As Vermont loses its ash trees, towns race to stop the beetle that’s the culprit

by Emma Malinak
July 25, 2024

“Vermont’s environmental experts are imagining a future without ash trees — and that future isn’t far away.

It’s all because the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle from Asia, is destroying ash trees from the inside out. The beetles’ larvae burrow into and feed on inner layers of bark, damaging the system trees use to transport water and nutrients throughout their branches and leaves.

The beetles, commonly referred to as EAB, have been reported in 72 municipalities across 13 of Vermont’s 14 counties, according to the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.

But the map of detections is on its way “from looking like Swiss cheese, with little pockets of infestations, to being completely covered,” said Elise Schadler, program manager for the department’s Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program.

“Eventually there’s going to be no ash left, or at least very few. EAB isn’t going away,” Schadler said.”

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