Treatment of ash trees is not a one-time expenditure. Your tree will need continual treatments throughout the duration of the EAB threat–estimated to last 15 years!
There is some variation in treatment cost based on the size, health, method, and number of trees you have to treat. My current average cost for a 2-year treatment is $11 per inch of tree stem diameter measured at breast height, plus sales tax. This is for treatment at a rate of 7.5mL per diameter inch using emamectin benzoate for healthy trees. This application rate is higher than the 5mL minimum rate commonly suggested for protection of healthy trees from EAB, but in consideration of all factors in this endeavor I have observed that the best value for the customer may in fact be to treat at a higher rate for a modest increase in cost. Customers with healthy ash trees that desire the lowest possible cost may opt for treatment at the 5mL per inch rate at a cost of $9 per diameter inch, plus sales tax. Trees that are weak now, or in the future when peak EAB pressure is reached, will require a treatment rate of 10mL per diameter inch at a cost of $13 per diameter inch, plus sales tax. Also note your tree(s) tend to grow 1/2″ to 1″ in diameter per year so the price of treatment will rise over time. Discounts apply for associations or home owners with multiple trees to treat, and in a variety of other circumstances that can be peculiar to your tree(s) and situation. Inflation or deflation of US dollars in future years, and changes in the price of emamectin benzoate may affect future pricing of EAB treatments. I am willing to consider honoring a competitor’s price, if you can provide their written estimate including the method of treatment and actual amount (milliliters) of insecticide being applied.
I am happy to stop by and measure your tree, but if you want to estimate the cost of treatment yourself you can measure the diameter of your tree in inches. Use a rope or tape measure to capture the distance AROUND the stem at a height 4.5 feet above the ground. This is the circumference of the tree, not the diameter! To compute the diameter you will need to divide the length of the rope in inches by 3.14. Smaller trees may be the diameter of a grown man’s thigh, approximately 6-8 inches. Mature ash trees are much bigger; similar in diameter to a car or large truck tire: 24-36″ in diameter. All but a few mammoth trees will be between these ranges.
A 2-year treatment for a 20″ diameter ash tree (which would typically be nearly 50 feet in height) using emamectin benzoate (commonly trademarked as Treeage and Mectinite) costs $200-280 plus sales tax of 7.25%. This is the third and highest level of protection methods discussed here. Please note the cost is variable since the dose of insecticide applied is variable based on various criteria: health factors of the tree, location (with respect to known EAB activity in Lincoln), and treatment history.
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