The emerald ash borer beetles are new to the area and are known to kill ash trees. Officials announced a plan to save the trees Tuesday
An invasive beetle species known to kill ash trees has been descending on towns in the area - but Mercer County officials have a plan.
The county park commission announced Tuesday that they will start monitoring ash trees in the area with purple ribbons, looking for signs of the emerald ash borer beetle (EAB), which lays larvae in the bark of ash trees.
Woodpecker damage on an ash tree with emerald ash borer. Small sections of bark are removed from the branches, and only the top layers of the bark. (Photo credit: Jenn Rogers) As the larvae grow, they consume the wood beneath the bark and adult beetles eat the tree's leaves. They essentially kill the tree over a few years and move on to another ash tree.
The beetles, originally from Asia, moved to New Jersey in 2014 and were present in Ewing, Hamilton, Hopewell, Princeton and West Windsor just last year.
"It is expected that 99 percent of ash trees will be gone after EAB has moved through this region," the park commission wrote in a statement Tuesday.
But the purple ribbon plan could curb the amount of damage created by the beetles.
The park commission is tying the ribbons to trees on their property throughout the county, each of which will contain an ID number for the tree.
The Park Commission will then monitor the health of the trees and will either treat them to prevent the beetle infestation, cut them down to protect other trees from the beetles or continue to monitor them.
Beetle on rampage through N.J.
The first step in the plan is to conduct a tree survey of ash trees in the area.
Though the plan only pertains to the park commission's own land, the commission urges homeowners to look for ash trees on their property and watch them for signs of EAB infestation.
Ash trees can be identified by their leaves - which have five to seven leaflets each - and twig buds - which look like small chocolate chips - the commission said.
The commission added that residents can look for sprouts or branches around the base of their ash trees.
"These sprouts usually arise when the ash tree is stressed. Another sure sign of EAB presence is the distinct woodpecker damage seen from extracting EAB larvae," they said in a statement.
Anyone with concerns about their ash trees can call the New Jersey Division of Agriculture at (609) 406-6939.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.