The Glass Half Full: The emerald ash borer is inching closer to Greeley. Here’s how the city can help you prepare.

Pine beetles have been ravaging Colorado for decades, resulting in more than three million acres of affected forests, according to a news release from the City of Greeley, and the emerald ash borer has upped the ante.

The jewel beetle is an invasive species that eats and kills ash trees. It’s native to north-eastern Asia, where ash trees are few and far between. Unfortunately northern Colorado has ash trees in spades.

In 2019, officials confirmed the presence of the beetle near Berthoud – and in 2020 emerald ash borer was found just north of Fort Collins.

As ash trees make up about 15% of Greeley’s forest, according to the news release.

Furthermore, only about 5% of the ash trees in Greeley are owned by the city, which means property owners will be on the hook for removing trees killed by the beetles. That has the potential to be expensive.

But we promised you some good news, and good news you shall receive. The City of Greeley is offering a low-cost treatment program to help protect trees from the emerald ash borer.  

By signing up for the program, Greeley residents can get preventative treatment on their ash trees to help them survive the deadly beetle, which will be administered by the City of Greeley between June 15 and July 3.

To learn more

To learn more and sign up for treatment, go to greeleygov.com/EABtreatment.