Five take-aways from the emerald ash borer’s return to Cedar Rapids

1. City forestry workers noticed evidence of emerald ash borer while taking down a dying tree in the southwest quadrant between the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena and Jefferson High School on Monday. A resident had called with concerns about the condition of the tree along the street. It was a 'textbook” example of the infestation.

2. The exotic beetle lays eggs in the inner bark. Once the eggs hatch the larvae eat away at the tree and form galleries that interrupt the flow of moisture nutrients through the tree. The tree dries out as it dies causing limbs to break or potentially the whole tree to fall.

3. Signs of an infected tree include dead branches near the top of a tree, leafy shoots sprouting from the trunk, bark splits exposing larval galleries, extensive woodpecker activity and D-shaped exit holes.

4. Ash trees make up 17 percent, roughly 3,300 of the 43,000 trees maintained by the city.

5. City and state officials predict ash trees will begin a rapid decline likely within the next two years, causing dramatic changes in some neighborhoods where they are most prevalent.

l Comments: (319) 339-3177; brian.morelli@thegazette.com