In 2008, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was found to be infesting trees very near Calumet. In fact, the main infestation was less than a mile to the west of us in Hazel Crest. Within a few days of the discovery the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Village of Homewood paid us a visit to check our ash trees to determine the extent of the infestation. It was quickly determined that some of our ash trees had the EAB, they had been here for a few years, and that many of our ash trees were showing the tell tale signs of the borer being present.
One of the signs that can be seen from the ground is woodpecker damage. EAB larvae are just under the bark of the tree and the woodpeckers work to get them out of the tree. Woodpecker holes alone do not necessarily mean that EAB is in the tree.
Trees that have been infested for a few years will begin to thin out near the top of the tree, and will also have water sprouts or "suckers" coming out of the trunk and lower branches. "Suckering" is common on many trees, but is not the normal growth habit for ash trees. The thin top and the suckering is a result of the EAB larvae burrowing just underneath the bark of the tree and cutting off the supply of water and nutrients to the top of the tree. The suckering is essentially a last ditch effort for the tree to survive.
You can see in this picture the burrows or 'galleries' that will eventually cut off the trees water supply and kill the tree.
The signature sign of the EAB in the tree is this D-shaped hole in the bark. It's hard to tell in the picture, but this is actually a very small hole. It is only 1/8 of an inch across. Ash trees may have other D-shaped holes that are larger, but those are made by native ash borers that do not kill the tree.
So what is the fate of the ash trees at Calumet? Unfortunately, most of them are going to end up like this tree on the right side of the fourth fairway. We have about 90 ash trees on the course right now. When the EAB was first found here, we selected 13 trees that we deemed valuable to the golf course and we are treating those on a yearly basis. Most of those trees are still very healthy. The difficulty is that these treatment will have to continue indefinitely to keep the EAB out of those trees. Last summer we were thinking that the ash trees were going to live for awhile because most of them appeared to be healthy still and only showing minor signs of decline. Coming out of winter this year was a different story. Many of the ash trees on the course are in severe decline and quite a few, especially around the perimeter of the property, are completely dead. We haven't gotten a total count of trees that are suffering, but we are estimating that we will be removing at least 30 or 40 ash trees this coming winter. This is just an unfortunate reality of what can happen when an invasive pest comes from another country and our plants aren't able to defend themselves. Hopefully, the ash trees in key areas that were selected for treatment will continue to thrive.
Trees that have been infested for a few years will begin to thin out near the top of the tree, and will also have water sprouts or "suckers" coming out of the trunk and lower branches. "Suckering" is common on many trees, but is not the normal growth habit for ash trees. The thin top and the suckering is a result of the EAB larvae burrowing just underneath the bark of the tree and cutting off the supply of water and nutrients to the top of the tree. The suckering is essentially a last ditch effort for the tree to survive.
You can see in this picture the burrows or 'galleries' that will eventually cut off the trees water supply and kill the tree.
The signature sign of the EAB in the tree is this D-shaped hole in the bark. It's hard to tell in the picture, but this is actually a very small hole. It is only 1/8 of an inch across. Ash trees may have other D-shaped holes that are larger, but those are made by native ash borers that do not kill the tree.
So what is the fate of the ash trees at Calumet? Unfortunately, most of them are going to end up like this tree on the right side of the fourth fairway. We have about 90 ash trees on the course right now. When the EAB was first found here, we selected 13 trees that we deemed valuable to the golf course and we are treating those on a yearly basis. Most of those trees are still very healthy. The difficulty is that these treatment will have to continue indefinitely to keep the EAB out of those trees. Last summer we were thinking that the ash trees were going to live for awhile because most of them appeared to be healthy still and only showing minor signs of decline. Coming out of winter this year was a different story. Many of the ash trees on the course are in severe decline and quite a few, especially around the perimeter of the property, are completely dead. We haven't gotten a total count of trees that are suffering, but we are estimating that we will be removing at least 30 or 40 ash trees this coming winter. This is just an unfortunate reality of what can happen when an invasive pest comes from another country and our plants aren't able to defend themselves. Hopefully, the ash trees in key areas that were selected for treatment will continue to thrive. 
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