban towns run similar programmes through their highway or forestry departments.

If the ash is your neighbour’s

You can trim branches that cross the property line back to the line, at your own expense, as long as you do not harm the tree. You cannot remove it. The practical move is a friendly conversation backed by a written note, which creates the “notice” that matters if the tree later fails. The liability guide linked above explains how that works.

What to do with the wood

Emerald ash borer spreads fastest by hitch-hiking in firewood. NYS DEC regulations restrict moving untreated firewood more than 50 miles from its source, and the safest approach is to chip, burn or use the wood where the tree stood. Our crews chip brush on site and can cut trunk wood to firewood length for you to season and burn at home.

What to Do This Week: A 6-Step Checklist

  1. 1
    Confirm it is an ash. Opposite branching, compound leaves, diamond-pattern bark. Photograph a twig, a leaf (or fallen leaves) and the trunk.
  2. 2
    Rate the crown honestly. Stand back and estimate how much of the top is bare or thin. Under 30 percent, 30 to 50, or more than half.
  3. 3
    Check the bark. Look for blonding, D-shaped holes, splits and sprouts from the trunk. Binoculars help for the upper trunk.
  4. 4
    Note what it hangs over. House, garage, driveway, power lines, the neighbour’s roof, the sidewalk. This decides urgency as much as the tree’s condition does.
  5. 5
    Get a written assessment. An ISA-certified arborist can stage the tree, confirm EAB versus another problem, and give you a treat-or-remove recommendation with a firm price. Ours are free across Erie and Niagara County.
  6. 6
    Plan the replacement. Do not replant ash. Good shade trees for WNY yards that are not on any current pest’s menu include swamp white oak, bur oak, hackberry, Kentucky coffeetree and honeylocust. Planting a mix on your street is the best insurance against the next beetle.
Have an Ash Tree in Buffalo or Erie County? Get It Staged Before Winter.
Branch Specialists’ ISA-certified arborists will confirm whether it is emerald ash borer, tell you honestly if the tree can still be saved, and if not, give you a firm written quote to remove it safely, with crane and bucket-truck capability for dead ash in tight lots.
📞 Call (716) 400-0763 Request a Free Ash Tree Assessment →
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Frequently Asked Questions

Is emerald ash borer still active in Buffalo and Erie County in 2026?
Yes. Emerald ash borer was confirmed in Buffalo in 2011 and is now established throughout Erie and Niagara counties and in every New York county except Hamilton and Lewis. The initial wave of mortality in WNY has passed, but the beetle persists at lower levels and continues to attack surviving and newly planted ash. Any untreated ash in the region should be assumed to be at risk.
How do I know if my tree is an ash?
Ash has three giveaways: branches and buds that grow in opposite pairs, compound leaves with an odd number of leaflets (usually 5 to 9), and diamond-patterned ridged bark on mature trunks. Boxelder is the most common look-alike because it is also opposite-branched, but it has only 3 to 5 leaflets. Mountain ash is not a true ash and is not attacked by emerald ash borer.
What are the first signs of emerald ash borer?
The earliest signs a homeowner can see are thinning and dieback at the very top of the crown and pale “blonded” bark patches on the upper trunk where woodpeckers have been feeding on larvae. Both are easiest to spot in the leaf-off months. D-shaped exit holes about 1/8 inch wide, S-shaped tunnels under loose bark, sprouts from the trunk and vertical bark splits follow as the infestation progresses.
Can an ash tree with emerald ash borer be saved?
Often yes, if treatment starts while the tree has lost less than about 30 percent of its canopy. A trunk injection of emamectin benzoate by a certified applicator protects a tree for two to three years and must be repeated for as long as you want to keep the tree. Trees with more than 50 percent canopy loss are not considered treatment candidates and should be removed.
How much does it cost to treat an ash tree for emerald ash borer in Buffalo NY?
Professional trunk injection is typically priced at roughly $10 to $15 per inch of trunk diameter every two years in Western New York. A 20-inch ash therefore costs in the region of $200 to $300 per treatment, or about $1,000 to $1,500 over ten years. Removing the same tree once it is dead typically costs $1,200 to $2,500, and more if it is near a house and needs a crane.
How long can a dead ash tree stand before it becomes dangerous?
Not long. Ash wood turns brittle within about two years of the tree dying, and limbs begin to drop without warning. Within three to five years the trunk and root plate can fail. Because brittle ash cannot be climbed safely, removal after that point requires a bucket truck or crane, which raises the cost. A dead ash should be removed within a year of dying, sooner if it overhangs a structure.
Who removes a dead ash street tree in Buffalo?
The City of Buffalo Bureau of Forestry. Trees in the right-of-way between the sidewalk and curb are city trees under Chapter 413 of the City Code, and homeowners may not remove or treat them. Request an inspection through 311. There is no permit fee, requests are inspected before approval, and dead or dying trees qualify for removal, with hazardous trees prioritised.
Does homeowners insurance pay to remove a dead ash tree?
Usually not for preventive removal of a standing tree, which insurers treat as maintenance. If the tree falls and damages a covered structure, the damage and a limited amount of debris removal are typically covered, but insurers can deny or dispute claims where the tree was visibly dead and the owner ignored it. Removing a dead ash proactively is almost always cheaper than the deductible plus the argument.
Can I keep the wood from a removed ash tree for firewood?
Yes, if you burn it at or near where the tree stood. Emerald ash borer spreads mainly through transported firewood, and NYS DEC regulations restrict moving untreated firewood more than 50 miles from its source. Ash is excellent firewood once seasoned. Do not give or sell it to anyone who will move it a long distance.
BS
Written & Reviewed By
Branch Specialists Tree Service
ISA-Certified Arborists • Licensed & Insured • Serving Buffalo & WNY Since 2010
Branch Specialists is a locally owned, ISA-certified tree service based in Buffalo, NY. Our arborists assess and remove emerald ash borer-killed ash trees across Erie and Niagara counties every season, including crane and bucket-truck removals of brittle dead ash in tight city lots. Detection history and distribution in this guide are sourced from NYS DEC and USDA; treatment efficacy data are from Michigan State University and University of Wisconsin extension research. Verified October 2026.
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